Barton was hanging with Duke midway through the first half Saturday when Kyle Singler grabbed a rebound and quickly dished it ahead to Nolan Smith for an easy layup. Marty Pocius stole the ball on the next possession and threw a nifty behind-the-back pass to Smith for another transition bucket.
The lead was pushed from three to seven in a matter of seconds. More important, the Blue Devils showed the ability to score quickly and easily, something that was severely lacking in last season's 22-11 campaign.
Last year was one of Duke's worst offensive seasons under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. But in two exhibition games, the Blue Devils have channeled the Phoenix Suns by scoring 239 points and running their opposition off the floor.
In those two games, Duke has tallied 63 points in transition while allowing just three. That up-tempo style has led to countless easy buckets and has the Blue Devils looking more like the high-scoring Final Four teams of the last decade than the one that routinely struggled in the halfcourt a year ago.
"[Playing up-tempo] is really going to happen," senior DeMarcus Nelson said in the team's preseason media conference. "That's the way we've been training all preseason, that's the way the coaches have been coaching us in film sessions..Coach is giving us some freedom to just be players, and it's really going to suit this team."
Nelson is only one of several players who should benefit from a faster pace. He and Gerald Henderson can both get out in the open court and finish athletically around the basket. Junior Greg Paulus has also shown quality decision-making on the fast break during his first two seasons, while freshman Nolan Smith has become a force in the open court in the exhibition games.
"We feel like we should be the strongest guards in the country," sophomore Jon Scheyer said. "We all bring different things to the table. If we keep subbing in and keep everyone fresh, teams will wear down toward the end of games."
Duke fans can be forgiven if they think they have heard this before. At the start of last season, Krzyzewski also talked of utilizing a quicker style and a deeper bench than he had a year prior. A preseason injury to Paulus, however, prevented the Blue Devils from ever implementing that style. As a result, Duke was the lowest scoring team in the ACC, averaging just over 70 points per contest.
"We've really stuck to [a faster pace] this year," Scheyer said. "We have the team that can do it better as well, with the new guys coming in. All of us being a year older, it really helps. We understand what Coach wants a little more."
A transition style not only plays to Duke's depth on the perimeter; it also masks the Blue Devils' weaknesses in the frontcourt. Brian Zoubek is Duke's only true center, and the sophomore is coming off a foot injury that has slowed him in the preseason. Dave McClure saw his first action against Barton after undergoing knee surgery in August.
Getting out in transition would neutralize other teams' height advantage on the block, as the Blue Devils' best lineup may be a combination of four guards with just one post player. Villanova employed a similar style two seasons ago, when the Wildcats earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to eventual champion Florida.
Having a number of athletic wings on the floor at the same time also intensifies Duke's defensive pressure. With the athleticism and depth to force turnovers and convert them into points, Duke is looking to get out of the blocks fast and run its way deep into the postseason. And at the very least, fans in Cameron should not be subjected to the scoring droughts that haunted last year's team, and the Blue Devils themselves should have more fun on the floor.
"This is the style I anticipated playing when I came here," Scheyer said. "Now we really have the group to do it, so it's exciting to play with this group."
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