The Blue Devils made it through the meat of their non-conference schedule, a two-week gauntlet that included victories over top-10 teams Kansas State and Michigan State, unscathed.
But as they return to Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight, they’ll have to find a way to maintain their dominating play against a much less daunting opponent.
The contest against Bradley (4-4) at 9 p.m. lacks the hype or glamour of any of Duke’s recent games, but the Blue Devils’ associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski knows that his team must maintain a high level of performance at all times.
“Every game we play is an important game and is of equal importance. That’s how you develop the habit of being a championship level team,” he said. “There can’t be one game that’s more important than the other. You have to prepare to win.”
The No. 1 Blue Devils (8-0) will have to work on developing that habit without their freshman sensation.
Kyrie Irving injured his toe in Duke’s victory over Butler on Saturday, and although he returned to that game, the point guard is currently listed as doubtful and wearing a walking boot, and Wojciechowski said he “doesn’t think” Irving will see the court against the Braves.
The injury could be a blessing in disguise, however, as it will provide more playing time for guards Andre Dawkins, Seth Curry and Tyler Thornton off the bench. Dawkins has been stellar in his role as a sixth-man thus far, averaging 10.6 points per game in just over 23 minutes of action while shooting nearly 53 percent from beyond the arc.
But Dawkins’s emergence of late has diminished Curry’s role in Duke’s game plan. After scoring double-digit points in each of the Blue Devils’ first three games, Curry hasn’t scored more than six since then and has seen his playing time reduced greatly. Much of this has been due to Dawkins’ improved defense; in fact, in Duke’s showdown with Michigan State, Curry struggled defensively and played only seven minutes in the contest, while Dawkins played 28.
Thornton, meanwhile, should see his first extended playing time of the season as Duke’s only pure point guard behind Irving.
While the Blue Devils may not find Irving’s injury of paramount importance against a likely overmatched Bradley team, the Braves have a history of pulling off major upsets. In the 2006 NCAA Tournament, the No. 13-seeded Braves attained two shocking wins over No. 4-seeded Kansas and No. 5-seeded Pittsburgh before falling to Memphis in the Sweet 16.
Bradley also has its own star this season in senior Andrew Warren, an inside-outside presence who leads the team with 19 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
“He’s one of the best players we’ve played against,” Wojciechowski said. “He presents a lot of mismatch problems.”
Still, the Blue Devils will likely be relieved to be facing the Braves rather than yet another marquee team, even if their high standards still apply.
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