When exams ended last December the Blue Devils stood 5-0 and ranked in the top-five in both the USA Today and AP national polls. While national contenders Arizona, Alabama and Pittsburgh fell one after another over the past month, Duke continued to roll. Four wins later--all by double-digit margins of victory, the Blue Devils find themselves alone at the top of the polls.
As classes resume today, Duke stands 9-0--one of just three undefeated men's basketball teams in the country--and is No. 1 squad in the nation. Sunday's road win over previously undefeated Clemson capped a successful winter break. Duke will face four ranked opponents in its next five games.
Although powerhouses around the country have been issuing the familiar refrain about learning from a early losses, the Blue Devils are not keen to follow suit. According to junior captain Chris Duhon, the team would prefer to keep winning and make adjustments post-victory instead of post-heartbreak. "We don't want to learn through a loss," he said. "We'll learn by winning. We want to win and then fix something for the next game."
A look back at Duke's last three weeks of play illustrate that thus far, Duhon and his teammates have been able to do just that.
Duke 89, Clemson 71
After a 10-month closing of Littlejohn Coliseum to complete renovations, the Clemson Tigers opened their doors to the ACC and put their unblemished record on the line. Although the Coliseum might still have had that new gym smell, the Tiger faithful saw the home side flattened by a relentless Duke squad.
Blue Devil Freshman J.J. Redick continued to impress teammates and opponents alike, pouring in 22 points including four three-pointers. Duke found great success attacking from the perimeter, as Dahntay Jones and Daniel Ewing each ripped the nets three times from the behind the arc, finishing with 19 and 17 points respectively.
After battling Duke successfully for most of the first half, Clemson fell victim to a trademark Blue Devil outburst in the first half's final two minutes. During that span a four-point deficit ballooned to 10, and the Tiger could not recover in the second 20.
Intense and physical, the contest saw tensions escalate repeatedly. The referees issued five technical fouls, and the two sides combined for 54 personal fouls.
It was similar to last year's vicious contest when Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt's got into a fierce verbal confrontation with Jones.
The game ended quietly, however, and Duke woke up Monday to find itself perched atop both the national rankings.
"I don't know if any team is No. 1 or is the dominant team right now," Duhon said. "But if we're there, I'll take it."
Duke 86, Fairfield 58
Duke's first contest of 2003 featured a few surprises. First, in an illustration of the Blue Devils newfound depth, the Duke bench outscored its first five by a commanding 50-36 margin. Usual starter Jones led the reserve force with 22 points in just 23 minutes of action, including a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line.
Freshman Sheldon Williams shone in the spotlight as well. The 6-foot-9 power forward came off the bench to register the best game thus far in his young Duke career, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
"Certainly Dahntay and Sheldon were outstanding," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Sheldon played loose. He played very determined and gave us a huge spark and an inside presence."
Duke pulled away from the Stags towards the end of the first half. In what is becoming more and more an expected sight, Redick's stellar outside shooting ignited a decisive Duke run that left Fairfield trailing 35-19 with 4:30 left in the first half. The Stags rallied to cut the lead in nine, but never threatened.
Duke 85, Dayton 74
The Dayton Flyers have been a bit of an enigma this season. At home they are nearly unbeatable, as evidenced by three victories over top-25 opponents. On the road, however, the Flyers cannot seem to find the same level of play. On December 29 Dayton found itself trailing by 20 points in front of a holiday season Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd and although a valiant effort cut the lead to six points late in the contest, Duke held on for the victory.
"I thought in the first 20 minutes we played as hard and as well defensively as we've played all year," Krzyzewski said. "I thought if we didn't turn the ball over and [had we] shot better from the free throw line the margin would have been a lot more."
Duke leapt to such a big lead on the shooting touch of Redick. The freshman scorched the Flyers for 26 points on a torrid 8-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-7 behind the arc.
As is his style, Redick launched many of his bombs from distances approaching 25 feet, his stroke seemingly unaffected despite being more than a yard behind the collegiate three-point line.
Senior Casey Sanders also delivered. The center fought hard down on the blocks to post a season-high 13 points.
Duke 91, N.C. A&T 57
You would not know it by the score, but Duke played one of its worst games of the season Dec. 17, just a few days after final exams.
"I want our team, if we lose or make mistakes, to make them out of enthusiastic and aggressive play," Krzyzewski said. "That's the atmosphere we try to create for our team. When that's not done, I'm not doing something right.... There was no spark tonight-at all."
Duke shot just 38 percent against the woefully overmatched Aggies, including just 4-of-21 from three-point range. Most egregiously, the Blue Devils finished with a collective total of 11 assists, a puny total by any standards, but particularly low when considering the final score.
"There are going to be some changes," Duhon said. "Expect a lot more intensity--and heart."
As the next three victories illustrated, the Blue Devils have brought intensity and heart each night out since.
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