Mike Krzyzewski Reportedly Banned Players from Locker Room Due to Struggles

Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski is still recovering from back surgery he underwent earlier in January, but that isn't stopping him from disciplining his team for poor play.

Per ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman and Dana O'Neil, Krzyzewski met with the team at his house Tuesday night to inform them they had been banned from the locker room and can no longer wear Duke apparel following their 84-82 home loss to North Carolina State on Monday.

The loss dropped the Blue Devils' record to a respectable 15-5 overall, but they are tied for ninth in the ACC with a 3-4 mark. They haven't finished under .500 in conference play since 1994-95, which was also the last time they failed to reach the NCAA tournament.

As for how long the punishment would last, a source told Goodman and O'Neil it will go on "until they start living up to the standards of the Duke program."

A separate source told Goodman and O'Neil the Blue Devils have "bigger issues that need to be addressed," though specifics were not mentioned.

Interim head coach Jeff Capel responded to the report, per WRAL's Joe Ovies:

When the season started, it appeared Duke was on top of the college basketball world. The Blue Devils had the top recruiting class in the country with six commits, including four 5-star prospects, per Scout, and received 58 of 65 first-place votes in the Associated Press preseason Top 25.

A lot of things have happened since beyond Krzyzewski's absence from the sidelines. Grayson Allen received an indefinite suspension that turned out to be one game for tripping Elon's Steven Santa Ana.

Injuries have plagued the team, as Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Marques Bolden and Amile Jefferson all missed time.

Looking at the glass half full, there's still plenty of room for Duke to grow with all of the young talent on its roster. Krzyzewski was expected to miss four weeks following his surgery, which would put him on track to return around February 3.

It's been an unusually difficult season by Duke standards, one that is trying Krzyzewski's patience, but it would be a mistake to count this team out.