Amid the frustrating memories from last season, that of the Blue Devils getting knocked out of the first round of the ACC Tournament for the first time in nine years remains one of the most bitter.
The seventh-seeded Duke squad was eliminated by tenth-seeded N.C. State in overtime, as Wolfpack forward Brandon Costner torched Duke for 30 points.
This season, a lot has changed for Duke, as the No. 3 Blue Devils (17-1, 5-0 in the ACC) stand alone at the top of the conference. Duke hopes to keep its momentum going when it clashes with N.C. State (13-6, 2-3) tonight at 9 p.m in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Though their conference tournament loss came nearly a year ago, current Blue Devils still remember it as if it were yesterday.
"They just came out and were the hungrier team in the ACC Tournament," forward Lance Thomas said. "They're not going to give any team a game. They're going to bring their all. We have to go out there and fight them."
A major factor in this contest will be Duke's ability to contain the Wolfpack's inside tandem of Costner and freshman J.J. Hickson. The freshman leads N.C. State in scoring with 15.3 points per game, while also pulling down eight rebounds per contest. Costner, meanwhile, has already demonstrated he can the pose problems to the Blue Devils, particularly in the post.
Although Duke's 2008 roster is still undersized, the Blue Devils have shown improvement against talented frontcourt players. In the first half of Duke's road win at Maryland Sunday, Terrapin big men James Gist and Bambale Osby were rebounding machines, pulling down five and 15 boards, respectively. In the second half, however, the Blue Devils limited Gist and Osby on the glass on their way to pulling out the victory.
"In the second half, we made tough plays when we were outsized," Thomas said. "James Gist is an amazing player and Osby, too. The combination is really good. It's good that we were able to play against them and see how we matched up."
A major change since the last time the Blue Devils and Wolfpack met is Duke's current style of play. Last season, the Blue Devils' offense was lethargic and flat, stalling at critical times.
Now, Duke's scheme-inspired by head coach Mike Krzyzewski's time with the national team-has enabled the Blue Devils to flourish, especially when they force a large number of turnovers. The team hopes that pressure defense in the post can lead to easy opportunities in transition, particularly given the lackluster defensive effort against N.C. State in the ACC Tournament loss last season.
"The way we play, guys are able to just make plays all over the place, not just on the offensive end but defensively," sophomore Gerald Henderson said. "We've really turned our defense into fast-paced offense."
Although the Wolfpack return four starters from last year, only one-senior guard Gavin Grant-has clocked significant minutes at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tonight also marks the first appearance for head coach Sidney Lowe in Cameron since his senior year with the Wolfpack in 1983.
N.C. State's relative inexperience with the noise in Cameron could be another major factor in the game. Playing in front of a boisterous home crowd, Duke is anxious to perform better than it did last March.
"We just remember the scoreboard," Thomas said. "That's something that we don't want to have happen again."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.