Blue Devils Emerging As Title Contenders

The Duke Blue Devils are quickly putting the memory of last year’s disappointing season behind them with each passing victory, and must now be considered among the nation’s elite. The ACC’s only undefeated team stayed that way with yet another impressive 92-72 victory over the N.C. State Wolfpack, improving to 6-0 in the conference, with a showdown lingering at Chapel Hill against conference favorite North Carolina on Wednesday. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils are both ranked in the top-5 nationally, and their upcoming encounter will be critical in determining who gets the all-important #1 seed in the East region. College basketball’s most intense rivalry is ready to take center stage once again, as both teams look primed for a run at San Antonio and the Final Four.

Now at 20-1, the Blue Devils have exceeded the modest expectations of experts who believed that their lack of size would lead to another frustrating year. A season ago, Duke’s impressive streak of nine consecutive Sweet 16’s came to a crashing end when Eric Maynor of Virginia Commonwealth brought the Blue Devils season to an end in the first round. Faced with having to deal with the loss of Josh McRoberts, the team’s most reliable threat in the post, it appeared Duke was in for another difficult season in 07-08.

That’s when coach Mike Krzyzewski embraced a new style of basketball that has played to his team’s strengths at the perimeter. The Blue Devils have turned their effects towards creating a suffocating defense that pressures the ball relentlessly. The aggressive man-to-man defense has led to turnovers in bunches, and a host of transition baskets. For all their lack of size down low, the Blue Devils have accumulated a plethora of outside shooters. They have been especially lethal at hitting treys in bunches when their pressure defense has created opportunities.

More than anything, though, it’s been a newfound sense of resiliency and toughness that has made Duke a national power again. After going 19 straight games by winning the first half, the Blue Devils have passed the difficult test of coming from behind in the second half to win each of their last two games.

It began in College Park on Sunday when Duke appeared to have their hands full with the streaking Maryland Terrapins, who were flying high off an upset victory over top-ranked North Carolina. The Terps torched the Blue Devils early, shooting over 60% in the first half to seize a nine-point halftime lead at home, the first time Duke had trailed at intermission all season. The Blue Devils responded by showing an uncanny display of toughness that was lacking in last year’s club. They jumped on Maryland early in the second half, and then cruised past the Terps for a statement 93-84 win.

It was the same story on Thursday night when Duke fell behind a hot-shooting Wolfpack club by nine at halftime for the second straight game. Once again, the Blue Devils used their defense to get their transition offense going. Greg Paulus was lethal from behind the arc, hitting three 3-pointers early in the second half to change momentum, and get Duke rolling towards its 20-point victory. Paulus, DaMarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson, Taylor King, Kyle Singler, and Jon Scheyer have all emerged as reliable threats from the outside, and defenses have had a devil of a time trying to account for each and everyone on a consistent basis. The tremendous depth of the Blue Devils has made things real interesting around Tobacco Road again.

Many believed that the top seed in the East, and a sub-regional at Raleigh, followed by a Charlotte regional would be won by the Tar Heels by default. Now, the Blue Devils have announced themselves as contenders for that coveted road to the Final Four. It’s becoming more and more apparent that either UNC or Duke will get that tailor-made draw, and Wednesday’s match-up will be the first audition for that spot. Considering where these two teams began preseason, I’d say the Blue Devils would be pretty happy where they are sitting at with a little over two months left in the season.