Coach K bans players from Duke locker room and won't let them wear Duke gear

Coach K might still be on the mend from back surgery, but apparently, he’s healthy enough to put his foot down. According to a report from ESPN, Krzyzewski held a team meeting Tuesday night and told his players they’re no longer welcome in the Duke locker room, nor are they allowed to wear any Duke apparel. The move follows Duke’s loss to NC State on Monday, the third loss in four games for the Blue Devils, who are 2-3 under interim coach Jeff Capel.

How long will this bizarre punishment last? “Until they start living up to the standards of the Duke program,” a source told Jeff Goodman.

Remember when the media all but gave Duke the national championship trophy at the beginning of the season? Even after they lost to Kansas in the Champions Classic, some writers (cough, Rob Dauster, cough) wrote, “Just give them the damn title.” There’s a lot of basketball to be played, and it would be so like the basketball gods to have the Dukies turn it around and win the whole thing, but that’s hard to imagine given all the drama in Durham lately.

If Duke’s disappointing season has taught us anything, it’s that wearing the “super team” tag isn’t nearly as easy as John Calipari and the 38-1 group made it look.

[ESPN]