'Benching' Rivers? Mike Krzyzewski begs to differ

 It’s probably prudent not to make too much of Duke's starting lineups. Austin Rivers definitely took note of the fact he wasn’t startingin Thursday's 91-73 win over Wake Forest, saying he was angry.

But Mike Krzyzewski doesn’t see what the big deal is.

Duke’s coach takes issue with the phrase “benching,” in particular.

“I don’t like the word ‘bench,’ ” Krzyzewski said. “I don’t know where that word comes from. Bench means that he sat on the bench. To me, (Rivers) scored 20 points and played 32 minutes. Everybody should be benched like that. It’s our look at trying to look at different lineups, different ways of doing this team.”

Eight different Blue Devils have started for the team this season, including seven since conference play began. Given the fact there isn’t much separation among Duke’s top eight players, it stands to reason that the starting lineup will continue to fluctuate.

Quinn Cook has struggled in recent games, and one would have to imagine there’s a chance he may go back to coming off the bench in the next week or so.

Cook only played 14 minutes against the Deacons, although Krzyzewski said that was because Cook tweaked his knee after the win over Clemson.


-- Jack Daly