Tonight, at a closed midnight practice in an empty Cameron Indoor Stadium, the men's basketball team will begin a voyage that it hopes doesn't end until the players walk off the court in Tropicana Field in late March.
That's not just idle talk, either.
At yesterday's first press conference of the season, the Blue Devils were clear about their goals and didn't hesitate to express them.
"We want to get to the Final Four, but that won't be enough," Will Avery said. "This team won't be satisfied unless we win the national championship."
But before Duke embarks on its quest to return to the Final Four for the first time in five years, it will first begin with the most logical step-practice.
Teams around the country are now allowed to start on the Saturday closest to Oct. 15, instead of starting on the 15th itself. Though the Blue Devils aren't holding Midnight Madness as they did a year ago, they will have a short practice tonight and then hold their first complete workout tomorrow morning.
It is far from the first workout of the year for the players. Up and down the roster, head coach Mike Krzyzewski said that everyone did a good job of conditioning in the offseason.
In particular, Krzyzewski said that redshirt sophomore Nate James, who appeared in only six games last year after suffering a high ankle sprain, is physically Duke's most-improved player.
"He seems so much more fluid," Krzyzewski said. "Nate's really our most flexible player."
Until tonight, Krzyzewski and the coaching staff have only been able to see the players in groups of three. That is not as big an issue now as it was a season ago. The difference between this year and last is the team's continuity.
Most of the faces now are the same as the ones who stepped off the court in the national quarterfinals last March. The only new face, freshman Corey Maggette, has had little trouble adjusting.
"It hasn't been too bad," he said. "I feel really accepted by the guys. You can tell everybody's a little more experienced about the game and they know what they're doing."
Indeed, Maggette's veteran teammates say that, unlike last season when there were five freshmen, this team will have no problem getting ready.
"The focus has to be there from day one," Chris Carrawell said. "I think we have something to prove this year. We're ready to close the deal."
And closing the deal is just fine with Krzyzewski. He would much rather be in this situation than the one he was in four short years ago.
"I'm very comfortable with high expectations," Krzyzewski said. "It's when we can't achieve high expectations that pressure comes in. This year's team has the chance to be a special basketball team; I think it's fun."
Note: Krzyzewski said that a decision on whether or not to redshirt sophomore Matt Christensen, who spent the past two years on a Mormon mission, will be made before Duke's first game.
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