After two weeks of counting down to his 903rd career head coaching victory, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski eclipsed his mentor Bob Knight atop college basketball’s all-time wins list.
Now, the focus can finally shift from Krzyzewski’s historic pursuit to his team, beginning with Friday’s contest against Davidson (2-0). And Krzyzewski wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m glad now we can just move on and just develop our team,” Krzyzewski said after his team defeated Michigan State for his record-setting victory.
The No. 6 Blue Devils (3-0) will look to continue that maturation against a Wildcat team that will look much different from when the two teams last faced off in 2009. That Davidson squad, coming off a run to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, was led by superstar Stephen Curry, who scored 29 points in a 79-67 loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Last season the Wildcats struggled, though, finishing the season 18-15 and losing in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational. But Davidson looks poised to rebound from that disappointing season, as the team was picked to win the Southern Conference South Division in both the league’s media and coaches polls.
The Wildcats return seven of their eight top scorers from last season along with four starters, including preseason all-conference selections JP Kuhlman and Jake Cohen. The pair has started out the season strongly, with the 6-foot-10 Cohen averaging 13.5 points and nine rebounds in Davidson’s first two games, while Kuhlman has added 12 points per game of his own on 37.5 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
But De’Mon Brooks has provided the biggest spark for the Wildcats, averaging 19 points and 8.5 rebounds in Davidson’s first two games, up 10 points and 3.4 rebounds from his averages as a freshman last season.
Duke has its own Curry, Stephen’s younger brother Seth, to lead it against the Wildcats in the first game of the post-903 era. The junior has transitioned to the point guard position smoothly, leading the Blue Devils in points and assists, and is tied for the lead in steals through three games. Curry also has shown a knack for crashing the boards, leading Duke in rebounding against the Spartans Tuesday.
The Blue Devils will have no rest following their fourth game in eight days Friday, as they depart for the Maui Invitational Saturday morning. But for the first time this season, they will get a respite from the talk of 903.
“I’m getting tired of watching me on TV,” Krzyzewski said after the Michigan State victory. “We’re pleased with the fact that we can get on with the season.”
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