North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Looks to Slow Down Duke Juggernaut
1/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
All season long, NC State has been looking for that one monumental victory that would make people stand up and notice a program that has been striving to inch its way up the ACC basketball ladder. In its last outing, the Wolfpack came close to pulling out such a win. Leading by as many as 11 points in the second half at Virginia, NC State couldn't overcome an avalanche of second half fouls in an 88-81 loss in Charlottesville.
But the good thing about the ACC is that the very next game usually offers up another chance to pull off that long awaited colossal win. But perhaps 'colossal' would be too mild a word to describe the task the Pack (8-4, 0-1) faces on Wednesday night.
Second ranked Duke, a team that has boggled the mind with its league dominance over the last three years, will provide the opposition at the Entertainment Sports Arena. Sure NC State will have the home court advantage, but given the Blue Devils' road record over the last few years, maybe the home court won't mean that much. Heading into the contest, Duke (13-1, 2-0) has won its last 20 road games in the ACC. And over the last three plus years, the four time ACC regular season champs have gone 48 and 2 against league foes. Stuff like that isn't supposed to happen in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"We expect a very difficult game on Wednesday," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Herb's teams really play hard and they play really good defense. We've had great games with them. There just always seems to be a couple of possessions where a kid makes a big play. We've just been fortunate that we're the ones that made that play."
The Blue Devils have won seven in a row and 12 of the last 13 in the series, however, the two games played between the clubs last season were extremely competitive. At Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium last January, the Blue Devils rallied to beat the Pack in an overtime thriller, 92-88.The game featured 16 lead changes and 15 ties. One month later in Raleigh, the Blue Devils led most of the way in route to a 79-74 victory.
"I think year in and year out NC State has given Duke a very good game," said Wolfpack guard Archie Miller. "Last year at their place it could have gone either way. Down here it came down to a couple of possessions. As long as you play hard and you're prepared like we always are, you'll be fine. We just have to execute what we do and play hard."
NC State will need execution, effort and perhaps some good fortune to overcome Duke's enormous collection of skill, athleticism and big game experience.
In a preseason vote by his peers, Blue Devils senior Shane Battier was selected as the best player in college basketball. But the most feared player in the ACC right now may very well be Jason Williams. The sophomore point guard is third in the league in scoring (19.8 ppg) and also ranks third in assists (6.0). Along with being a deadly three-point shooter, Williams also causes problems with his ability to break a defense down with dribble penetration.
"He's a jet with the ball, can really shoot and he makes them go," Miller said. "They've got a lot of guys spread out around him so if he can get into that paint and have his way, they're tough to beat. He's difficult to stop because he has the ball so much."
And when Williams decides to give the ball up, he has a virtual dream team of options to call on. All five members of Duke's starting line up average in double figures and other than center Carlos Boozer, everybody has the ability to shoot effectively from three-point range.
Then there's Duke's vaunted half-court man-to-man defense, a staple of the program ever since Krzyzewski arrived 21 years ago. This season, the Blue Devils have forced more turnovers than any other team in the ACC (21 pg), and they also lead the league in steals.
"You've just got to be patient against their pressure," said NC State guard Clifford Crawford. "You've just got to run your stuff and cut backdoor when you get the opportunity. You've got to give them credit; they play hard on defense and take the charge when possible."
The Wolfpack's most consistent player this season has been Anthony Grundy. The junior guard leads the team in scoring (17.1 ppg), assists (50) and steals (35). Senior forward Kenny Inge is contributing 13.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while sharpshooter Archie Miller is averaging 12.6 points per contest. Over his last four games, sophomore Damien Wilkins has averaged 16.3 points per game while shooting 65 percent from the floor.
As a team, NC State is shooting 53 percent over its last eight games.
This will mark the 212th meeting between the Wolfpack and Blue Devils. Duke owns a 118-93 advantage in the all-time series.
