Coach K has no plans to rush back injured freshmen stars

Duke was without three of its freshman stars for Friday night's season opener, not that it mattered much as the Blue Devils cruised to a 94-49 win over Marist.

Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, and Marques Bolden all missed the game due to injuries, and while No. 1 Duke would love to have its trio of talented freshman in the lineup, head coach Mike Krzyzewski is in no hurry to rush his young stars back onto the court.

"We can't go through the whole year with lingering injuries," Krzyzewski said after the game, according to C.L. Brown of ESPN. "We're not the team we thought we would be at this time, but we're a good team. To be the team that we hope to be, we've got to be healthy. We're going to really be adamant about taking a longer time than a shorter time, no matter what."

Giles underwent knee surgery prior to the season, Bolden is expected to miss at least two games with a leg injury, and Tatum was ruled out Friday as he continues to recover from a sprained foot.

"We've got to be careful not to get these guys coming back too soon," he said. "Jayson was doing great. I think we put him in practice a little too soon, and I think that hurt him. We're just going to shut those guys down for a while."

The Blue Devils are back in action right away Saturday when they host Grand Canyon, but it's the following game where health may be a concern when Duke takes on No. 3 Kansas in the Champions Classic.