Coming off two draining games in the past week, the men's basketball team is hoping to start the second half of the ACC season the same way it started the first half as the second-ranked Blue Devils (20-1, 8-0 in the ACC) venture to Raleigh tomorrow to face N.C. State (12-7, 2-5).
The game will be of historic significance since it will mark Duke's last game in Reynolds Coliseum. N.C. State will move into their new 20,000-seat arena for the 1999-2000 season.
"We don't have any time to celebrate the Carolina victory because we have got to get ready for the Wolfpack," Chris Carrawell said. "They're going to be ready to challenge us this Saturday."
The Wolfpack brings a young team that has been thrown into the fire of ACC play this year. N.C. State's starting lineup consists of three sophomores and one freshman and the Wolfpack has no seniors on the squad. The Wolfpack has also been hampered by injuries to key personnel throughout the season, as it lost the services of sophomore guard Archie Miller for the entire year due to knee surgery and several players for various games during the season to nagging injuries.
N.C. State comes into the game with a respectable 10-2 non-conference record playing against the likes of Wofford, Middle Tennessee State and Charleston Southern, but has struggled in the conference. Despite the poor showing, N.C. State has still remained near the top of the conference in several offensive categories.
The Wolfpack is third in the conference scoring 75.8 points per game with a .494 field-goal percentage. N.C. State is also second in the conference behind Duke in three-point percentage, shooting at a .387 clip behind the arc. Although the offense has been relatively productive during the season, the Wolfpack shot a paltry 20-of-53 when it was thumped 89-69 against Duke in Cameron in the first matchup of the season between the teams in early December.
While N.C. State enters the contest coming off a late afternoon game yesterday against Wake Forest and a 71-59 loss at Florida State, Duke has had to go through a grueling week with tough victories against Carolina and St. John's.
An important key to the game will be N.C. State's ability to handle Duke's press. The Wolfpack has had a difficult time controlling the ball, ranking last in the ACC in turnovers at 18.2 per game. Point guard Justin Gainey averages 4.1 assists per game but also commits nearly three turnovers a contest. In the previous game against Duke, Gainey was totally shut down by Will Avery, who held him to just four points, one assist and four turnovers.
Another player the Blue Devils will have to keep an eye on is freshman Adam Harrington. The N.C. State guard has had an excellent season, leading the team in both scoring, with 13.6 points per game, and three-pointers, with 47 on the year. Duke will have to do a better job against Harrington this time around, as the guard burned the Blue Devils for 26 points, including 6-of-10 shooting behind the arc, in his first game in Cameron.
Although the Blue Devils have a significant advantage against the Wolfpack's perimeter game, N.C. State is comparable to Duke in terms of size. The Wolfpack has a tall front line with sophomores Ron Kelley at 6-foot-10 and both Damon Thornton and Kenny Inge at 6-8. The trio has helped N.C. State dominate most of its opponents inside, but it had difficulty containing Elton Brand in the first game against Duke. Brand had a 26-point, 10-rebound effort while the three N.C. State big men struggled with foul trouble. Kelley fouled out and Thornton and Inge both had four fouls.
Duke will be a tired team going into Reynolds Coliseum. After tough games against St. John's and North Carolina, head coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted that the team is drained physically and mentally.
"We need to find a way to give our kids a rest," Krzyzewski said. "Coming off Clemson, St. John's and Carolina, we are running on low batteries right now. We have to make sure we don't get worn out."
The Wolfpack has lost eight of its last nine against the Blue Devils.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.