N.C. State (14-8, 7-4 in the ACC) comes to Durham Saturday at 4 p.m. in yet another pivotal ACC matchup, as the No. 8 Blue Devils (18-4, 8-4) will look to solidify their place at the top of the conference standings.
The Wolfpack circled the Blue Devils for much of their last meeting Jan. 22 in Raleigh, eventually pouncing on Duke in the form of an 80-71 victory. The Blue Devils, already reeling from a 15-point setback at Maryland, were slowly devoured by an enthused N.C. State team led by Julius Hodge and Cliff Crawford, who combined for 39 points.
The loss was Duke's second in a row, continuing the collapse of the team's self-esteem on the road - the Blue Devils would go on to lose away contests against Florida State and Wake Forest.
N.C. State is well aware, however, that the Duke team they face tomorrow in Cameron Indoor Stadium will be a much different and much better team than the one they handled last month. Duke, which has not lost at home to the Wolfpack since 1995, now has two more captains, a resurgent defense and a budding interior star in Shelden Williams.
The improved Blue Devils have played their best basketball of the season in the past two games - wins against Virginia and Maryland - and show no signs of slowing against an N.C. State team that is a meager 1-6
"We're going to try and match that effort we gave tonight [against Maryland] and try to give a little bit more because they're a great team, and they've been winning a lot," senior Dahntay Jones said. "They did get us down there [in Raleigh], but it's a different game and a different atmosphere in Cameron."
Hodge is the impetus of the Wolfpack's offense, as he averages 18.2 points per game. Though the sophomore is not the best athlete on the floor, he has a knack for scoring that can potentially give Duke fits. If he gets hot, Hodge's confidence will undoubtedly propel his teammates to better basketball. This is exactly what Duke intends to prevent Saturday because the Blue Devils know that as Hodge goes, so goes the Wolfpack.
But if the Blue Devils' recent defensive performances are any indication, Hodge and N.C. State could be in for a long afternoon. In its last three games, Duke has held its opponents' leading scorers to an average of just eight points, holding the trio - All-America candidates Josh Howard, Travis Watson and Drew Nicholas - to 9.3 points below their scoring averages.
"I think it all comes down to our defense," junior Chris Duhon said. "I think our defense has stepped it up another notch."
Marcus Melvin will be the first to pick up the slack for Hodge if Duke's defense is successful in slowing N.C. State's leading scorer. A multi-talented forward, Melvin had been slumping before a 20-point outburst in the Wolfpack's most recent game against Florida State. Production will also come from the Wolfpack's biggest three-point threat, Scooter Sherill, and streaking sophomore Levi Watkins. Watkins has come on very strong as of late, particularly in the last five games in which he has averaged 9.8 points and 4.2 rebounds.
N.C. State's weakness is a lack of health in the paint, as sophomore center Josh Powell was restricted to just 14 minutes of playing time against Florida State due to back spasms. But Powell's woes extend beyond his performance against the Seminoles, as he has exceeded double digits in scoring just once in the last five games.
Regardless, Duke intends to continue building momentum as they head into the ACC tournament which looms just a few weeks away. And if Duke wants to continue its return to the top of the ACC and national rankings, it will need another strong all-around effort Saturday.
"The [ACC] race is real close," Duhon said. "Every game is important, and this is why we believe the ACC is the best conference in America. Each game means something, and every night any team can beat any team."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.