According to Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser, January 12 has been circled on the Demon Deacon's calendar for quite some time.
Sometimes such forward thinking can be detrimental to a team's performance, though this has not been the case with the undefeated Demon Deacons. Explaining how he's been able to corral the focus of his players in the ten games preceding the showdown with No. 1 Duke (10-0) Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Prosser compared the Blue Devils with a blonde bombshell.
"It's like in those World War II flicks when the guy is waiting for the girl to get off the train, and he's all excited and he starts running to the blonde and he trips over the curb," Prosser said. "We told [our team] not to worry about the blonde, let's just take care of the curb."
The hype surrounding Sunday's contest may prove a more deterring factor than any woman - or team - could ever muster. The winner of Sunday's contest will have the distinction of being the nation's only undefeated Division I basketball team.
The prospects for Wake Forest, who Duke has beaten 13 consecutive times, are relatively good. Prosser has done a remarkable job thus far directing
Eric Williams, a 6-foot-9, 270-pound freshman center, has been the most impressive underclassmen for Prosser. In addition to his unusual strength and size, Williams has a soft touch that allows him to utilize an effective jumphook and up-and-under move. He is averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game.
Wake Forest's frontcourt also includes sophomore Vytas Danelius, who leads the Deacons in rebounds at 8.1 per game while scoring 12.0 points each contest.
The Demon Deacon backcourt can score as well, as both sophomore Taron Downey and freshman Justin Gray average just over 10 points per game.
Wake Forest's key player, however, is All-America candidate Josh Howard. The senior forward has progressed quickly after missing the first three weeks of practice this season due to injury. He is currently averaging 16 points, eight boards, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
Dahntay Jones will bear the onus of slowing Howard's offensive production, in what will be an entertaining duel between two of the more athletic basketball players in the nation.
Another key to the game will be rebounding, the Demon Deacons' forte this season. They have outrebounded opponents by an average of 14.2 boards per game.
Daniel Ewing, Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick and Sean Dockery will be relied upon to outperform and stymie Wake Forest's young guards in a game that will be closely watched across the country.
"There's going to be a lot of talk about it, two undefeated teams," Ewing said. "And the fact that we're in the ACC is going to make it real intense."
Regardless, Prosser believes his team will be fired up and focused for the matchup of undefeateds Sunday, and expects to use the result of the game as a barometer of where his team stands.
"It will be the ultimate litmus test to this point," Prosser said. "So much of the game on Sunday will be determined on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at practice. We must be focused."
That Wake Forest has not won at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1997 is indicative of one last advantage Duke holds - "the fans.
"It's a real difficult place to play, and you have to bring your 'A' game," Downey said. "They're going to get in us, and we have to be ready to respond."
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