At a pep rally before the UNC game, coach Mike Krzyzewski talked about a time when the men's basketball team would change from a good team into a great team.
As Duke rides a four-game winning streak heading into tonight's game against Virginia (15-8, 5-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference), it appears as though that time may have arrived.
"Our chemistry is starting to come together, and when that happens, we can't lose," junior forward Ricky Price said. "We're willing to win at any cost."
Behind that renewed drive to win lies the desire and experience of coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"He seems extremely hungry," Price said. "You can see it in his eyes and in his practices."
Along the way, the Blue Devils seem to have found a consistent starting lineup. After nine different combinations, the lineup of sophomore Trajan Langdon, junior Steve Wojciechowski, junior Roshown McLeod, senior Jeff Capel and freshman Chris Carrawell has amassed a 3-0 record. The key to the lineup has been that the shift to a smaller look has forced other teams to adjust to Duke instead of vice versa.
"When we go with the small lineup, other teams don't match up well with us," assistant coach Tim O'Toole said. "Their big guys, who are used to playing inside, have to come out, which is a big adjustment for most post players."
Virginia, on the other hand, will be hosting Duke while in the midst of a losing streak. After an upset win over North Carolina on January 11 and a near-upset of Wake Forest early on, the Cavaliers have lost consecutive road games to Georgia Tech and UNC.
Although Duke dismantled the Cavaliers, 78-59 in Cameron on Jan 18, the Blue Devils are not overlooking Virginia.
"I don't think we're going to come down off of beating N.C. State thinking we can just go into Virginia and expect to win," O'Toole said. "They have enough firepower to always be a threat. I think our team has a mature outlook towards that so I think we'll be okay."
In that game, Wojciechowski scored a career-high 16 points and Langdon made four three-pointers. However, due to an academic violation, Virginia was playing without its team leader in steals and assists-senior Harold Deane. Deane, averaging 14.2 points a game and 4.9 assists will be available this time around.
"We prepare for them the same way we did last time, because we expected Harold Deane when we played them at home," O'Toole said. "He does add a lot more experience and a little more scoring punch and we have to stay aware of that at all times."
Duke may be without the services of leading rebounder Greg Newton, who is questionable for the game after straining his lower back on Sunday against N.C. State.
Virginia will also be affected by injuries. Forward Courtney Alexander missed two recent games due to a sprained ankle, and was not at full strength in the team's loss to UNC. Although Alexander scored only 11 points when the two teams met earlier in the season, the Durham native is averaging a team-leading 14.7 points for the season, and torched the Blue Devils for 30 on Valentine's Day last year.
The Cavaliers will also look for heavy contributions from shooting guard Curtis Staples, who led Virginia with 17 points in the first meeting with Duke, and powerful post presence Norman Nolan, who was relatively non-existent in the first game, shooting a mere 4-of-11 from the floor.
For Virginia, currently sixth in the ACC, Tuesday's game provides a chance to break its losing skid in the conference and keep it in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Last week's slew of upsets of nationally-ranked teams has lifted Duke to sole possession of second place in the ACC, just a scant half game out of first, and a No. 6 national ranking in the Associated Press poll. That ranking, up two spots from last week, equals the Blue Devils' highest of the season.
Despite their recent success, the Blue Devils are not taking anything for granted in the volatile ACC.
"The race is definitely not over yet," Price said. "The chips will fall."
Duke's string of recent victories has been buoyed by pinpoint shooting. In the victory over N.C. State on Saturday, the Blue Devils broke the school's all time record for three-pointers. Led by three three-pointers apiece by Price, Langdon and Wojciechowski, Duke drained 15 treys in all.
Despite the record-setting performance, the Blue Devils feel they can utilize the three even more effectively.
"The record needs to be broken again," Price said.
Allowing just 62.6 points per game, the Blue Devil defense is also going strong. That point total is the lowest at Duke since 1950. Such defensive accomplishments are due largely to the play of Wojciechowski, who ranks second in the conference in both assists and steals and sports a 2.96:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, the best in Blue Devil history.
And after early season problems with consistency, Price seems to have found his rhythm in the last three games.
"I think I'm starting to get my bounce back," Price said. "I'm starting to really play like I know I can."
Add to that the solid all-around play of freshman Mike Chappell and the timely contributions of fellow freshman Nate James, senior Carmen Wallace and recently-returned sophomore Taymon Domzalski, and the Blue Devils feature a true 11-man rotation.
With all cylinders firing, Duke appears poised for battle and on paper seems to hold a clear advantage over the reeling Cavs. But this is the ACC and every night is a constant struggle-that's why they play the game.
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