Everything that has led up to this, from 27 straight wins to a perfect conference season, just don't mean that much anymore.
Sure, down the road they'll be looked back upon as great accomplishments and the 1998-99 regular season will certainly be remembered as a special one for Duke.
But this season will ultimately be remembered for the next six games. A national championship was the Blue Devils' goal five months ago, when they were 0-0 just like everyone else. Finally, with no other roadblocks in front of them, Mike Krzyzewski and his players can stare right toward that goal.
Duke enters the NCAA tournament as everyone's prohibitive favorite. Better teams have lost, and lesser teams have won, but at least for now, the Blue Devils can finally leave the talk behind and decide their ultimate fate on the court.
"We're excited about the tournament," Krzyzewski said. "Certainly we're excited about the way we ended the regular season.... I do know that it's an honor to be the No. 1 seed overall."
That top spot earned Duke the right to play the lowest seed in the tournament, Florida A&M (12-18). The Rattlers earned the bid by sweeping through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament last week. In the finals, Florida A&M defeated South Carolina State, a team Duke handled by 64 in November, 64-61.
This year, however, wasn't all rosy for the Rattlers. They started off the season with 10 straight losses and dropped 13 of their first 14. Florida A&M has as many wins over the last three years as Duke (32-1) does this season.
"Are we better than them?" Krzyzewski asked. "Of course, we're better than them. That's obvious. Will we beat them? We'll see that on Friday."
The Rattlers have a little outside shooting in senior guard Monroe Pippins (20.4 ppg) and some height with 6-foot-10
Still, history can be Duke's guide. In 1986, the Blue Devils entered the NCAAs as the No. 1 seed with a matchup against Mississippi Valley State. A tired Duke team struggled mightily until Johnny Dawkins took the game over and led the Blue Devils to an 85-78 win. Duke might be a 45-point favorite tomorrow, but in a one-game-and-out format, it won't take anything for granted.
"We've used [1986] over and over again," Krzyzewski said. "We respect every opponent we play. We'll prepare for Florida A&M like we prepared for any team in the ACC tournament. I don't think you get out of the habit of good preparation. You respect the opponent and you're more capable of playing at a higher level."
After Florida A&M, Duke would face either College of Charleston or Michael Ruffin and Tulsa in the second round. Charleston is an intriguing matchup, a No. 8 seed with the nation's second longest winning streak, 25 games, right behind Duke's 27.
The Cougars defeated North Carolina the first week in December and have five players averaging over 9.5 points per game. Opponents are only scoring 59 a game, the eighth lowest figure in the country.
"They know how to win," Krzyzewski said. "They're habitual winners and habitual winners in any sport are tougher to beat. They feel at the end of a contest they should win.... I think they're one of the better teams in the country."
Of course beyond the second round, potential third-round opponents and even No. 2 seed Miami, Cincinnati's name stands out above the others. Duke's 77-75 loss to the Bearcats in Alaska was a turning point in the Blue Devils' season, a time after which the players feel they turned up their effort defensively and started playing together as a team.
So does the No. 1 team in the country want to avoid the only team to which it lost, or seek revenge? Duke seems to favor the latter.
"Hopefully," Chris Carrawell said when asked if he wanted another shot at Cincinnati. "They were the only team to beat us and there is kind of a revenge factor going on there. But we can't look past anybody. That's been our formula all year long. That's why we've been really good."
And in being really good, the Blue Devils have kept an inner focus. With all the attention and praise heaped on Duke over the past month, the players feel they have avoided the distractions and not worried about their regular-season success.
"For some reason, we don't use [the attention] as pressure," Elton Brand said. "Coach has instilled that in us. We go out there and try to play our game and enjoy ourselves out there. When you're playing and it's tight and you're nervous, that's when it becomes pressure."
Pressure could build as well depending upon Trajan Langdon's status. He is expected to play tomorrow, though if his foot gets sore again then things could change. Shane Battier is back up to full strength in his ankle.
All that's left now is for a program with a .750 winning percentage in the NCAAs to get out on the court and begin its quest for six more wins. Later on down the line, talk can resume about this team's place in history. At the moment, the Blue Devils can only look ahead to Florida A&M and wait until the time comes for a Cincinnati or Miami.
"We've still got one goal left," Carrawell said. "We've got to go out and play every game hard and take it one game at a time."
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