The last time No. 4 Duke played Michigan in the 2K Sports Classic final, the Blue Devils opted to take an extra hour of practice the morning of the game because of a quick turnaround between contests.
The gameday session paid off later that night as Duke won the tournament title with ease.
When they travel to Crisler Arena to take on Michigan for the second time in two weeks Saturday at 3:30 p.m., the Blue Devils will have had more than 24 hours to study the Wolverines' variation of the Princeton offense and vaunted 1-3-1 zone defense-not that they appeared to need it in their 71-56 win Nov. 21.
"For us, because of the unconventional way they play, it's good to get extra preparation," said junior Jon Scheyer, who scored eight points against the Wolverines. "Last time, I think we did a pretty good job, even though we really only had a day to prepare for them."
Duke (8-0) will have to deal with pressures other than a lack of superfluous scouting, though. The Blue Devils will not be in the Duke-friendly atmosphere of Madison Square Garden, but rather in an already sold-out gym in front of fans who want revenge.
In addition, the team will stray from its typical travel schedule to accommodate for players' exams and final papers. Duke won't leave for Ann Arbor, Mich. until Friday night for the Saturday afternoon game, leaving less time to acclimate to the away setting than usual.
"The thing that we battle this week is exams. Our guys have been finishing up papers and turning things in," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I think we're battling that a little bit, coming off a big win and being put in a pressure situation. To have these two days to prepare for Michigan is really good, but we're going to be careful about how much time on the court we give them. The capacity is only so much."
As Krzyzewski alluded, the Blue Devils' Tuesday win over No. 9 Purdue adds a new element to the rematch. This contest has all the classic makings of a trap game, landing four days after a marquee win and before an 11-day break for finals. The fact that the Wolverines (5-2) have a unique style doesn't help the time crunch, either, but the Blue Devils' previous games with them-both this year and last year, when Duke romped 95-67 in head coach John Beilein's first season-provide them with some level of comfort.
The Princeton offense is relatively prominent in college basketball, and the Blue Devils will encounter it again Jan. 17 when Georgetown-coached by John Thompson III, a Pete Carril disciple-comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Wolverines, however, use it differently than most teams, as they are content to settle for the backdoor layup, and when teams overplay the cut, they have no qualms launching threes. Shooting guard Manny Harris, in particular, is a dual threat in that respect. Harris scored a game-high 25 points against the Blue Devils in New York City.
Michigan's defense, on the other hand, is even more unique. Before Duke was able to dismantle it with ease, the zone defense confounded then-No. 4 UCLA into 17 turnovers and only 52 points. The Blue Devils' countered the 1-3-1 with a combination of offensive approaches: They penetrated gaps, attacked corners, pushed the ball in transition and simply based their offense off of what the defense allowed.
Still, despite the lack of preparation time, Duke's players had fewer things to worry about and could concentrate solely on basketball. On Saturday, the Blue Devils will have to deal with another hostile setting, lingering academic pressure-not to mention a Michigan squad that has improved like any other team.
"When we played them [in New York], we weren't thinking about class or anything, and that's what we have to do during these two days-to make sure we do focus," Krzyzewski said. "It's not the amount of time, it's what focus you can bring.
"I'm interested to see how we'll do. It's a big game to see mental toughness, to see how we can do in this situation."
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