RALEIGH -- Seton Hall point guard Andre Barrett may have been celebrating after his team's 80-76 victory over Arizona Thursday night, but for the following 36 hours the only thing on his mind will be a deep shade of blue. Coach Mike Krzyzewski's No. 1 seeded Blue Devils (28-5) dismantled No. 16 seed Alabama State 96-61 in their first round game, prompting a showdown between the Pirates (21-9) and Duke 1 p.m. Saturday at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.
"We're in the time of season where if we lose, no matter how we lose, there's no tomorrow," Blue Devils forward Shavlik Randolph said. "We're just thankful we have a tomorrow and we're not taking that for granted."
Barrett and the rest of his Seton Hall teammates are certainly glad they have tomorrow to look forward to, but the Pirates on-court leader has his work cut out for him. The marquee matchup Saturday afternoon will be at the point guard slot. Duke's Chris Duhon would have squared off with Barrett, the Pirates leading scorer at 17 per contest, but with his injured rib cage, swingman Daniel Ewing or reserve point guard Sean Dockery may take on the test of stopping the Seton Hall fireplug.
The Blue Devils defensive key Saturday will be preventing Barrett from penetrating gaps and marking guard John Allen or center Kelly Whitney, who led the Pirates with an impressive 24 points during their opening round victory.
At 6-foot-8, Whitney is the tallest starter on the Seton Hall roster, a potential problem for the Pirates. Duke will likely pound the offensive glass with 6-foot-9 Shelden Williams and 6-foot-8 Luol Deng, giving them a sizable advantage in the post. Reserve Shavlik Randolph, who led Duke with 20 points and five offensive rebounds Thursday, may play a large role in Saturday's matchup because of his aggressive play on both ends of the court.
In addition to their advantage in the lane, the Blue Devils' strong play against Alabama State leaves them confident in their ability to advance to the Sweet 16 with the victory over the Pirates.
"I don't think we're vulnerable at all," J.J. Redick said. "As long as we can play the way that got us the No. 1 seed, I don't think we're vulnerable. If we play half court defense, and if we play with energy and play with passion--Those are the things that we can control. We can't control my shooting, or Chris' health, but we can control our attitude out on the court."
Seton Hall will attack Duke with a formidable man-to-man defense, focusing on denying the Blue Devil guards the ball. Redick, Duke's leading scorer at 16 per contest, will be draped by either Allen or forward Andre Sweet, who transferred from Duke in the middle of the 2000-2001 season. Duhon and Sweet both entered in the class of 2004, but Sweet opted to leave school and originally headed to St. John's before setting up camp at Seton Hall.
The Blue Devils other shooting guard, Ewing, will also be a high priority on the defensive stop list for the Pirates. When necessary, the junior can take over a game if the rest of the Duke squad is not clicking offensively.
"Defensively everyone had the mindset not to let their man score," Barrett said after Thursday's victory. "If their man was to score, it had to be a tough bucket to get them tired."
The Pirates tough defensive mentality will be met by a Duke team playing with desire. Duhon's injury and Redick's shooting slump will be the deficiencies Seton Hall must exploit if they are to upset the Blue Devils Saturday.
Duke's inside game will prove to be the critical aspect of the contest since the Pirates are undersized and undermanned at those positions. In the end, Seton Hall will have to overcome a Blue Devil squad that is superior in both the painted area and backcourt.
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