North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Pack Dukes It Out With Devils
1/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BY TONY HAYNES
Retooled and reinvigorated, coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 2007-08 Blue Devils (17-1, 5-0) are more talented and deeper than the squad that made an unusually abrupt first round exit from last year’s ACC Tourney.
NC State (13-6, 2-3) is also a different team, primarily because it no longer has the player that pick-and-rolled Duke into submission in that 85-80 Pack victory. Engin Atsur had all the answers against the Blue Devils’ and their switching man-to-man defenses, repeatedly getting the ball into the hands of teammates for open shots.
With younger, more inexperienced point guards now running the show, the Pack relies less on the pick-and-roll and more on offensive sets that are designed to take some of the pressure off Marques Johnson and Javier Gonzalez.
For that reason, NC State will be using a different offensive approach in this, the 229th meeting with Duke.
“Obviously, what helped in
Executing against a Duke team that forces nearly 20 turnovers per game will be among the many challenges awaiting the Pack on Thursday. Defensively, NC State will likely face its most difficult test of the year. Virtually position-less and post-less on offense, the Blue Devils often feature four, sometimes even five players on the floor that have the ability to drive, dish, finish or shoot the 3.
Small but skilled, the Blue Devils force opposing big men into situations where they must stray away from the basket and defend in open space. It’s an uncomfortable, fish-out-of-water scenario for players who are more accustomed to defending in the post. After getting the defense spread out, Duke has the ability to drive the ball into the lane from a number of angles. If the defense helps, the Blue Devils look to kick out for open 3-point shots. If perimeter defenders don’t help off their man, players like DeMarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith can get all the way the rim.
It truly is a Catch-22 for the defense.
Offensively, NC State will have an advantage in the paint if its point guards and other perimeter players can be strong enough with the ball to get it inside to the likes of J.J. Hickson, Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner. But as they did on Sunday at
“[Duke] understands as well as any team in the country who they are,” said NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. “What I mean by that, they know they’re not big inside so they front you and trap you. But we still have to go in there and make good decisions.”
And while the campuses at Duke and NC State are separated by only 30 miles, there styles are as different as night and day.
The Blue Devils play fast, score 85 points per game, force a lot of turnovers and shoot a bunch of 3-pointers. The Wolfpack is more deliberate, doesn’t get out in passing lanes as much on defense and looks to score most of its points inside the 3-point line. The Pack averages 18 fewer points per game and has launched a modest 296 3-point shots, 126 less than the Blue Devils.
The team that imposes its will and its pace on the other will certainly have the edge.
NC State is coming off its first ACC road win, a satisfying 69-66 victory at
Because NC State did not play at Duke last season, current senior Gavin Grant is the only Wolfpack player who has played significant minutes at Cameron. Two years ago in an 81-68 loss to the Blue Devils in
“It’s going to be an experience for those guys, no question about it,” Lowe said. “Hopefully Gavin can shed some light on what they can expect. We can’t get too wrapped up in the fans; they’re there and are going to be loud. They support their team and know that they’re important. They try to get in the heads of the other teams and a lot of times they do that. Our guys really have to block that stuff out and really concentrate on our game and show some poise while we’re over there.”
Duke is getting a great year out of Nelson, who exploded for 27 points in Sunday’s win at
For NC State, Hickson tops the ACC in field goal percentage (63.2%) and leads his team in both scoring (15.3) and rebounding (8.0). Fells has been on a roll from his two-guard position, putting up an average of 17.6 points in five ACC games, while also shooting better than 50 percent both from the floor and the 3-point line.
Duke and NC State will play a second game at the
“It’s good for basketball and good for our conference because both programs have been so good over the years,” said Krzyzewski. “I think NC State is playing its best basketball right now. I love their wings. Fells and Grant can play with anybody and they can defend. I don’t think NC State gets enough credit for the defense that they play. It’s not a team that forces a lot of turnovers, but you can’t get a lot of shots against them. They’re long and take up a lot of space.”
Duke is ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the college basketball polls. Thursday’s game will be NC State’s sixth this season against a member of the top 25, more than other team in the ACC.
