Duke's reign as one of the premier basketball programs in the country can be attributed to its outstanding perimeter play. Thus, the Blue Devils' inside game has often been overshadowed by their backcourt.
Forward Luol Deng has heard enough, however, and believes that this year's team is changing that perception.
"Big guys kind of get tired of people saying that Duke is only a perimeter team," he said. "With the inside developing and us playing so well, especially Shelden [Williams], it helps us out a lot."
The cast of Williams, Shavlik Randolph and Nick Horvath has emerged as a formidable frontcourt combination, but it has been plagued with inconsistency throughout the season, due in large part to foul trouble.
The ACC Tournament provided a great example of the up-and-down contributions that the inside game has given to Duke's attack. Against Georgia Tech, Williams was unstoppable with 20 points and 18 rebounds in 37 minutes of action.
In the championship matchup with Maryland, however, Williams was limited to just 23 minutes, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 boards. He fouled out with under a minute to go in regulation, leaving Duke without an inside threat in overtime.
"There was nobody that was better in Greensboro than Shelden Williams," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Not having him on the court because of fouls, it limits our team."
Foul trouble has plagued the sophomore all season, limiting his playing time to just under 26 minutes a game.
"I'm only good to this team if I'm out on the court," Williams said. "If I'm taking myself off the court by getting myself easy fouls, I'm not doing my team any justice."
Learning to avoid cheap fouls is something the coaching staff has been working on with Williams. And he is starting to realize that in some situations it is worth going for a block and in others it is worth giving up the two points rather than picking up an additional foul.
"He's a guy we need on the floor as much as we can," Shavlik Randolph said. "We let him know that if he's not going to block a shot, don't put himself in harm's way and get a foul."
In the past few games, when Williams was forced to the bench with foul trouble, senior co-captain Nick Horvath has provided valuable assistance.
"He provided some big time minutes for us," Williams said about Horvath's contributions during the ACC Tournament. "He got some key rebounds and helped us out. That's one thing we needed from him, and Nick came in and came through for us."
For a change, Duke's hopes in the NCAA Tournament will rest on the play of its big men more than its perimeter attack. Staying out of foul trouble, playing good defense and rebounding will be the focus for Williams and co.
"Jump shots may not fall all the time, so you have to have a good inside game," Williams said. "That's one of the things we need to have in order to go far in the tournament, and if we do that, then we'll be a very hard team to beat."
If the Blue Devils want to have any shot at cutting down the nets, the big men need to stay out of foul trouble and continue to prove that Duke is not just an outside team.
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