With a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament all but locked up and the glow of an undefeated regular season still fresh on the minds of fans and players alike, one might wonder what Duke has left to prove to the rest of the league as it heads into the ACC tournament tonight in Charlotte.
What type of motivational speech do you give to a team that is on a roll and hasn't been seriously challenged in the past couple of weeks?
How do you light a fire under the players as they prepare tonight to take on a Virginia team that Duke beat by 46 points in both meetings this season?
Though such questions might better be answered by Mike Krzyzewski, senior Trajan Langdon knows exactly what it takes for him to get motivated.
"[I've] never won an ACC tournament," he said. "People remember the ACC tournament champions as the ACC champions. I would definitely like to be remembered as one of the teams that was able to win both [the regular-season title and the tournament championship] in the same year.
"It's not about proving ourselves; it's about accomplishing something that nobody on the team has done."
Indeed, no current Blue Devil has ever won the ACC tournament and last year's squad was the first to even make the finals of the tournament in seven years.
You have to go back to 1992 when Duke had Grant Hill, Christian Laettner and company for the last time that the Blue Devils won the ACC title. That team defeated North Carolina in the championship game by 20 points.
Besides the sense of accomplishment that would come from winning its first league title in seven years, Duke might need to win out if it hopes to secure the top seed in the East Regional going into the NCAAs, and not leave such a decision to the Selection Committee.
Last year,
"I think the [seedings are] really important," said Langdon. "Whenever you can give yourself the best chance to get to a Final Four [you should do it]. For us to be able to play the first and second rounds in Charlotte would be a tremendous advantage."
So, playing a team like Virginia that has nothing to lose could be a potentially dangerous situation for Duke, especially since a loss could affect its seeding in the Big Dance.
The Cavaliers' only real incentive in tonight's game is that a win would be considered one of the biggest upsets in ACC tournament history. A win over Duke would also make Virginia's season and could help the Cavaliers make a case for an NIT bid.
This is a team that has only six scholarship players but has improved as the season has gone on. Chris Williams is the leading candidate for ACC Freshman of the Year and veterans Donald Hand and Willie Dersch have become more confident as the season has worn on.
"It's going to be a different game," said sophomore Elton Brand. "I think that they might bring it up a level for this game-not that they weren't intense before."
Supposing Duke beats Virginia, the winner of the Wake Forest-N.C. State matchup would await it in the next round. Both of these teams are considered to be on the bubble and a win over the Blue Devils would all but ensure them a spot in the NCAAs.
Krzyzewski and his assistants will use the tournament setting as a simulation for the experience of playing in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Over the weekend, Duke will probably play at least two games and most likely three in a very short time frame, which is much like what goes on in the NCAAs.
"That what the ACCs are all about," said Brand. "Just honing our skills and getting us ready for the [NCAA] tournament. Playing those games in succession is really going to help us."
The Blue Devils also hope to play well this postseason to silence some critics that have pointed out that in recent memory, Duke is a team that has been peaking throughout the midseason and not at the end when it really counts.
Langdon, for one, has heard throughout his career that his game has not been at the highest level when it has mattered most.
"This year, with this team, we have showed that even when our best shooters maybe have an off night, we are still able to win," said Langdon. "I am not going to put pressure on my shot-I haven't really even thought about it.
"This is a different team than we've had the past couple of years. I think we are a little more mature. One of the biggest things we took from last year is that once we get a team down, we want to bury them."
After winning 16 straight in the ACC and taking a business-like approach to the games, one might wonder if the Blue Devils have grown tired of playing the same teams over and over with the same result.
"It's still fun [for us]," Will Avery said. "It's fun getting rebounds and pushing the ball up the court. It's fun stomping on opponents and giving them only one shot and out. That's what's fun [about it].
"The past couple of years, we haven't played that well in the tournament. And we really want to improve on that. We really want to send everyone a message."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.