The Blue Devils say they have learned their lesson.

Play with passion, play with energy, but don't get too caught up in the moment - in the atmosphere - that they forget what makes them successful.

In the first half of Duke's loss to North Carolina Saturday, the Devils were not themselves. With the ACC regular-season title on the line and the Cameron Crazies going bonkers on DeMarcus Nelson's senior night, the Devils lacked the poise that helped them win 26 games this season and ascend to as high as No. 2 team in the national rankings.

"A lot of times it's not X's and O's and a lot of times it's not anything bad," coach Mike Krzyzewski said Tuesday. "It's not like something was bad.

"It's just that you weren't able to deal with some of these emotions, and that's why you feel fortunate to be in those games so maybe you can learn from them."

In the first 20 minutes of the 76-68 loss, the Devils committed 10 turnovers and shot 10-of-32 (31.3 percent) from the field. They rushed shots, they made sloppy passes. The result was a 42-31 halftime deficit that they weren't quite able to overcome in the second half.

With the ACC Tournament getting underway Thursday, and the Devils taking on either Georgia Tech or Virginia in the quarterfinals Friday, the Devils are using the uncharacteristic first half as a learning tool. While they won't play another game in noisy Cameron this season, every game will have greater meaning. The Devils are focusing on finding a balance between playing hard and with emotion and playing with aplomb at the same time.

"The one good thing about that game (is), we really - looking back - didn't play poised, we really did a lot of things in that game that we haven't really done (all season)," guard Jon Scheyer said. "And obviously, Carolina is a great team, but for us to move forward, I feel we can really build off that, knowing that we were still in the game and just by (knowing) how many bad plays we made.

"And going forward in the tournament, those plays you won't be able to do. You have to play poised, because otherwise you're one and done. So we understand that."

Krzyzewski said there's no potion for getting players to calm down and regain their focus in a game like Saturday's.

"There isn't like a pill, you know, like, 'Everyone take this pill,' or, 'Let me throw water on your face,' or whatever," Krzyzewski said. "You try different things, and I thought at halftime they finally settled down."

The Devils played a much better second half, briefly taking a two-point lead before being held scoreless 5 minutes, 42 seconds. Unlike the first half, however, the result of the end-of-game drought was simply due to not converting good opportunities to score and solid defense by the Tar Heels.

While there wasn't a solution in the heat of the moment Saturday, the players - given a couple days to think about it - say they understand better the mindset that they need to carry onto the court for every big game here in March.

"Obviously, we're not going to have home-court advantage in Charlotte, so I know we will be excited," point guard Greg Paulus said. "But I think that we did learn from the first half, where we've got to show some poise, be a little bit under control, get in some (offensive) sets, you know, share the ball and keep making plays.

"So I think we will learn from that, and that will be a good thing for us."

There certainly is no lack of motivation for these Devils. A year ago, Duke was bounced from the first round of the conference tournament as part of its season-ending four-game losing streak. Everyone who was on that team said it has fueled the Devils' resolve to win since last summer.

"For me personally, it's definitely stayed in my mind," Scheyer said of Duke's ACC Tournament loss to N.C. State. "One thing that I know and that the team knows is that at this point last year, we wouldn't win another game for the rest of the year.

"And that's a reason why we're very hungry this year, so motivated, and obviously we still have a lot to do and a lot to prove."

The Devils like the position they're in, too. As the No. 2 seed in the tournament and with a 26-4 record, they are much more fresh than they were a year ago -- when, Krzyzewski said, they were scrambling just to get into the NCAA Tournament. Scheyer said that as a freshman, he expended too much energy - "150 percent," to be exact - early in the season and was worn out by this time of the season. With Duke's improved depth, the Devils say they're not concerned about the prospect of playing three games in three days and then having a quick turnaround with the national tournament tipping off next week.

"Looking back, I wasn't the same player I was for most of the year at the end of the year," Scheyer said. "I was even more worn down mentally than I was physically. I feel the season took a big drain on me. And this year, I feel great, I feel motivated, excited, ready to go, and I feel that's how most of the guys are on the team.

"That's a big difference, because I didn't feel like it was just me last year. I feel a lot of guys felt that way from the way the season went. So I feel we're in a good place right now going into the tournament."

The Devils are rearing to go. They've had two full-throttle practices to begin the week and they'll hold another one Wednesday before tuning down the intensity Thursday. They are, undoubtedly, pumped up about the opportunity to erase memories of a year ago with a good showing in Charlotte and then in the NCAA Tournament.

The motivation and enthusiasm are evident. But the No. 7 Devils now realize that at the same time, they must remember how they won 26 games. They can't lose their identity on the court, as was the case during the first half of Saturday's loss.

"The last couple days in practice, we've really focused on not beating ourselves," Scheyer said. "We can be a really good team if we play the way we're supposed to, you know, do the things we're supposed to in our system. So obviously we've been working on that. And when we step on the court Friday, that's something we'll definitely need to do.

"Just play the way Duke should play."