It feels like just yesterday. Gordon Hayward’s shot bounced off the backboard, ricocheted off the rim and Duke was celebrating its fourth national championship. But seven months have gone by, and with the memories of the 2010 NCAA title in the back of everyone’s mind, the No. 1 Blue Devils will begin their pursuit of another national championship when they take on Princeton in Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday at 5 p.m.
The last seven months have been busy for head coach Mike Krzyzewski and associate head coaches Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski. In that time, Duke has had to adjust to losing last year’s senior leadership as well as develop a new identity for this year’s team. There is no doubt that Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek were each pivotal pieces during the Blue Devils’ run in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. However, the return of seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, the development of Miles and Mason Plumlee, the addition of an elite crop of freshmen and the eligibility of redshirt sophomore Seth Curry have led to the almost unanimous consensus that Duke is this year’s favorite to win it all. As a result, the coaching staff has placed a large emphasis on not getting caught up in the hype of last season’s success and being the preseason No. 1.
“The preseason rankings mean nothing,” Curry said. “The coaches are making sure that we don’t get ahead of ourselves.”
Curry added that the team is not trying to build on last year. Rather, it is getting off to a completely new start.
“We have to be what this team can be,” Curry said. “We have the talent to be a great team so we need to keep improving.”
Collins noted that championships are not won in November and that the team must approach every game with the same desire to win. Curry agreed, saying that it is important for the team to be playing its best in March.
While the team’s goal is to be playing at the top of its game come NCAA Tournament time, the Blue Devils must not overlook their early opponents like Princeton.
“It is always a tough challenge playing Princeton because they’re a well-disciplined team,” Collins said. “They’re well-coached, well-drilled and have good spacing and patience. They won’t be intimidated coming into Cameron.”
If Duke learned anything during the preseason, it is that each game must be taken seriously. The Blue Devils are coming off of an 81-60 exhibition win against Cal Poly Pomona, in which their halftime lead was only six. Despite the less-than-stellar performance in the first half, Collins was impressed with the way the team regrouped at halftime and came back much stronger in the second period.
“I think we learned a lot about our team,” he said. “To go out and have all 10 of our guys working together was a good thing for us to put together rotations and to see how the guys could do under game conditions.”
The leadership of Singler and Smith has been crucial in the maturation of this year’s team, Collins said. This maturity is especially important for freshman Kyrie Irving, who will be starting at point guard.
“Kyrie is going to be the main focus of our attack on both ends of the floor,” Collins said. “It starts with his pressure defensively, and he is going to lead the offense on the other end.”
Irving’s ability as a natural point guard to run the floor, as well as score, will give the Blue Devils a whole new dimension on offense. Collins said that Irving is looking forward to the challenge of leading the team.
Collins also picked up on an extra sense of excitement during practice this week, which he attributed to the anticipation that follows seven months of hard work.
“We’re confident, and we’re anxious to get going,” Collins said. “We’re excited about our chances.”
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