DALLAS — Missing last year's NCAA Tournament loss to Tennessee isn't something that Mark Mitchell likes to dwell on.

Sure, it stung not being able to help the Duke basketball team in their second-round March Madness game, but Mitchell says he's past that disappointment. So much so that he's not using it as an added incentive for Friday's South Regional semifinal against top-seeded Houston.

"I don't know if it's a motivating factor," Mitchell said Thursday. "Obviously it hurts when you don't get to go out there with your team and do what you wanna do. I think if I played that game, it would've been different, but just gotta keep moving forward. Keep moving on. I think I've done that."

The tone around the Duke program after that loss to Tennessee, which utilized a physical style of defense, was whether the Blue Devils could contend in 40-minute sparring sessions. It's the same story heading into their matchup with the bruising Cougars.

Mitchell and his teammates have heard about Houston's physicality ad nauseum since the matchup was set. The 6-foot-9 sophomore said the team scrimmaged the Cougars last season, so he's experienced it himself.

Still, there's no escaping the elephant in the room.

"You obviously hear all the noise," Jaylen Blakes said, "but for us, I think we can't say anything until we go out there and prove it. I think for us we have to go prove a lot of people wrong. There's always gonna be questions and doubters, so I think for us to not get caught up in what people say but just continue to be us."

While the focus is on whether the Blue Devils can handle the physicality, Mitchell said the team is handling the chatter by not letting it get to them.

"It's always serious," Mitchell said of the vibe around the team, "but it can't be too serious. Just enjoying the moment, enjoying everything that's coming with it. I think being tight never does anything good for you."

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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Mark Mitchell, Duke basketball trying to stay loose before Sweet 16