The Atlantic Coast Conference season has not gotten off to a normal start for the men's basketball team.
No. 16 Duke (9-5 overall, 0-3 in the ACC) has dropped three consecutive conference games -- including a home contest against an inexperienced Clemson squad -- for the first time in six years. Names like Laettner, Hill -- whether of the G. or T. variety -- and Hurley no longer grace the backs of the Blue Devils' jerseys. And head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is still feeling the effects of off-season back surgery, has been forced to miss the past two games. Coach K is not expected to return to the sidelines for at least a few more weeks.
Several of Duke's recent games against the Virginia Cavaliers have also been painful experiences for Krzyzewski. UVa has won five of its last 10 encounters with Duke. And the Blue Devils will be looking for their first ACC win on Saturday, when the Wahoos (9-3, 3-0) come to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a 4 p.m. contest televised by ABC.
Although the Blue Devils are tied with Florida State for last place in the conference, and the Cavaliers are the league leaders, UVa will certainly not approach the Duke game as a potential cake-walk over a cellar-dweller. After all, the Blue Devils were the ACC's regular season champions last season.
"I think we have to realize that we have to go after teams like teams go after us," senior guard Kenny Blakeney said. "Looking at the schedule, I'm pretty sure that most of them have a star or an asterisk beside the Duke game, and that's how we've got to start playing.
"This game Saturday is a big game for us, for our confidence and for everything. We're 0-3, and this Virginia team's going to come in and think we're a little bit down. We've got to really come out hard from the tipoff and just get at them."
Duke's current losing streak means that Saturday's game takes on even greater significance. The Blue Devils are anxious to return to the winning ways which have seemed close to automatic throughout the past decade.
"The Virginia game is definitely our biggest game of the year," Blakeney said. "We've got to internalize what our season can become and what this team can become. It's definitely not over. This is a long season. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon."
In this ACC distance race, Duke has certainly not gotten off to a fast start. And while veteran players like Blakeney may be aware that the Blue Devils' fate is far from being decided, Duke's young players need to get a taste of winning in the conference.
"Everyone realizes that we're 0-3," sophomore guard Jeff Capel said. "And everyone realizes that we really need a win to boost our confidence and let us know we can win in this league. Right now, we're not sure that everyone feels that. So it is a very big game."
It certainly will not be an easy matchup for Duke. Virginia has one of the deepest and most talented backcourts in the nation. The Cavaliers are led by junior Cory Alexander, who has translated his flashy moves and solid outside shooting into a team-leading 17.2 points per game. Alexander is joined by three other explosive guards -- sophomores Jamal Robinson and Harold Deane and freshman Curtis Staples.
UVa has also played spectacular defense this season. The Wahoos have held their opponents under 37 percent from the field and have surrendered just 61.1 points per game.
The talented guards are not the only players with a Cavalier defensive attitude. Senior Yuri Barnes and junior Chris Alexander have contained other teams' centers this year. They could make life difficult for Duke senior Cherokee Parks on Saturday, especially if Duke's guards feel the pressure of Alexander, Deane and Robinson. And senior (or fourth-year student, as they say at Virginia) Junior Burrough is also an intimidating presence inside the paint.
To make matters worse for the Blue Devils, Krzyzewski will miss his third straight game. But the Duke players are not using this as an excuse for their losses.
"It hurts that Coach isn't here because he's our coach, but one of the expressions that he always uses is that the train has to move on," Blakeney said. "The train moved on when Ricky [Price] was hurt. The train moved on last year when I wasn't in school. And Coach K's out right now, and unfortunately, the train has to move on without a driver.
"But the season's going to continue. We just really have to come together. I think the captains have to show more leadership. I really blame myself a whole lot for not really being the leader I can be. I think all the seniors have to start doing that."
The Blue Devils should get a boost from the Cameron Crazies, who are expected to be out in full force for the first home game of the spring semester. The Duke fans will hope to see their team extend the nation's longest streak of consecutive spots in the Associated Press poll to 154 weeks. A victory over Virginia may be necessary to keep the Blue Devils from dropping out of the top 25.
NOTE: Deane sprained his ankle early in Virginia's 61-37 victory over Clemson on Wednesday night. His status for Saturday's game is "hopeful," according to the Virginia Sports Information office.
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