When Pat Kennedy left the head coaching position at Florida State for the same position at DePaul, he might have relished the thought of no longer having Duke in the same conference, having lost 10 of 12 meetings against the Blue Devils.
Try as he might, Kennedy hasn't shaken Duke yet.
Still, he has to hope that things will be different when No. 1 Duke travels to Chicago to take on his DePaul squad tonight at 9 p.m. at the United Center in the Blue Devils' final non-conference game of the season.
Duke (27-1) looks to continue the winning trend against Kennedy as it tries to extend a 22-game winning streak. The Blue Devils have the challenge of facing an extremely talented but inexperienced Blue Demon squad (16-9) that is fighting to get off the bubble and into the NCAAs.
Duke also faces the challenge of not looking past DePaul and toward its end-of-the year matchup at Chapel Hill against North Carolina. When asked about UNC, Mike Krzyzewski responded by talking solely about the team's immediate focus.
"We're a team who faces the job at hand, and we're really trying not to look ahead [to Carolina]," said Krzyzewski, who will be returning to his hometown
Freshman Corey Maggette will also be making his second homecoming this season. The Bellwood, Ill., native has continued to be a sparkplug off the bench for the Blue Devils and is looking to become only the sixth freshman during the Krzyzewski era to average double figures in scoring over the entire season. The 6-foot-6 wing player, who is averaging 10.4 points per game, is one of five Duke players scoring in double figures.
Although Duke only has one heralded freshman, DePaul boasts three highly-touted rookies that have quickly turned around the Blue Demons' fortunes. Off-guard Quentin Richardson and forwards Lance Williams and Bobby Simmons helped to comprise one of the nation's strongest recruiting classes last spring.
Richardson, a 6-foot-6 McDonald's All-American, has lived up to all the hype from a year ago when he received Chicago player of the year honors from several publications. He has helped DePaul rebound from a dismal record of 7-23 a season ago, leads the Blue Demons in scoring with 19.7 points and is third in the nation with 11.4 rebounds.
Along with Richardson, DePaul receives the bulk of its boardwork from Williams and Simmons. The 6-9 Williams is averaging 8.2 rebounds a game for the Blue Demons, and the 6-7 Simmons is third on the team with 6.0 boards.
The forwards are also second and third on the team in scoring. The freshman trio has helped the Blue Demons lead Conference USA in rebounding at 38.4 boards per game.
Despite their abundance of talent, DePaul has been a streaky team. After losing 7 of 11 games early in the season, the Blue Demons have been on a late-season surge, winning seven of their last eight games, including a 61-60 overtime victory over then-No. 3 Cincinnati. Also, with a five-game winning streak, DePaul is making a late bid for an NCAA berth.
"DePaul reminds us of ourselves last year," Battier said. "They have a lot of young talent and it's kind of scary. They may play carefree, or they may play intimidated."
Note: Chris Carrawell sat out Monday's practice with a sore back but is still expected to start tonight.
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