This was to be the year Duke fell a few rungs down the ACC standings or so the preseason prognostications indicated. After finishing either first or second the past eight seasons, the Blue Devils were picked fourth this year.
Instead, Duke (15-0, 5-0 ACC) is off to the third best start of its 100-year history, once again atop the ACC charts and ranked No. 2 in the nation as it hosts the Terrapin men’s basketball team tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“This is probably the lowest-rated Duke team in a while at the start of the year, and they had that mentality: ‘OK, we’re going to show everybody.’ It shows in the way they play,” Terp coach Gary Williams said. “I’ve seen just about all their games, and I haven’t seen a game where they weren’t really flying at the start. … Teams that play against them appreciate how good they are.”
But Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski talks about his team as if it has yet to prove itself. In yesterday’s ACC teleconference, he speculated his team could still lose “a good number of games.”
“It’s been a good group, but we also know that we’re not anywhere close to being an outstanding team,” he said. “We’re a good team, and we have to keep striving to get better.”
The low preseason expectations — relatively speaking — stem from the loss of 2003-04 standout freshman Luol Deng and senior floor leader Chris Duhon to the NBA, as well as top recruit Shaun Livingston, who chose to enter the NBA draft instead of fulfilling his commitment to the Blue Devils.
But Duke has gotten by just fine.
Junior guard J.J. Redick leads the conference in scoring at 21.7 points per game and has developed beyond his sharpshooter reputation into a well-rounded player.
“J.J.’s a really good player, not just an outstanding shooter,” Krzyzewski said.
Junior center Shelden Williams leads the conference with 11.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game. After taking the Duke offensive reins this season, senior Daniel Ewing boasts averages of 16.6 points and 3.9 assists per game. Even junior forward Lee Melchionni has stepped into a starting role after averaging five minutes per game last season.
“They complement each other,” Williams said. “It looks like they’re playing very well together.”
Williams doesn’t expect his squad to be intimidated by either Duke’s record or its home court advantage.
“Duke’s a great team, but we’ve also played the third and fourth teams in the country, so what’s the difference?” he said in reference to North Carolina and Wake Forest. “It’s just you have to be ready to play at this level. I personally like the challenge.”
The problem Sunday was the Terps (11-5, 2-3) weren’t ready to play against N.C. State. They’ll look to rebound from an uninspired performance, in which they trailed by 26 at halftime.
“You have to understand that losses are supposed to hurt. You just have to come back ready to play and not be a baby about it,” junior forward Nik Caner-Medley said. “And there’s no babies on this team. It’s all grown men, so we’re going to come back ready to play.”
The Terps have defeated Duke at least once in eight of the past 10 seasons.
“Gary’s teams are always really good and really competitive,” Krzyzewski said. “They play smart basketball, and they come to play. We expect that Wednesday night.”
n TERP NOTES: Duke’s Shavlik Randolph has returned to action after missing three and a half weeks due to mono, but Krzyzewski said the forward is “still a ways away from being at full strength.”
… Students are invited to watch the game on a big screen television for free inside Cole Field House. The doors open at 8 p.m. “Hopefully Cole will bring us a little magic. That building was special — there’s no doubt about it — and that building saw some great Duke games,” Williams said. “I hope the students enjoy it.”
