Julius Hodge has never backed down from a challenge against the nation"s elite. Nor has he ever been afraid to speak his mind.
In this season"s only scheduled meeting between N.C. State (10-4, 0-1 in the ACC) and fifth-ranked Duke (11-0, 1-0) tonight, Hodge will seek bragging rights against one of the few teams that has aggravated him throughout his four-year career.
Hodge has at times struggled against the Blue Devils, but with his team stumbling into the contest on a three-game losing streak, Hodge and once-No. 13 N.C. State need a win to prevent starting 0-2 in the nation"s toughest conference.
'It"s going to be tough because not only is he good, he really thinks that he"s good,' Daniel Ewing said of Hodge. 'It"s a tough matchup going against him, and he"s going to have his team ready with his confidence alone.'
Throughout his career, the 6-foot-7 guard has thrived in the Wolfpack offense as a slasher and cutter, but his jumpshot is also effective. Because of his tall frame, Hodge creates matchup problems for most defenders, but currently he is hobbled by a sprained ankle he suffered in a loss to St. John"s Dec. 30. Without its offensive centerpiece, N.C. State fell to West Virginia. Returning less than 100-percent healthy against Miami, Hodge could not prevent a third-straight loss despite a double-double.
Fortunately for Hodge and his teammates, tonight"s 7 p.m. tipoff is in Raleigh, where the Blue Devils have lost the two previous seasons. Last year Duke had its 18-game win streak snapped against the Wolfpack as Hodge avenged one of the worst performances of his career--a seven-point, seven-turnover outing in a loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium a month earlier.
'[It"s] the atmosphere, the crowd, and when they play they"re competitive,' Sean Dockery said. 'Last time we were coming over there we were kind of cocky, a little big headed before we came over there and underestimated State. Now we"re just focused and know that State"s a real good team.'
The game, which opens Duke"s ACC schedule in earnest, also marks the Blue Devils" first true test in a hostile environment, but head coach Mike Krzyzewski does not expect any problems from a veteran team.
'We have played in bigger arenas this year,' Krzyzewski said. 'Even if you"ve played on someone else"s home court, it"s still a lot different than playing an ACC opponent on their home court. Every year you have to cross that bridge. We"ll do that Thursday and see how we respond.'
The Wolfpack play a similar style to Princeton, a team Duke defeated last week 59-46. State"s offensive scheme includes frequent backdoor cuts and relies heavily on three-point shooting, even from their big men.
Although Hodge, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, is still the focal point of the team, junior Ilian Evtimov may be the difference tonight. When the two teams met at the RBC Center last season, Evtimov scored 15 points, and his tendency to float away from the basket prevented Shelden Williams from staying in the lane as an intimidating shot-blocking presence.
'Evtimov did hurt us last year,' junior Lee Melchionni said. 'I think he"s a crafty player, he"s smart, he"s heady. But our defense is deny, and we have a really pressure defense, so I don"t think we"re going to change anything because he"s hot.'
On the perimeter, the Wolfpack will have to play without guard Tony Bethel, who has been forced to sit out with the flu and colitis, and Hodge continues to cope with a sprained ankle and a sore back.
The Blue Devils are also still hampered by injuries and illness, as Shavlik Randolph and Reggie Love will be absent from the Duke front court. But Williams, the nation"s leading rebounder, should be able to control the boards, where N.C. State has struggled this season.
'We just can"t allow other people to just crash the boards on us and use that as another weapon against us,' Evtimov said. 'We play good defense in the half-court set for 25 or 30 seconds, they"ll throw up a bad shot, and we should get the rebound and go on. Instead, they get the rebound and score. That helps them get emotional and get more confident'
Because of ACC expansion, this will be the first time since the 1924-1925 season that the two teams will not play a home-and-home regular season series.
'I love playing Duke, and I love playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium,' Evtimov said, despite his team"s recent struggles in Durham. 'I wish we played them more than once, but it"s certainly something we have to embrace because there are new teams in the ACC. That means we"ve got to play Duke once and this is the biggest game of the year for us right now.'
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