Duke and Holy Cross are 688 miles apart, but for some players the distance seems much closer.
Blue Devil redshirt sophomore David McClure and Crusader senior Torey Thomas began playing basketball together as children in the Catholic Youth Organization league. When McClure chose to attend Trinity Catholic high school in Connecticut, he said Thomas was a strong influence on his decision.
"I knew he was a solid player, and I knew he was a winner," McClure said. "I knew if I was on his team, we'd be successful."
The duo racked up a 74-7 record and two state championships during their three years together. After graduating, they are still good friends, and even worked together at a YMCA children's basketball camp last summer. Ever since then, the two players have been looking forward to tonight's matchup.
"We talked a couple months ago about who was coming down and which of our old teammates and coaches were going to be in the crowd for the game," McClure said. "Basically, we were just talking about who was going to have people rooting for them."
After coming off two big wins over Indiana and Georgetown though, there is no question who the rest of Cameron Indoor Stadium will be cheering on. No. 7 Duke (7-1) hopes to extend its non-conference home winning steak to 47 games, but it is wary of the threat a team like Holy Cross (6-2) can pose.
"Especially in college basketball, any night you can be beat no matter who you're playing against," junior guard DeMarcus Nelson said. "Other teams really play their best against Duke-no matter who it is. So, we have to be that much better."
Thomas and fellow senior guard Keith Simmons were named to the preseason All-Patriot League team, and the two are the team's leading scorers, recording 12.4 and 17.5 points per game, respectively. Behind the veteran backcourt, the Crusaders were picked to finish second in the conference, just behind Bucknell, which has won two NCAA Tournament games in the past two seasons.
Earlier this season, Holy Cross exhibited its own potential to be a giant killer in a 72-64 loss to then-No. 15 Syracuse. The Crusaders closed the gap to four points with less than a minute to play, but Syracuse shot perfectly from the foul line during the closing moments of the game and was able to hold off the upset bid.
Considering Duke's young squad, the team leaders have emphasized that maturity is the most important thing for getting past pesky teams like Holy Cross.
"I stress the fact that we can be beat," Nelson said. "Sometimes you can take it for granted that you're just going to step out on the court and win."
The Blue Devils have been struggling to put together a complete game offensively this year, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski has said the team is still trying to learn about itself. After a strong second half performance in Saturday's win over Georgetown, in which Duke scored 34 points on 56 percent shooting from the floor, some players believe the offense is finally starting to mesh.
"We started really playing Duke basketball," McClure said. "We've been trying to make some adjustments on the offensive end and just waiting for that one game where it will all click."
That click is an elusive feeling though, McClure said, but one he and the rest of the Blue Devils hope to find tonight against Holy Cross.
"I think all the pieces are there," he said. "Everything's there for us-it's just a matter of it happening. You don't really know what it feels like until it happens.... We're just trying to hit that on-switch."
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