It's Duke 2, star players 0.
After holding Arizona star Mike Bibby to only eight points in the Blue Devil's win against Arizona last week, the new No. 1-ranked team shut down South Carolina State's top guard, senior Roderick Blakney. Blakney, who averaged 23.4 points per game a year ago, went 3-of-14 from the field, scoring only six points in Duke's rout of the Bulldogs.
However, the Blue Devils treated the shutdown like business as usual. When it comes to guarding his own kind, Duke senior Steve Wojciechowski has the routine down pat.
"Wojo does a great job frustrating players," said backcourt mate Trajan Langdon. "In the Maui Tournament, he did a great job frustrating Bibby. Coming in here, he had great preparation with guarding a great point guard, and he played Blakney very well."
Wojciechowski, however, said that Blakney's struggle in Cameron wasn't entirely his doing. Getting a lot of help from his teammates was the key, he said, to keeping someone in the shooter's face at all times.
"Part of it is making him take a shot with a hand in the face at all times, not giving him any easy shots or open looks, and it's worked so far," Wojciechowski said.
"We have to take him out of the rhythm of the game, make him do things that he's not used to doing," added guard William Avery.
With Blakney fighting for air under the basket, the Blue Devils were able to turn their attention elsewhere. Whereas defense was the name of the game in Maui, the offense took center court in the S.C. State matchup. Avery and Wojciechowski combined for a staggering 16 assists for the night, while over half of the evening's baskets were a direct result of Duke's 22 assists. That makes for some great passing-and for great passing, you have to have great teamwork.
It's almost as if the entire Blue Devil squad has realized that its new top ranking is a result of its exemplary teamwork, and assists are just the players' way of patting each other on the back.
"We have an unbelievable presence inside with Elton, Shane, Roshown, Chris Burgess and Taymon, and they're all very unselfish," Langdon said, explaining the passing to the inside lane. "We have the ability to kick in there, and since they're so good inside, a lot of people have to drop in and double [the inside players]. They're unselfish enough to kick it back out where there are some open looks."
That sharing mentality seems to be just what the doctor ordered for the Blue Devils. Last year's squad, while successfully employing a perimeter game to earn the regular season Atlantic Coast Conference title, didn't have the inside-outside game or the rebounding ability to survive in the postseason. Duke's newfound love of the inside passing game could be its main tool for staying near the top for the duration of the season.
Blue Devil coach Mike Krzyzewski likened the top ranking to being ahead during the first 100 yards of a mile race. It's too early to worry about being ranked No. 1. Only after the Blue Devils ultimately attain that number one ranking in the NCAAs will they be sold on the idea that they're the best squad in the country. It's just as well-Duke has too far to go and too much to accomplish before it can sit back and bask in the glory of its top billing.
"My personal feeling is that I don't think we're the best team in the country-that's some other people's opinion," Langdon said, naming UNC and Kansas as two of this year's teams to beat.
Despite the presence of top competition both within and outside the ACC, if Duke's performance against S.C. State is any indication of the team's future teamwork on offense, the Blue Devils will be a tough team to beat. The squad has learned from playing experienced teams like the Australian National team who can take advantage of its weaknesses.
Freshman forward Shane Battier, brought on board as a defensive rebounder, acknowledged that the Blue Devils are finding their identity as a basketball team.
"I think for us, we've just scratched the surface of our potential," he said. "We know we're playing pretty well right now, but we can play much, much better."
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