In the press room Saturday at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, I couldn't find one person who actually thought that the Blue Devils were the fifth-ranked team in the country -- and that was before Virginia Tech's 69-67 overtime upset win.

I've heard some call it a stunning upset, but I don't put it in that category, because I believed Virginia Tech had the guards to give Duke trouble. And frankly, Duke isn't quite that good to begin with, and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski knows this.

This is a young Duke team that does have talent, but unlike Duke teams of past years, this bunch just can't walk on the court and expect to win. They have to earn it.

Coach K said afterward that Duke needs to be hungry again and that nobody is going to sprinkle a magic gold dust on them because they have D-U-K-E on their uniform and magically wins will appear. When you're young, you need to play with energy, and Duke lacked that much against a fired-up Virginia Tech team. Duke's trademark has always been to play each possession with more intensity than its opponent. It was Virginia Tech that dictated that on Saturday.

Duke committed 22 turnovers and only forced seven. Coach K says he can't ever remember something like that. They were about as graceful as a big old clumsy bear going after a slippery fish. The Devils got nothing from sophomore point guard Greg Paulus. His body might have been at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but his mind wasn't. He couldn't guard on the perimeter; he turned it over six times, had just one assist and no points, and instead of driving for the tie, had a potential game-winning three blocked at as the game ended. Paulus is such a key for Duke, but he was nowhere to be found during the game or afterward in a post-game Duke locker room that didn't stay open for long.

Josh McRoberts had 16 points and 10 rebounds with 13 of those points coming in the second half when he got the ball down low and made some things happen. Trouble is, he took just nine shots, missed six free throws and he too, had six turnovers. McRoberts is the one that everyone says has the All-America potential. He must be more assertive. He's good when he is, and Duke needs him to be consistently good.

I think DeMarcus Nelson is good. He kept Duke in it in the first half and ended up with 22 points, including the clutch three that sent it to overtime. And I thought freshman Gerald Henderson played with a lot of energy. He's very athletic, as is Nelson, and there's no question Duke can use a lot more of that.

Tech's Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon are good guards, and they're quick, but they won't be the best guards that Duke will face. Quickness on the perimeter is going to give Duke trouble, no question about it. Quickness is not Greg Paulus' strength but playing smart, heady basketball is. He just didn't play that way Saturday, and it cost his team.

Now Duke goes on the road to face a young Georgia Tech team coming off a one-point loss at undefeated Clemson. This will be Duke's first trip to an opponent's home court this season. Duke's nonconference schedule wasn't a good preparation for the road, so it will be very interesting to see how this team reacts, and it will be hostile in Atlanta. I know one thing: They can't throw it around like they're on the playground, and their typical slow start could be hard to overcome.

There's a long way to go in this basketball season, and Mike Kryzyzewski certainly knows how to get a team better. If the past is any indication, Duke will come out ready to play in at Georgia Tech on Wednesday. But this is not a Duke team of recent years. It's young, it's fragile and it's still trying to find its way. A 13-2 record – although it looks good on paper -- definitely glosses over the obvious weaknesses that this current Blue Devil team has.

Young teams do grow, and this team has plenty of growing up to do. How fast it happens remains to be seen.

Duke at Georgia Tech will be very interesting.