Duke basketball to open NCAA tournament against Mercer

The road to Dallas and the Final Four runs 1,180 miles from Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils only have to travel 21 for the first leg.

Third-seeded Duke begins its quest for the program's fifth national championship against No. 14 seed Mercer at 12:15 p.m. Friday afternoon at PNC Arena in Raleigh in the NCAA tournament's Midwest Region.

"I think it's amazing for our group to be so close," sophomore forward Amile Jefferson said. "I think we'll have a great fan base out there in Raleigh at the PNC Arena, playing on a court we're familiar with. Our young guys haven't played there yet, but everyone else is really familiar with that court.... To have any slight advantage in a tournament like this is always great."

Another advantage for Duke (26-8) is getting an extra day of rest and preparation.

"For us, the main thing is, after playing in the ACC championship game, playing those three games in 40 hours, it's good to play on Friday instead of Thursday and not have to travel," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

The Bears (26-8) earned an automatic bid to the Big Dance by taking home the Atlantic Sun tournament title. Last year's conference tournament champion—Florida Gulf Coast—busted brackets in highlight-reel fashion as a No. 15 seed, stunning second-seeded Georgetown in the Round of 64 and easing past San Diego State to reach the Sweet 16.

Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Langston Hall is Mercer's only double-digit scorer at 14.7 points per game, also handing out a team-best 5.6 helpers per contest. At 6-foot-4, he'll have a size advantage if marked by Tyler Thornton or Quinn Cook and earned rave reviews from Krzyzewski as a player any team in the ACC would like to have. The guard is one of seven seniors on an experienced Mercer team, but the entire roster be making its NCAA tournament debut when the Bears step onto the court Friday.

Duke will also rely on players who have never seen a minute of action in the Big Dance. The dynamic duo of Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood combine for 35.7 points per game as two of five Blue Devils averaging more than eight points per contest.

Mercer also boasts the A-Sun's Defensive Player of the Year in senior Daniel Coursey, the Bears' second-leading scorer at 9.9 points per game. Krzyzewski said the 6-foot-10, 220-pound senior reminds him of Notre Dame forward Garrick Sherman, citing his poise and decision-making. Sherman hurt the Blue Devils to the tune of 14 points and eight rebounds when the Fighting Irish upset Duke in January.

The 2014 edition of March Madness has already seen a smattering of upsets, indicative of a parity-filled college basketball landscape. In their last NCAA tournament game played in North Carolina, the Blue Devils were stunned by No. 15 seed Lehigh in 2012, and will look to avoid a similar early exit this weekend.

"Mercer is a team that can beat us, definitely," Krzyzewski said. "There are teams seeded in double-digits in this tournament that can give any team, in that one shot, a run for their money and beat them. That wasn't the case a decade ago. It was the exception. Now it's the norm because of the age difference, the experience of playing together difference, all those things."

This postseason is the last chance for senior captains Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston to bring a championship back to Durham. Graduate student Andre Dawkins—a member of the 2010 national championship team—is the only Blue Devil who owns a ring. Krzyzewski noted that if his team wants to cut down the nets come April 7, Duke will have to fight for every win.

"If we're fortunate enough to win [Friday], then we'll get ready for whoever's next. That's the way you got to do it nowadays," Krzyzewski said. "It's not given to you. You've got to keep earning it. But because of what we've done—a lot of people think these guys have done that, that this group of guys have done that. They haven't done it."

Parker, Hood and Co. can take a step toward doing it Friday.