Deeper Blue Devils take aim at title

A consensus was reached last March when the Florida Gators eliminated Duke in the Sweet 16.

It was a unanimous verdict, one Mike Krzyzewski handed down when he told a member of the media he was "crazy" to suggest the team's season-ending loss was a disappointment. And so it began, with print publications throughout the nation following the legendary coach's lead by writing article after article, each one claiming the undermanned and inexperienced Blue Devils did all they could have, and probably more than they should have, last season. It was a fact everyone-not just the media, but Duke's alumni and students as well-could embrace.

But as upstart Florida, the region's five-seed, started celebrating what was clearly an upset, the faces of Duke's players screamed an entirely different headline. Tears streamed down Chris Carrawell's cheeks; frustration was tattooed across Jason Williams' forehead more vividly than the drops of ink that now adorn his right bicep; and disappointment was etched in the sullen pose of Mike Dunleavy, who appeared in newspapers the next day huddled dejectedly inside his locker in Syracuse's Carrier Dome.

It was a picture worth more than a thousand words, and no amount of rhetoric could say otherwise: Duke expected to advance through the East region.

"Everybody was making comments like, 'We were young, we shouldn't be here, we were lucky to be here,' or whatever," Carlos Boozer said. "We expected to beat them and move on. Not to be able to do that, we couldn't believe our season was ending.... Not to get [to the Final Four] was disappointing."

There could not have been more obstacles to overcome, more mountains to climb heading into the 1999-2000 campaign. But still, not even a final regular season ranking of No. 1 in the nation nor another ACC tournament championship could quench the flames kindled by a nine-point defeat.

"There's not a day that goes by that we don't use the Florida game as a fire to just fight harder," Williams said. "It's something that we're going to carry with us. And I'm going to carry it personally until I win it for myself and my team."

One day after nine hungry Gators tore apart Duke's six-man rotation, Williams and the rest of the Blue Devils were back with their coaches, watching film and preparing for this season.

"I was a little bit [overweight], but we have been conditioning, and we've got me back down to my weight around last year," Boozer said. "I trimmed down but I also gained a lot of muscle. That's going to help a lot this year."

If Boozer can even shadow the intimidating and overpowering presence of Brand two seasons ago, there doesn't seem to be much other than a few stray Wildcats to stand in the way of Duke's third title run. The team's new philosophy this year perhaps stemmed from a valuable lesson it learned from Billy Donovan's Gators last season: deeper is better.

Last season, three freshmen played integral roles in the Blue Devils' success, but Casey Sanders and Nick Horvath rarely moved from their spots on the bench, especially if a game's outcome was in doubt. Both players are expected to play significant minutes this season, as are a steadily improving Matt Christensen and freshmen Chris Duhon and Andre Sweet.

Even Rutgers transfer Dahntay Jones, who will not play this season, has found a way to help his teammates.

"I thought last year the top six really controlled practice," Battier said. "We really weren't pushed as we were my first two years.... This year with Dahntay Jones [and] the improvement of Casey Sanders [and] Nick Horvath, we have much more competitive practices and that translates into a better team as well."

The imminent emergence of Mike Dunleavy as a star should give opposing defenses one more weapon to worry about. Even though Duhon, who has already flashed his defensive play-making ability, has the purest jump shot behind perhaps only Battier, he will in all likelihood take over Dunleavy's role as sixth man.

Granted, it was just the Blue-White game, but a bulked-up Dunleavy showed Duke fans he may even have All-America potential this season. The sophomore dominated much of the game, dishing out seven assists, leading all scorers with 23 points and hauling in twice as many boards as anyone else.

"I mean, [starting is] really important to me, because I really didn't give much thought to coming off the bench again this year," Dunleavy said. "If that happens, you know, that's the role I'm put in, I'm going to do my best. I feel I've put myself in a position when I should be on the floor at the beginning of the game and at the end too."

Swingman Dunleavy will have to help plug the gap left by the departure of one of Duke's most dependable players. Without renowned stopper Carrawell, the ACC's all-time winningest player, Krzyzewski may encounter some difficulty in his attempt to make defense the strength of this year's squad.

Offense has been no problem for his Blue Devils, as they have led the nation in scoring each of the past two seasons. But come tournament time last March, Duke's offensive machine was slowed to only 69 and 78 points in its final two tournament games. Rather than employ a half-court set that relies on jump shots-which, as Williams and Battier found late in the Florida game, can draw iron instead of net on any given evening-the Blue Devils will this time turn to a more athletic and versatile defense to ignite the scoring attack.

"Last year, so much of what I wanted to do started with offense, which was unusual, but I felt that we needed to start on a base that they could all relate to," Krzyzewski said. "I think overall it worked out great for us. Hopefully, the plan we have for bringing this team around will work out nearly as well."