GREENVILLE, S.C. — The power went out, a circuit breaker blew, some server needed rebooting — no one really knew what went wrong. But the normally lockstep precision of the NCAA Tournament fell apart Friday night after Duke's win over Cal State Fullerton, as Mike Krzyzewski and three of his players sat on an elevated dais under hot television lights and ... just sat there for minutes, whispering to each other in front of dead microphones.
As they waited for the sound to return, Krzyzewski joked, unamplified, about his "nervous anticipation for the quality of questions." Maybe, after a loss, he might have been steaming over the delay. On this night, he seemed unperturbed, as were his players.
It was an uncomfortable (and avoidable) situation handled, to use one of Krzyzewski's favorite words, with "verve," which also happens to be exactly what Duke will need against Michigan State on Sunday, and beyond if the Blue Devils advance.
