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Whether you love or hate Duke and legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, it was hard not to feel sympathy for the Blue Devils' players who had their ACC Tournament run ended by COVID-19 protocols on Thursday morning. Duke was trying to make a five-day run through the event to reach the NCAA Tournament but had the dream snatched away after two great performances to start the week.

So it was no surprise to see a couple of current players expressing their disappointment on social media just when the team appeared to be playing some of its best basketball of the season. In particular, freshman center Mark Williams was coming on strong late in the season. After playing limited minutes mostly off the bench early in the season, Williams was averaging 18.5 points over Duke's past four games.

His 23 points and 19 rebounds helped the No. 10 seed Blue Devils knock off No. 7 seed Louisville in Wednesday night's second round and inspired hope for what else Duke might accomplish this week with its back against the wall. He was among those expressing disappointment on Thursday morning.

Even some former players like Tre Jones, who is now with the San Antonio Spurs, seemed to be feeling the pain.

Even Krzyzewski chimed in with some big picture perspective through the program's official account. But his words can only do so much to ease the disappointment Duke's players and fans must be feeling.

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