Duke 2-0 since Coach K took away the team's clothing

Duke appears to be back in its place among the top teams in the country, and all it took was Mike Krzyzewski taking away the players' right to wear Blue Devils clothing.

Following the team's third loss in four games last Monday against NC State, the legendary coach, who is currently away from the team recovering from back surgery, reportedly took away the players' locker room privileges and banned them from wearing Duke apparel.

Since then, the Blue Devils have won two straight road games in the ACC, with the latest coming on Monday at No. 20 Notre Dame. The victory in South Bend marked the first time ever that Duke has won an ACC road game at Notre Dame.

The Duke starters carried the load by scoring 78 of the team's 84 points, but three individual performances stood out on the night:

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum is expected to be one of the first players taken in the 2017 NBA Draft, and he showed why on Monday against the Fighting Irish. His 19-point total wasn't his highest-scoring game in college, but it was certainly his most complete, as the 6-foot-8 forward posted his first double-double by grabbing 14 rebounds. Tatum was the most dominant player on the court throughout the game, and showed that when he's leading the charge, Duke is a force to be reckoned with.

Grayson Allen

Lost in all the attention surrounding his tripping scandal is the fact that Grayson Allen is a damn good basketball player. The heavily criticized guard carried the Blue Devils in the first half and finished the day with 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Allen seemed to crop up whenever Duke needed a big shot in the contest, and if he's back on track, the team will skyrocket up the ACC standings.

Matt Jones

Matt Jones is often lost in the shuffle among the incredibly talented Duke roster, but there's arguably no player more valuable to the Blue Devils cause. The 6-foot-5 senior rebounded from a dismal shooting performance against Wake Forest on the weekend, hitting 5-of-6 from the field while also adding five rebounds and three assists. Jones supplied his trademark swarming defense throughout the affair, helping to hold the Irish below their average of 79 points per game.

Outlook

Is Duke officially back? We will leave that for daily sports radio fodder, but with two massive road wins, the Blue Devils have certainly stopped the bleeding from their tough stretch the past two weeks. A home game against lowly Pitt awaits, before next week's massive rivalry game against North Carolina. Let's wait until that one before any bold predictions are made, but after Monday's performance, Coach K can at least give his players their clothes back.