Wendell Moore explains how he has handled pressure with Coach K's eventual final game

The constant thought in the back of every Duke fan’s minds during the last two Blue Devil games is if that night would be Mike Krzyzewski’s final game as a coach. That topic isn’t brought up much behind the scenes, though, according to Duke forward Wendell Moore Jr.

This Duke team isn’t thinking about losing right now. Krzyzewski was next to Moore during the press conference last Sunday, who responded, “you’re not going to talk about losing or else you’re going to lose.”

Several days later, that sentiment still rings true and the Blue Devils are tighter than ever. Moore knows this is a team effort.

“The main thing we do we really just stick together. Through all the ups and downs, the crazy media posts, the shame and the praise. I mean, we all just kind of do it together. You know that we’re not going to be able to do any of it without each other. That includes Coach [Krzyzewski],” Moore said. “So the 14 guys on our team, the five coaches on our staff and our community and our family, we keep it a tight-knit circle so we don’t get too high on things or get too low on things. I think we do a good job using each other to help us stay in that balance.”

The junior forward is doing his part to keep Coach K’s career alive, 15 points in Duke’s 86-76 win over Michigan State in the second round. Moore tallied 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the opening round against CSU Fullerton.

It’s not just Moore that’s on his game — it’s the whole team. Only one starter hasn’t had consecutive games scoring in double figures during the tournament (AJ Griffin had seven points against MSU). With 35 assists in two games while averaging 81.5 points per game through the first two round of the NCAA Tournament, Duke is in perfect shape to its run going this season.

Just because Moore won’t admit the thought has crossed his mind, his teammates and him surely be fighting to add one more piece of hardware to the illustrious career of Kryzyewski. In what could be Coach K’s final game, Duke and Texas Tech tip off at approximately 9:39 p.m. ET live on CBS. The winner will play either Gonzaga or Arkansas in the Elite Eight on Saturday.