MIAMI — Although the skies are clear and the hurricane season is well past, another kind of storm is souring the mood of the citizens of the Sunshine State. A win over Florida State Saturday (10-8, 2-3 in the ACC) would extend No. 4 Duke’s (14-0, 4-0) perfect season and complete an undefeated Florida road trip.
The Seminoles will be the Blue Devils’ third conference road opponent of the season, and most likely their toughest. Although Duke had to fight against a raucous crowd to come back and defeat N.C. State last week and despite their victory in front of a sellout crowd in Miami, neither two venues present the unique challenge they will face in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Seminoles have developed a reputation for knocking off ranked opponents at home. Last year they defeated Maryland, 79-75; North Carolina, 90-81; Wake Forest, 75-70; and Georgia Tech, 81-65. Last time they played there, the Blue Devils escaped Tallahassee with a 70-65 victory.
“Florida State is a huge challenge for us, especially on the road,” junior J.J. Redick said. “It seems like they’re a different team in Tallahassee. They’re as tough as any team in the conference when they play at home.”
The Seminoles have already bumped off one ACC powerhouse—they defeated No. 3 Wake Forest 91-83 in overtime Tuesday. Sophomore guard Von Wafer led the way for Florida State with a career-best 30 points, 21 of which came through the three-point shot. Over his last seven games, Wafer has shot 30-for-59 from behind the three-point line.
Forward Al Thornton also set a career high and scored 26, including 20 second-half points. Junior Todd Galloway, who like Duke senior Daniel Ewing is in his first season at the starting point guard position, notched 21 points. In addition, Galloway sealed the game with nine in overtime.
Galloway also set a career high in the contest against Wake Forest. With three players coming off the performance of a lifetime, the Florida State offense will be tough to stop.
“They’re coming off a huge win,” Redick said. “They have seemed to have gained some momentum, and they’re going to want to keep it rolling Saturday.”
The problem for the Seminoles, however, has been consistency. Although Florida State has played well in games such as the victory over the Yellow Jackets and a Dec. 19 90-88 overtime loss to No. 23 Maryland, it has also lost several weak teams such as Kent State, Texas Christian and Florida International. The Seminoles may rank in the top five in the conference in field goal percentage and field goal percentage against, but their 0.80 assist to turnover ration, -0.28 turnover margin and 34.9 rebounds per game all rank among the league’s worst and have hindered Florida State’s progress this season.
Unfortunately for the Seminoles, Duke is also coming off its best game of the season, although its 92-83 victory over Miami was significantly less dramatic. In what was called the first significant regular-season basketball game in Hurricanes history, the Blue Devils silenced the Miami crowd with their best offensive performance of the season. Four Duke starters scored in double figures, and junior Sean Dockery was a free throw away from hitting the 10-point barrier.
The Blue Devils’ “Big Three,” Ewing, Redick and forward Shelden Williams, combined for 67 points. Williams shot 11-for-12 from the floor and scored a career-high 30 points against a soft Miami frontcourt.
“I am really pleased with the win tonight,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game. “We beat an excellent team. Miami is a confident and positive group and they are difficult to guard.... Ewing led us well and Shelden did a terrific job tonight. The two of them, along with J.J., gave us another good game.”
Duke will once again try to use Williams to exploit the middle of the Florida State defense, but the 6-foot-9 junior is aware that baskets will not come easily in Tallahassee.
“They’re a good team coming off a big-time win,” Williams said. “They always play well at home, especially against us.”
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