It’s officially past the midway point for Duke's regular season, so what better time for a little reflection.
The Blue Devils are 7-5 without a win against a top-25 opponent, undoubtedly cause for concern. Wins against Georgia Tech and now Clemson, two NCAA tournament hopefuls, snapped a three-game losing streak, but should that mean reason for optimism?
Regardless of what two victories over bubble teams might appear like, there’s no denying the palpable energy flowing inside Cameron Indoor Stadium right now, an energy that might finally take the Blue Devils to their full potential.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski emphatically high-fived his bench in the closing seconds of Tuesday's win against the Yellow Jackets, a clear display of what the win meant to the squad. There were smiles everywhere, Jalen Johnson and Matthew Hurt embraced and the Blue Devils showed some real emotion. There was some much-needed joy on Coach K Court during that moment, and the resulting energy was punched straight through a reeling Clemson team Saturday afternoon.
“This has been a long journey and every team goes through it differently,” Krzyzewski said Tuesday after the Georgia Tech win. “It’s long for anybody, but for a young group it’s really long. I’m just so happy for them. I’m as happy as I was disappointed for them [against Louisville].”
A quick trip to the box score highlights everything that went right for the Blue Devils against the Tigers. Duke got to the foul line and converted, committed only nine turnovers, shot the ball well and found a balanced scoring attack. A 38-point second half lead was the obvious indicator of the team’s most complete performance this season.
“I think it all just started in practice," freshman center Mark Williams said. "We’ve been preparing really well. Our energy has just been increasing day by day, and I think today it just finally showed.”
The Blue Devils made a defensive statement early, setting the tone by allowing just one Tiger basket in their first 11 possessions. However, Duke’s spirit didn’t seem to gain the team separation until Johnson's poster dunk sent the bench into a frenzy.
“Our work ethic has been crazy in practice,” freshman guard DJ Steward said. “It’s not very surprising that we’re coming along and we’re playing together well. We just have to keep playing hard, keep practicing hard and just keep doing what we do, and wins are going to come.”
From the dunk until the end of the first half, the Blue Devils outscored Clemson 30-17. But it was the 11 straight points in three minutes to open the second half that truly showcased the team's improvement since the beginning of the year.
Duke cruised out to a 17-point halftime lead in its opener against Coppin State, but turned its back on the Eagles and let them back into a close game. A double-digit lead against Michigan State was erased in an eventual loss, and the Blue Devils had some struggles closing out Wake Forest.
Needing a statement win, Duke’s young core, complemented by surprising performances from the bench, showed no mercy. While even Krzyzewski mentioned that this team “may never develop" to its full potential, this win was clearly a statement of what the Blue Devils can mature to be.
“In the three losses, we were in position to win at certain moments,” Krzyzewski said. “[The score was] 55-55 against Virginia Tech and three straight exchanges—we were horrible offensively and it hurt us. Against Pitt, it was a one-possession game. Against Louisville, we took a step up and really played well enough to be deserving of winning. It wasn’t like you messed up...you just missed."
If the ball bounces the other way in those close-fought ACC games, maybe the Blue Devils don’t adopt a new mentality and are lured into the sense of comfort that comes from the image of the Duke program. But if there’s a message from these games or even from Steward’s Twitter account, it feels like there’s a new mentality.
“We can’t go to Miami and not play hard, be aggressive, do what we did today,” Steward said. “We’ve just got to keep it going.”
An NCAA tournament berth is unquestionably on the line for Duke as the season enters its final stretch. But if the Blue Devils can match the energy they brought over the last two games, they should have no problems finding their way to Indiana in March.
“I think we have a chance to do something really special,” Williams said.
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