At first glance, No. 7 Duke's upcoming game against Davidson looks like another soft non-conference game, especially when compared to its last contest against Big Ten power Wisconsin Tuesday.
When the Blue Devils (7-0) take on Davidson (3-2) Saturday at 12 p.m. in Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, they will face a team that has received plenty of attention lately after running loose with No. 1 North Carolina, losing by just four points Nov. 14.
And following Duke's dismantling of the No. 20 Badgers, it is even easier for the high-riding Blue Devils to look right past the Wildcats.
But that would be dangerous.
"We've played [the Wildcats] the last couple of years. They had a great year last year, and they're having another great year this year," junior Greg Paulus said. "They've got some guys who can score, and they're very talented. We're going to need to be ready to go."
Davidson was rewarded for its strong play against the Tar Heels when, for the first time in 37 years, the Wildcats made their way into the top 25, voted No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Davidson is led by sophomore guard Stephen Curry-a member of the preseason Naismith Trophy Watch List-who is averaging 26 points per game. Curry's early offensive surge so far has been largely sparked by his 41.8 3-point shooting percentage. And on top of that, two other Davidson starters are averaging double-digits, comprising a formidable offense that averages 86.6 points per contest.
Duke is averaging exactly as many points as the Wildcats, and its high-flying, up-tempo offense will be tough to handle for Davidson, which is already allowing weaker opponents to score nearly 65 points per game.
A large reason for the Blue Devils' last two victories has been the superb bench play of freshman Taylor King. The forward was on fire in Tuesday's win over the Badgers, hitting 5-of-9 shots from beyond the arc. If his hot hand carries over into this weekend, Curry's three-point prowess could be equalized.
"The last two games I felt like I've been shooting the ball pretty well," King said. "My teammates have definitely helped me out by getting me wide open shots."
Offensively and athletically, this Duke team has improved leaps and bounds from last year. On the defensive side, the Blue Devils have also created turnovers, averaging 8.3 steals per game. And Duke has been able to capitalize on those takeaways in transition.
"Offensively, if you get your shot blocked and you don't use a shot fake or you turn it over, the other team is going to get an easy look at the other end most of the time when they have athletes like Duke does," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said after Tuesday's game. "That's where they got a lot of points in transition off the blocked shots or turnovers, and again you're in a hole."
On top of being fast-paced, the Blue Devils are even more offensively balanced than the Wildcats. With five players-King, Kyle Singler, Gerald Henderson, DeMarcus Nelson and Jon Scheyer-averaging double-digits, Duke is shooting over 50 percent from the floor.
It will be hard for Davidson to catch another top-10 team off-guard after garnering national recognition for its effort against North Carolina, especially with the Blue Devils playing some of their best basketball in recent memory.
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