GREENSBORO robbi.pickeral@newsobserver.com

Duke freshman guard Kyrie Irving said Sunday afternoon that there is a chance he will return from a toe injury to play at some point during the NCAA tournament.

"I can't really put a percentage on it," Irving said. "It all depends on how I feel, and if the medical staff feels good about it."

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was more cautious, saying Irving's enthusiasm might have been fueled by the emotion of missing out on the Blue Devils' 75-58 ACC tournament defeat of North Carolina.

Irving worked out Friday and Sunday on the Greensboro Coliseum floor during pre-game, but was not in uniform.

"We're far away from that decision," Krzyzewski said. "But he's doing well. He's worked out here every day and we're not trying to hide anything. We tried to show that first of all we do have a guy named Kyrie and secondly that he's progressing well."

Irving was made available to the media for the first time since he injured his right big toe on Dec. 4 against Butler. In the locker room after Duke's win, Irving explained the details of his injury.

He said the sesamoid bones on his right big toe were injured when he bent the toe back too far during the Butler game. He said the tissue connecting the bones was damaged and needed time to heal.

"This is where I get all of my power from, and this is the way I move as fast as I can," Irving said. "When it did happen, when I looked at the X-rays, it was a lot more complicated than I thought it was."

Irving said he is cleared for 5-on-0 drills but is awaiting word from the medical staff on when he will be ready to scrimmage at full speed.

He said his conditioning is not where it needs to be yet, but said he has been running on a treadmill in the pool for about a month to build his stamina.

His conditioning might be lacking, but he said his understanding of the game will be better after watching from the bench for all but the first eight games.

"I think I had a high basketball IQ when I was playing," Irving said, "but now it's increased, tremendously."

TOURNAMENT MEETS STANDARD: ACC officials were pleased with the results of a tournament that had two overtime games, two more games decided at the buzzer, and a championship game that should draw high TV ratings.

After about 2,000 tournament books were unsold last year, almost every seat was filled for the semifinals and final. Organizers put a new system in place this season to get more tickets to schools that have higher demand.

"We've got a standard around here, both for play on the floor, which our teams typically meet, and we've got a standard for how it should run and how it should look," said ACC associate commissioner Karl Hicks, who runs the tournament. "This year we've met the standards and arguably exceeded it, and that's a good feeling."

ALL-TOURNEY TEAM: Guard Nolan Smith became the 18th Duke player to be named the tournament's MVP. Also on the first team: Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller of UNC; Duke's Kyle Singler; and Clemson's Demontez Stitt. On the second team: UNC's John Henson and Kendall Marshall; Duke's Seth Curry and Miles Plumlee; and Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney.