Duke Basketball is not accustomed to losing to three unranked teams in a row, but a closer look shows that the last three opponents aren't that bad.  The fact of the matter is that the ACC is good this season and there is only one give me game on any teams schedule.

Still, there are no acceptable excuses when losing  as harsh as that might sound.  If the Blue Devil players tire enough of the talk surrounding said losses, they will respond by getting better and doing something about it.  The team must make it so that games do not come down to a single possession and that means taking better care of the ball with concern to decisions.

The three losses of late have come to teams with a lot of intangibles working in their favor.  Notre Dame was a pre season top 25 pick and they played a brutal schedule losing only to good teams before now winning two key games in a row.  Clemson was on a roll and playing great basketball where Duke was but one of their victims.  And Syracuse is a team that is now riding a three game win streak with their coach Jim Boeheim back at the helm.

Duke could have won all three of those games.  They were that close and the Blue Devils were right there.

A look around the nation shows that there are no clear-cut teams worthy or number one at any time.  While Duke is in no way in those talks, they are capable of being a good team.  When they defeated Indiana, the Hoosiers looked destined for a fall, but they have rebounded to enter the top 25.  What that all means, is that there are ebbs and flows to the season and there is a lot of balance in the entire nation.

The task of making better decisions is a learning curve and it's something that is not easily conquered.  Especially for a freshman laden team that is missing a key leader.  That leader, Amile Jefferson, also happens to be one of two Duke big men who are game ready in the way Mike Krzyzewski needs them to be within his system.

The Duke staff knows that a single mistake can lead to dire consequences and this is why certain players are not playing.  The cold, harsh truth is that Duke is loaded with players not quite ready to play at the level the staff or fans are accustomed to seeing,  But that doesn't mean they are giving up or not trying.

For Duke to get better moving forward they have to quickly learn the harsh reality that losing isn't fun.  It would help if Amile Jefferson was in the line up but he is not at this time.  The only way Duke gets better is for players to grow up fast and sometimes the pace is not to folks liking.

There is no sugar-coating the fact that the two freshman Duke needs the light to come on for the most are Derryck Thornton and Chase Jeter,  But they are running their own race.  They may blossom this season or it may be a year away, but it will happen.

Duke is forced to play players out of position and often out of their comfort zone due to depth issues.  Any foul trouble makes this team vulnerable.  There is now a blue print out there on how to beat Duke and the next two opponents in N.C. State and Miami want their shot. They will push it right into the paint on the offensive end hoping to overwhelm the post.

The thing about a young team and this particular team is that they must overcome beyond the normal freshman learning curve is the monster success of Duke teams past.  What that means is that there are a lot of hungry teams with wily veteran players wanting revenge for past beat downs.  It is the price of success that sometimes rears its head and it's called revenge.

Duke simply could not afford injuries this season. Mike Krzyzewski said this from day one in the pre season and we are now seeing  his worst fear play out.  When Duke had Amile Jefferson, they had a four-year player who was playing the best basketball of his career. He gave the team just enough chemistry where Duke could beat anybody in the nation on a given day.

Duke is now facing what could be called the worst possible "Perfect Storm," which is a brutal ACC slate ahead.  They are doing so with a young team that may well be in the midst of confidence issues and with a player on the bench they just could not afford to lose.

Still, there is hope for the players have not given up.  They are still working hard and trying to get out from under the dark cloud  above their collective heads,  They are building toward something, be it this season or next and paying their dues.  Those dues catch every program, some more so than others, but not usually at Duke.

It has been said that Duke is like the New York Yankees.    People love to hate them for they always seem to win and we are certainly seeing many take glee during the losing streak.  But the Yankees always seem to bounce back and so will Duke.  But as for the question of when that will happen, well, nobody really knows the answer to that.

Are there answers for Duke?  We'll just have to wait and see.  But one thing that remains consistent is player character.  Now Duke just needs that character to translate into some quick, tough lessons learned and fast for the road ahead is daunting.

The best thing Duke can do is take it one game at a time.  Sometimes, it is the small steps that lead to something grand in time.  The big picture is that Duke is learning some valuable lessons which will lead to hunger for success.  But for the immediate future or the here and now, a win is a big step and the only one that will right the ship.