Duke more than avenges prior losses with rout of Michigan

The new and improved Chris Burgess hit the shelves Saturday, just in time for the holiday shopping season. With player of the year candidate Elton Brand held out of the starting lineup for the first time this year, Burgess and fellow sophomore Shane Battier shone brighter than tacky Christmas lighting, stealing the show on a night that would otherwise have belonged to Trajan Langdon. Langdon, who broke Bobby Hurley's career three-point record and nearly equaled Will Avery's three-day old record of eight in one game, was his usual self. But it was Burgess and Battier, each drilling their first three shots, who put the Wolverines in a 13-4 hole before Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe could even pull out the folding chairs for the first television timeout. A Michigan native, Battier flopped in his homecoming last year, a disappointing 81-73 loss in Ann Arbor. He came out more than a little fired up Saturday. "It was my plan [to shoot], I'm not going to lie about it," said Battier, who finished with a season-high 17 points. "Especially after last year's game when I really laid an egg. I was either going to turn that around or die trying." Battier scored on a variety of moves, including a surprising 3-of-5 performance from behind the arc. What was more surprising, though, was to see him loudly demanding the ball on the perimeter. "Shane came out firing," said Brand, who watched the first five minutes from the bench. "I don't know if it was because we were playing Michigan or if he's just being more assertive, but he should come out like that all the time. He was great." Brand, who said he didn't mind coming off the bench, may have been the recipient of a not-too-subtle message from coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Slumping" at a robust 16.6 ppg., the preseason All-American forward found out that nothing is a guarantee on this talented Blue Devil squad. Krzyzewski, though, insisted that any psychological factors behind the switch were more about rewarding Burgess' hard work than punishing Brand for lack of intensity. "From the start of this season, I've felt this was a team that should have some different starting lineups, so that nobody coming off the bench feels like a guy coming off the bench, but has a healthy ego," Krzyzewski said. That seemed a pretty clear reference to Burgess, whose improved confidence level has helped him turn the corner in a career that started with stiflingly high expectations. The 16-point, six-rebound performance Saturday was a coming-out party for the new Burgess, a dangerous player who ran the floor and passed with a dexterity that belied his 6-foot-11 frame. "Sometimes when I got the ball [last year]," Burgess explained, "I was not feeling really comfortable, thinking 'What do I do? Is coach going to take me out if I miss a shot?' "Now I just get the ball and I'm doing what I've done my whole life-making moves, going to the basket. "Today was a huge day for me. Coach had confidence in me to start, and I went out there and proved to him that I should be starting and I should be playing."