The second-seeded Blue Devils had just been beaten by Clemson 78-74 in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Singler had managed a season-low two points and four rebounds in 24 minutes, missing eight of his nine shots.

Singler tried to say all the right things. Clemson is a good, tough, athletic team, he said. His shots just weren't falling. Sometimes, he said, that happens.

"It's frustrating," Singler said. "But you have to find a way to get yourself out of it. It's just that plain and simple."

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had another plain and simple explanation for Singler's play in the tournament.

"Kyle looks tired," he said. "He has had a lot pressure, physical and otherwise, to play at such a high level. We need to get him refreshed, because his two games here he gave a gallant effort, but he just didn't have his legs and wasn't fresh."

Against Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals, Singler picked up two fouls in the first 31 seconds and played three minutes in the first half. He finished with five points, hitting 2 of 4 shots, but hustled defensively in the second half as Duke outlasted the Yellow Jackets 82-70.

"Getting in foul trouble like he did ... was tough because you get out of rhythm," Duke guard Jon Scheyer said. "But he stuck with it. He may not have scored a lot, but he made a lot of big plays."

But Saturday, the ACC Rookie of the Year looked more like, well, a rookie. Singler wasn't in sync offensively, seemed a step slow and struggled trying to contain Clemson center Trevor Booker, who at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds outweighs the 6-7 Singler by 20 pounds.

"Every game, Kyle and Lance [Thomas] are giving up 20 or 30 pounds and a few inches to the guys they're guarding," Scheyer said. "Kyle takes a beating every game. That's the bottom line, but he's done a great job for us."

But after 32 games, how much a toll have those beatings taken?

"It's all right," Singler said. "It doesn't really bother me."

Krzyzewski isn't so sure. He talked of how Singler, who averaged 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in the regular season, has been placed in such an important role as a freshman and asked to perform with no experienced big men to help him along the way.

Former Duke star Christian Laettner had Danny Ferry, Krzyzewski said. Grant Hill had Laettner. Not so with Singler.

"We've won 27 games," Krzyzewski said. "So much of it is because of Singler, so he should be worn out."

With Duke trailing Clemson 73-69 in the final minute, Singler had an open 3 from the right wing. But the ball banged off the rim, and Clemson's Sam Perry claimed the rebound and was fouled.

Singler slowly walked down the court, breathing deeply, his head down as the Clemson fans in Charlotte Bobcats Arena roared.

"It's very frustrating because we wanted to get to the championship game and win," Singler said. "We're not playing bad basketball. We feel like we can still beat any team in the country."

The Blue Devils (27-5) will get their chance in the NCAA Tournament, but Duke will need Singler back at his best.

"He's got to get refreshed," Krzyzewski said. "But he's got to remember that we're where we're at because of him."

Thomas, a 6-8 sophomore, said he expects Singler to be ready this week -- frisky, fresh, productive. Again.

"Kyle has been consistent for us all year," Thomas said. "He's new to all this, but he's going to shine."