Dunleavy jumps right back in the swing of things

CHARLOTTE - Maybe there is rest for the weary.

Freshman Mike Dunleavy finally returned to the floor last night, ending a four-game absence as he battled mononucleosis. And as happy as he was to return to the floor, it's unlikely he could match his teammates' enthusiasm.

Shane Battier, Chris Carrawell and Jason Williams each played less than 30 minutes for the first time since Dunleavy's absence. They actually got to watch a game from the bench. And as Duke's tired superstars smiled and joked on the sideline, they could only be thinking one thing: Welcome back, Mike.

"We are a much better team with Mike Dunleavy," Battier said. "Our confidence, our intensity and our level of play rise when Mike Dunleavy is in the ball game.... He knows how to play.

"It was a little odd [being on the bench], but it was good."

Dunleavy said he didn't feel any fatigue from the illness that sidelined him for nearly three weeks. On the court, it would be hard to disagree with him. The freshman finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the arc.

Afterwards, he said he was feeling about 75 percent.

Excuse me?

Coach Mike Krzyzewski was closely monitoring the freshman, looking for the slightest sign of fatigue. But the sign never came, and Dunleavy never missed.

The freshman travelled the first time he touched the ball, but after the initial turnover, he was just like his old self. He drew a charge from Dustin Braddick two possessions after his walk, and was subbed out with 11:21 left in the half.

Dunleavy came back two minutes later and promptly hit three three-pointers during Duke's 31-4 first-half run, the last of which drew loud applause from the Duke section. Dunleavy made a pump-fake that sent his defender flying past him, calmly took a step to his left, and hit a three from the top of the key.

The freshman finished the half with nine points, draining all three of his three-point attempts, and missing just one free-throw-line jumper.

"Mike Dunleavy separated the game," Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said. "He looked like he didn't miss a beat."

The second half was more of the same, as Dunleavy continued his hot shooting. After the game he said he still needed to bring his defense back up to its previous level and that his footwork was a little off, but aside from that opening travel, it was difficult to notice.

And what this means to Duke cannot be understated.

With Dunleavy's emphatic return to the lineup, the Blue Devils are by no means a deep team, but they are definitely a much more viable Final Four team. Dunleavy's return will give the starters an occasional breather, a must for NCAA play.

"For us to get Mike Dunleavy back and for him to play the way he did is huge," Carrawell said. "It was tough for us [without him]."

But for Mike Dunleavy, last night was more than just a team building exercise. It was a personal triumph. His friends warned him that they were bed-stricken for months when they got mono, but last night, Dunleavy showed them all wrong.

He not only returned, he returned in grand fashion.

"It was nice to be back," Dunleavy said. "It was a lot of fun being out there. I really missed it. It was great to be back out there with all the guys."

You can be assured, the thought was more than mutual.