Thin Duke faces first true test

This time last year, the men’s basketball team pulled into East Lansing, Mich., its deep roster showcasing a newly modeled lineup led by a veteran point guard with an engine full of steam. Forty minutes and a few thousand jaw drops later, Duke had driven circles around Michigan State and was rolling out of town with a 22-point win. The Blue Devils would not lose for another two months.

But as the Spartans stampede into Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight at 9 p.m. for another ride in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, head coach Tom Izzo won’t even think of mentioning last year. Because all of a sudden it’s No. 10 Michigan State (3-0) with the revved-up returning roster and a player it can actually call a point guard, leaving reversed No. 9 Duke (3-0) on the wrong side of revenge.

“They’re a real veteran basketball team this year,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They pretty much could’ve played a game after one week of practice because they have the same guys. So they’re probably ahead of us right now, and I don’t think that was the case last year. I think we were probably both on the same course last year.”

Both teams are off to quick starts this season after rolling over flimsy foes, but the Spartans’ high-octane, four-guard offense has put up more than 100 points in each of its first three games and could pose a matchup melee for the Blue Devils. Run-and-gun is the name of the game for Izzo’s seasoned crew, with sophomore Maurice Ager and junior Shannon Brown filling the lanes around resurgent big man junior Paul Davis.

Still, Michigan State’s seniors represent the core of the attack. Alan Anderson, at 6-foot-6, struggled during last year’s meltdown as a makeshift point guard, committing five of the 20 turnovers forced by Duke. But he has shifted smoothly to become an inside-outside player to complement his now well adjusted classmates. Wingman Kelvin Torbert, one of five returning starters, now comes off the bench and is tied for the team scoring lead at 17.3 point per game. Chris Hill has taken over the bulk of the point guard duties and has an almost 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, doing what Izzo called “an incredible job of just letting the game just come to him, almost to a fault—like all these seniors have.”

As the Spartans have spread the wealth with 10 players averaging at least 14 minutes per game, the Blue Devils’ depth and offensive inconsistency could frustrate a Duke team that Krzyzewski admits is still trying to figure itself out.

Duke is hoisting up an average of 28 three-pointers per contest, and while that strategy did wonders in a 98-44 win over UNC-Greensboro Saturday, the erratic shooting of leading scorers Daniel Ewing (18.3 ppg) and J.J. Redick (18.0 ppg) was the Blue Devils’ downfall as they slipped by Davidson Nov. 22.

And when it comes face-to-face with a spread-out offense tonight, a Duke defensive unit that has held opponents to an average of 50.3 points on 34 percent shooting may not be as dependable for the untested Blue Devils.