The men's basketball team is hoping to heat up the competition in the chilly state of Alaska during Thanksgiving weekend.
Not only does the Blue Devils' participation in the Great Alaska Shootout mark the return of head coach Mike Krzyzewski to the bench, the first game also pits junior guard Jeff Capel against his father, Jeff Capel, Sr., who is the head coach of Duke's opening-round opponent, Old Dominion. Duke squares off against ODU at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. ESPN will broadcast the game live at 12:30 a.m. Eastern time.
The tournament was supposed to give Anchorage fans another chance to see their hometown star, sophomore guard Trajan Langdon. Langdon, however, has been sidelined for the preseason due to a stress reaction in his left leg and will not be able to suit up in Alaska. He suffered the injury while playing for the Junior National team this summer. Due to the rare nature of the injury, his return date is still uncertain, but the team hopes to have his services again in mid-December.
Even though Langdon is unable to play, the Blue Devils are still making pre-tournament headlines, as the Capel vs. Capel matchup has become one of the most talked-about battles of the tournament.
"I know he's excited and I'm sure he's nervous too," Duke associate coach Tommy Amaker said about the younger Capel's matchup against his father's team. "We talked to him about that, and it's something that's good, obviously, for their family. It's good for both programs. I think it's a neat experience. That's all they're talking about when they advertise the game."
The Monarchs boast just two starters from last season's Colonial Athletic Association championship team, but that hardly means that ODU is lacking in talent this season. Junior Odell Hodge missed all but the first four games for the Monarchs last season, due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The 6-foot-9 Hodge is back for Old Dominion and is expected to make big contributions. As a sophomore in 1993-94, Hodge was named the CAA's Player of the Year, becoming the conference's first sophomore to receive that honor since David Robinson earned the award at Navy.
"I think [Old Dominion will] be a strong team on the inside," Amaker said. "I think that's one of their strengths this year, with the return of their big guy, Odell Hodge, who sat out last year, in addition to a kid that transferred. So we think they'll be a talented, deep team and a team that is on the up-and-up and on the rise in the college basketball."
Despite the strengths of this Monarch team, the Blue Devils are hoping to force ODU to adapt to its up-tempo style of play.
"We are going to try to do what we want to do, and do what we do best," Amaker said. "We've talked to our guys about their strengths, which we think will be on the inside, and we think we have some good inside players too. We're not backing down from what they do well. I think what we're going to do is try to play our game, to be up-tempo.
"We feel that our perimeter is experienced and hopefully we'll play well from the perimeter standpoint and that will set the tone for our team. Hopefully they will have to adjust to us, as opposed to us adjusting to them."
Joining Hodge are two starters from last year's ODU team, junior forward Mario Mullen and sophomore guard Brion Dunlap. Sophomore forward Joe Bunn and junior guard E.J. Sherod are the remaining probable starters for the Monarchs.
"We know they're a very good team," Amaker said. "They're a team coming off of a great season--what they did in their conference tournament last year, and also what they did in the NCAA Tournament, beating a very tough Villanova team... I think they'll be a very aggressive team and a team that's willing to go after it and put everything on the line. It's the start of the season for both teams, so everyone is anxious to play."
The Great Alaska Shootout will force this young Duke team to perform early, as the tournament field is packed with several talented teams. Indiana, Iowa, Connecticut, Ohio, Texas Christian and host Alaska-Anchorage make up the remainder of the tournament's field, and the Blue Devils could have a potential second-round matchup with the Hoosiers and Krzyzewski's former mentor, Indiana head coach Bobby Knight.
Three of the eight teams in the Shootout are ranked in the national polls, with Connecticut holding the No. 6 spot in the Associated Press poll. No. 10 Iowa and No. 23 Indiana help to strengthen the draw.
"We know it's a very strong field," Amaker said. "We're just hoping this gives us the opportunity to gauge our team early with the type of competition we're going to face. Old Dominion is a top-flight ballclub so I think throughout the whole tournament we'll get the level of competition to know exactly where we are as a team. Our guys are excited to play and we think we can compete with these teams."
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