After a week without competition-its longest break of the season-No. 6 Duke is ready to get back on the court.
The Blue Devils (8-0) have a chance to show if they have benefited from the rest when they clash with Michigan (3-5) Saturday at 2 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Following a 79-73 win over feisty mid-major Davidson, Duke has been busy fine-tuning parts of its game that have been lackluster, particularly second-half defense, a weakness exposed in its win over the Wildcats. Up by as much as 16 in the first half, the Blue Devils' lead was cut to two in the waning minutes of the game before Greg Paulus buried Davidson with two key buckets and a steal.
"We've just been working on basics and doing our fundamentals," senior guard Demarcus Nelson said. "We've been looking at our defense and working on our offensive execution and getting back sharp and fresh."
The Blue Devils will attempt to make these adjustments against an opponent that has struggled recently. Michigan is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and has lost five out of it last six contests. The Wolverines are coming off a 62-51 defeat to Harvard, led by former Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker, and also fell 77-64 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge to Boston College.
A young team with two starting freshman guards and a rookie head coach in John Beilein, the Wolverines are clearly going through some growing pains, but Duke still recognizes the challenges Michigan presents.
"They do a great job of running their system," guard Greg Paulus said. "Offensively, they're very patient and can shoot the ball. They also do a great job of mixing up their defenses."
Recognizing and adapting to Michigan's different defensive schemes could be critical for a Blue Devil squad that wants to impose its tempo on the game.
Duke has used its run-and-gun offense to average 85.6 points per game, which is second in the ACC to top-ranked North Carolina's 89.9. This stands in stark contrast to last season when the Blue Devils were the conference cellar-dwellers in scoring, averaging 70.4 points per game.
Duke was especially successful in dominating the pace in its 82-58 win over Wisconsin in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge Nov. 27. The Blue Devils know that controlling the flow of the game could prove critical in toppling their third Big Ten foe of the season.
"Every time we play, our goal is to go out there and play our style of game," Nelson said. "In the Wisconsin game, we wanted to play up-tempo, space the floor, shoot the three and get second chances. That's what we have to do for Michigan. It's really about playing our style of basketball."
Saturday's contest marks the 25th meeting between Duke and Michigan. The two schools have had many significant clashes in the past-most notably when the Blue Devils bested the Wolverines' Fab Five 71-51 in the 1992 NCAA Championship game.
Though most of Duke's current players are too young to remember the details of that particular bout, they are still very much aware of the rivalry between the two programs.
"I think it's great," Paulus said. "It's good to get the tradition going again. I think it's a good thing for college basketball."
The Blue Devils will not be thinking about any of these past experiences when they take the floor Saturday, though. Instead, they will be focusing on continuing their strong start to the 2007-2008 campaign.
With just three games remaining in 2007 and final exams approaching, Duke is anxious to play basketball again, especially after a one-week hiatus.
"We're always excited to play games," sophomore Gerald Henderson said. "It's a break away from studying and taking tests. We don't have that many games left, so when you get out there, you get really excited and really look forward to them."
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