Mike Krzyzewski pointed to Nolan Smith’s ball pressure on North Carolina guard Kendall Marshall as the reason the Blue Devils were so successful against the Tar Heels in last week’s ACC Final.

"I think we won because of his ball pressure," Krzyzewski said. "There are a number of things why we won, but number one on the list was his ball pressure.

"There's no question about it, because everything else about it defensively emanated from his pressure on the ball."

Krzyzewski indicated if Duke could add some depth to its lineup for the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils might ask Smith to continue attacking opposing ball handlers.

With the possibility arising that freshman point guard Kyrie Irving will play Friday for the first time since a toe injury sidelined him on Dec. 4, any contributions he could provide would relieve some of the pressure on Smith.

"To see your leader, a guy who plays every second of the game, who is willing to play his hardest for every second of the game, it really brings out the most in you," said sophomore forward Ryan Kelly. "You don't want to let down that guy, especially on the defensive end.”