When Duke entered halftime up only three points against Boston College Wednesday night, a worried apprehension quietly spread through Cameron Indoor Stadium. In the No. 8 Blue Devils’ locker room, though, the team’s leaders made sure that Duke (14-2, 2-1 in the ACC) didn’t lose its second consecutive conference game.
“[At the break] it was really the team doing a lot of speaking. And being 1-1 in conference, there was no way our veterans were going to let us go 1-2,” junior Nolan Smith said.
“Yeah, [individuals within the team were vocal],” junior Kyle Sinlger said. “We have great leadership and great experience on the team. Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] didn’t say much.”
The Blue Devils came out for the second half as an entirely different team, specifically on the defensive end, as the Eagles managed to score just 24 points after intermission.
“It started with our defense. It set the tone,” sophomore Miles Plumlee said. “We got a lot of momentum going. We just came out with more energy on defense.”
Duke will need that defense when it hosts Wake Forest Sunday at 8 p.m. The Demon Deacons (11-4, 2-1) are coming off a strong overtime victory against Maryland for their second conference win and are led by sophomore Al-Farouq Aminu, who is averaging 17.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.
Aminu dominated the contest against the Terrapins, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. But in Wake Forest’s lone conference loss at Miami, Aminu made just 3-of-12 shots and scored a season-low nine points. Containing the big man will be crucial for the Blue Devils to secure their third conference win.
“It’s another ACC game and it’s going to be a tough opponent,” Smith said. “[We have to] go back to practicing hard and playing the same [way] we played [against Boston College].”
At the point guard position, Wake Forest is led by senior Ishmael Smith, who is averaging 13 points and six assists per game. In his first trip to Cameron in 2007, Smith entered the game leading the ACC in assists. But the then-freshman was held without an assist while committing eight turnovers in a Duke win, and the Blue Devils hope to force a repeat performance from the guard.
Duke will have to protect its basket Sunday as Wake Forest is averaging more than 77 points per game and is shooting better than 45 percent from the field. Anything less than a stellar defensive effort will be unacceptable to the veteran leaders that have kept this team focused all season.
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