When the Duke basketball team glanced at the last three games of its schedule, St. John's and Florida State may not have appeared as two of the more important contests with arch-rival North Carolina lurking as its last regular season matchup. But as the Blue Devils (20-5, 10-4 in the ACC) found out this past weekend in a disappointing loss to St. John's, no team should be taken lightly.
After Sunday's loss, Duke has returned to Durham to prepare for its revenge game against Florida State (13-13, 4-11), another lowly team that has beaten the Blue Devils twice in the past two years. If head coach Mike Krzyzewski's squad has any aspirations of vying for a shot at the ACC regular season title, Thursday night is a must-win situation.
"They've been able to get the best of us the last two years," senior Casey Sanders said before his last ever home game. "They're still determined. We feel if we do our best there are not many teams in the country that can do as well as we can.... There is a lot of revenge to be had."
On paper, there is little doubt that Duke should be able to dominate Thursday night's game with its balanced backcourt and the recent productive contributions of freshman Shelden Williams. As the Blue Devils have learned all too well, however, they always draw
The Seminoles star player, Tim Pickett, burned Duke's guards for 15 points and nine rebounds in Florida State's 75-70 victory. Pickett's backcourt mate, Todd Galloway, helped the cause with 13 points and five rebounds. As is the case in most Blue Devil losses, Duke was out-rebounded by FSU 35-29 in the last contest. The Blue Devils inside players are responsible for some of their rebounding woes, but as Sanders points out, the backcourt also needs to protect the defensive rebounds in order to be successful.
"As far as rebounding from the guard spot, we could have done a better job," Sanders said about the earlier loss to FSU. "And the big men could have done a better job on the boards. It was a team effort and it's one of the things that helps motivate us to become a better team."
Sophomore forward Anthony Richardson is the Seminoles most versatile threat from the perimeter, coupled with his ability to slash to the basket. Duke's Dahntay Jones, who will also be celebrating senior night, should draw defensive duties against the Raleigh native Richardson.
Along with fellow seniors Andre Buckner and Sanders, Jones will certainly have an emotional senior night. All three players will have to be ready out of the gate because FSU will undoubtedly have their game face on.
"That night [Thursday] I might have to control my intensity and try not to get too overwhelmed by the situation," Jones said. "I might have to just worry about my team and not try to do too much."
Duke's combination of Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing in the backcourt should prove to be too much for Pickett or Galloway to handle. If the Blue Devils can find their lanes in transition, they will be able to manipulate Florida State's pressure to their advantage.
The Seminoles lack depth inside, with Trevor Harvey as their main inside attack. Sanders and Williams will most likely get the nod to start Thursday, and should have little trouble stopping Harvey on the blocks. Adam Waleskowski has proven his worth off the bench against Duke in the past, but will not be able to over-power the Blue Devils second line of interior players, Shavlik Randolph and Nick Horvath.
If Duke plays the way it thinks it is capable, the team will be able to walk off the court on senior night victorious, one step closer to another ACC crown.
"We're alive right now, and we have to understand there is a sense of urgency," Jones said. "After these next two games our season could be over and we have to take it for what it's worth."
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