When J.J. Redick takes the floor Sunday against Miami for his second-to-last game in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Cameron Crazies will have one number on their mind-30.
That is how many points the senior needs to pass associate head coach Johnny Dawkins and become Duke's all-time leading scorer. And since Redick is averaging 34.5 points per game in his last six contests, he has a strong shot at setting the record at home Sunday before the Blue Devils (24-1, 12-0 in the ACC) embark on a three-game road swing.
"I'd like to see him get it at home," freshman Greg Paulus said. "He's definitely going to do it. It's just a matter of when. We're all going to feel very special to be a part of."
Redick, who broke the NCAA record for most career three-pointers against Wake Forest Feb. 14, has scored 2,527 points, which ranks second on Duke's scoring chart and fourth on the ACC list-60 points behind conference-leader Dickie Hemric.
Despite the significance of Redick's feat, there has been little talk about the record within the Duke program-even between Redick and Dawkins-Paulus said.
"I haven't heard him say anything-everyone around here is trying to get better as a team, getting ready for Miami," Paulus said of Dawkins. "He's the best player the school has ever had, the leading scorer. He's done so many things around here as a player, as a coach. I'm just glad he's still around here, so I can grab some knowledge from him."
As he has closed in on Dawkins, Redick has maintained that he does not want his personal accomplishments to distract from the team's overall goal of winning a national championship, and he is taking that same approach in his preparation for the Miami game.
"He's doing a really good job of setting the tone for us," Paulus said of Redick. "It's a special record and an achievement that we're going to look back on and be like, 'Wow, we're a part of this.' But we're trying to get better, and I think he's done a really good job of saying, let's get better as a team. It's nice to break the record, but lets move on and get better."
In the past, Duke has usually elected to honor its best seniors by retiring their jerseys on the second-to-last home game of the season, but no plans have been made to raise No. 4 to the rafters until after the season has concluded.
Still, most of the pregame talk will be focused on Redick and his record pursuit. The Blue Devils, however, are aware that Miami (14-11, 6-6) and its talented backcourt of Guillermo Diaz, Robert Hite and Anthony Harris will provide a difficult test.
The trio accounts for nearly 65 percent of the Hurricanes' scoring and each of them can penetrate effectively and create their own shots, Paulus said.
"We need to do a good job of containing the dribble," he added. "Sometimes we've had trouble with that, and sometimes we've been very successful. So we've been really focusing on stopping their drives."
Duke defeated Miami in both of the teams' meetings last season, and Redick scored 29 points in the latter game.
Sunday, the Blue Devil faithful and Redick's teammates will be hoping the All-American can one-up that performance.
"He's had a great career here," freshman Josh McRoberts said. "To be a part of it and to see it finish up, and for him to get all this recognition and awards, is a good experience for me."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.