No. 1 Duke set for Alaska after destroying Bulldogs by 64

Everybody knew they would never forget Corey Maggette's first dunk attempt in Cameron. They just would have never guessed why.

Nicknamed "The Machete" for his slicing aerial maneuvers, his surprising first-half miscue off the front of the rim was about all that went wrong for the top-ranked Blue Devils (3-0) as they routed the visiting South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-1), 120-54, Saturday night in Cameron.

Following on the heels of a pair of uninspired and sloppy victories to start the season, Duke pulled out all the stops in a frenetic, high-intensity contest. The Blue Devils handed out 30 assists, blocked 10 shots and held S.C. State to 34.3 percent shooting from the floor in what served as their final tuneup before the Great Alaska Shootout.

"It was good to get a game in where everything clicked," forward Shane Battier said. "This was a huge turnaround from our first game against Fairfield. We've got energy and life back. We're confident in our system."

Elton Brand scored 18 points and Trajan Langdon tossed in 17 to lead seven Duke players in double figures, despite the fact no one saw more than 25 minutes of action. Brand also combined with teammates Chris Burgess and Taymon Domzalski to lead Duke to a whopping 57-24 rebounding advantage, scoring 36 points to the Bulldogs' eight on second-chance opportunities.

"We have a team this year of a lot of big, strong, quick individuals," Domzalski said. "With the size we have this year, we've got to rebound if we want to dominate teams. Tonight we did more of what we have to do."

Duane Johnson and Coray Davis led S.C. State with 11 points apiece but were crippled by an offense that sorely missed the scoring punch of last year's MEAC player of the year, Roderick Blakney.

The Bulldogs' night got even longer when Raheem Waller, expected to be the team's top player, fouled out with a zero-point, zero-assist night after picking up a technical foul with 18:40 remaining in the game.

Despite the gaudy offensive numbers, Duke kept the pressure on the Bulldogs the entire game, unlike in its previous efforts.

"That's one thing we've talked about," Domzalski said. "We've got to play Duke basketball. We've got to get out there and give it everything we've got for 40 minutes, give every team our best effort because they're going to do the same to us. That's Duke basketball."

In addition to scoring 13 points, Battier led a tenacious Duke defense that, with a mixture of zones and man-to-man defenses and a fullcourt press early in the game, forced 23 Bulldog turnovers. Battier also took five charges on the night, just one charge short of the second-highest total on the team all of last season.

"The charge is an anomaly with defense, I think," Battier said. "Normally defense is about being attentive and moving. The charge is the opposite; you just stand and fall. It's just being in the right place at the right time."

The Duke bench nearly outscored S.C. State, posting 50 points. Maggette, who wowed the crowd with three successful acrobatic dunks later in the game, led the Duke reserves with 15 points. Domzalski scored 13 points and Burgess added 14, including a 4-of-6 performance from the line.

"Chris' confidence level is really rising," Battier said. "He's been having better practices, which are leading to better play. He's a young player, and he's only going to get better."

Duke is now 6-0 against S.C. State in a series that dates back to 1989. The Blue Devils have won the last two contests by an average of 61 points.