The Blue Devils’ conference schedule never poses many surprises.
No. 8 Duke usually plays against the nation’s most skilled and athletic teams in hostile road environments and has to battle in every game. The Blue Devils (16-3, 4-2 in the ACC) will inevitably face hard-fought games in the ACC due to the competitive and physical nature of the conference and will probably drop a few games along the way.
And as far as talented conference teams are concerned, rival Florida State represents one of those challenges for the Blue Devils.
Duke returns home to take on Florida State tonight at 9 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium in the teams’ only matchup of the season. The Seminoles (15-4, 3-2) have had success in recent visits to Cameron, including a big win over the then-No. 10 Blue Devils 68-67 three seasons ago.
“We have a tough, tough team,” head coach Mike Kzyzewski said after his squad defeated Wake Forest Jan. 17. “[With] the schedule we play...we get people’s best shots.”
Krzyzewski’s team has faced many tests this season and possesses the nation’s 10th-hardest schedule, already having taken on No. 19 Connecticut and No. 13 Gonzaga.
Every game in the ACC represents a potential upset, and Duke is no stranger to suffering losses from conference rivals. The Blue Devils have already dropped two league games on the road this season, including a 71-67 loss against Georgia Tech Jan. 9 and a less-than-inspiring 88-74 defeat against N.C. State.
The ACC as a whole has already experienced its fair share of upsets this season. While Duke has maintained its top-10 ranking by earning quality wins to offset road losses, unranked Florida State has spent its season trying to knock off those at the top of the ladder.
And the Seminoles have been quite successful climbing up the rungs.
Florida State first upset No. 22 Georgia Tech 66-59 in late December in an impressive road victory. The Seminoles’ most recent win also came against the Yellow Jackets, this time 68-66 Sunday in Tallahassee.
Though it has endured some tough conference losses, Florida State features a talented frontcourt.
Sophomore center Solomon Alabi leads the Seminoles in scoring with 12.6 points per game and forward Chris Singleton has grabbed a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest. Fellow big man Ryan Reid has complemented Alabi and Singleton on both sides of the floor with his physical play.
“There are some really talented teams [in the ACC],” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt said after his team’s most recent loss to Florida State. “You have Alabi, Reid and Singleton, I think that’s the best frontline in our league. All three of those guys are big-time problems. Reid obviously is an experienced player who can shoot the ball. [He is] a very, very smart player from what I can see and Singleton and Alabi are just supremely talented.”
The trio’s skill and physicality will test the Blue Devils under the basket. While Duke has dominated the boards this season, posting 40.3 rebounds per game, Florida State will provide a challenge for Duke’s inside game due to the Seminoles’ strong interior presence.
In the ACC, teams are not going to win every game, and have shown that over the years. The league is simply too competitive. Even eventual national champions from the conference have not dominated during the season. The 2000-2001 Duke team dropped three conference games on its way to capturing a national championship, and so did last season’s North Carolina squad.
Ultimately, Duke’s conference schedule provides the opportunity to reach a high enough level to make a deep run during the NCAA Tournament. While it is important to win as many games as possible, gaining consistency and team chemistry far outweighs suffering a few losses—especially in a league where a loss just means being outplayed by one of the nation’s toughest teams.
“I don’t think any loss or win in the ACC is an upset,” Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said after his team’s most recent win against the Yellow Jackets. “It’s going to be interesting to see how things pan out.”
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