The rims are still 10 feet high. The court is 94 feet long by 50 feet wide, and the 3-point line is the same distance at gyms across the country.
But as Duke (14-1, 2-0 in the ACC) finds out while beginning its trek through the conference season, a road matchup with an ACC opponent can certainly prove unsettling. Within the league, it is the common perception that rankings and records aside, every time a top team takes the court away from home, the possibility of an upset exists.
When the ball is thrown up at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Alexander Memorial Coliseum, the No. 3 Blue Devils can expect a strong effort from Georgia Tech (9-6, 0-2). Although the Yellow Jackets have stumbled in recent games, an electric environment awaits Duke, the first top-25 team Georgia Tech has encountered this season.
The rims are a little tighter, the floor a little less bouncy, and the serenades from the student section a little more distracting, as the Blue Devils quickly discovered Dec. 6 when they traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich. In its second true road test of the year, Duke suffered its sole loss in a game in which poor outside shooting in front of a raucous crowd put the team in a perpetual state of catch-up.
Last weekend, in their first ACC road game, the Blue Devils had to fight off a pesky and physical Florida State squad to secure a 66-58 win.
While the Seminoles are not regarded as one of the elite programs in the conference, the team and the coaching staff were both thrilled with what they considered a potentially elusive road win.
"To beat them, and they are really good, we were winning a fight that went to the eighth or ninth round and we had a chance to get knocked out," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We didn't get knocked out, and that's the sign of a really good team."
Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt will have the opportunity to use a full bench for the first time this season, as his team has overcome early injury woes. Central to the focus of the Blue Devils' defensive effort will be sophomore forward Gani Lawal and senior guard Lewis Clinch, who come into the contest averaging 16.8 and 14.1 points per game, respectively.
In this tilt, Duke could also have another opportunity to improve on closing its opponent out late in the second half. In both of its last two games, against Davidson and Florida State, the Blue Devils have had a large lead cut to single digits. Both meetings ultimately ended as Duke victories in large part because of its efforts on the defensive end of the court, an aspect of the Blue Devils' game that Hewitt admires.
"They have always been a very aggressive, overplaying defense," Hewitt said. "They switch a lot of ball screens, which kind of builds a fence around the lane, and they are going to force you to take some tough shots from outside."
Given its consistent success at Cameron Indoor Stadium over recent years, Duke's pursuit of a conference championship will largely depend on its ability to emerge from opposing arenas with victories.
And with future games at Wake Forest, Maryland and North Carolina, it will pay dividends down the road for Duke to start assuming the road warrior role Wednesday.
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