Back in August, several weeks before Duke's basketball team started preseason practices, the Blue Devils were working out as many as five times a week, most of the time without a basketball. "We were like a track team," junior forward Shelden Williams said. "A lot of days, we didn't touch a ball. We ran wind sprints and ran up hills, stairs, anything."
The Blue Devils, who have won 167 games since the 2000-01 season, more than any other Division I team, knew this year would be different. Because of attrition, Duke came into this season with only five returning players who started their careers on scholarships, in addition to two freshmen and senior forward Reggie Love. A former Blue Devils football player, Love didn't rejoin the basketball team until October, after he was cut by the Green Bay Packers during training camp.
But going into Wednesday night's game against Maryland, the Blue Devils (15-0, 5-0 ACC) are ranked No. 2 in the country and they are one of only three unbeaten teams left in Division I, along with No. 1 Illinois and No. 8 Boston College. Duke is atop the ACC, a half-game ahead of No. 3 North Carolina and one game ahead of No. 5 Wake Forest.
"Coming into the year, y'all didn't expect us to be doing this," senior guard Daniel Ewing told a group of reporters in the Blue Devils' locker room after their 80-66 victory over Virginia on Jan. 16. "Y'all didn't think you'd have to be talking about Duke."
During the first two months of the season, much of the talk on Tobacco Road centered on the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons, who are popular choices to advance to the Final Four. The Blue Devils were expected to slip, after guard Chris Duhon graduated, forward Luol Deng left for the NBA after only one season, and highly regarded recruit Shaun Livingston of Peoria, Ill., jumped from high school to the pros.
But the Blue Devils went undefeated during their early nonconference schedule, with impressive victories over Michigan State, 81-74, in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, and Oklahoma, 78-67, in the Dreyfus Classic in New York. But critics said Duke played a softer-than-usual nonconference schedule (its schedule is ranked 26th toughest in the country), and predicted the Blue Devils would take their lumps when they finally played on an opponent's court.
Duke didn't play its first true road game until its 12th game, an 86-74 victory at N.C. State on Jan. 13, and the Blue Devils followed that with road wins at Miami and Florida State last week.
"People can keep saying Duke's not this, and Duke's not that," Williams said. "But we keep winning, so we must be doing something right."
Earlier in the season, Blue Devils Coach Mike Krzyzewski said he liked his team, but added his players weren't "Elton Brand or Christian Laettner," former all-Americans at Duke. After the Blue Devils whipped the Cavaliers, Krzyzewski said his team had been lucky to remain undefeated. But as Duke keeps winning games, Krzyzewski might be starting to wonder whether he underestimated his team.
"We have a good team," Krzyzewski said yesterday, during a teleconference with reporters. "When we had Brand and Laettner, we had great teams. We're not a great team. We're a good team in a league that has a lot of great teams."
Krzyzewski said he has curtailed his practice schedule, keeping his players on the floor less during practice and more during games. The Blue Devils' depth got worse in early January when starting forward Shavlik Randolph had mononucleosis diagnosed. He returned to action against the Cavaliers, but hasn't played more than 14 minutes in each of the last three games. Love, who was averaging more than nine minutes per game, broke a bone in his right foot against Clemson on Jan. 2 and will be out at least a couple of more weeks.
Junior Lee Melchionni, a former walk-on who was given a scholarship before the 2003-04 season, has started the last six games in their absence.
"We don't have much room for error," Krzyzewski said. "If we make a number of mistakes, it doesn't have to be a high number, and we'll lose the game. We've got to pay attention to the little things and take care of each other."
More and more, Krzyzewski is relying on his Big Three — Williams, Ewing and junior guard J.J. Redick, who are each averaging more than 33 minutes per game. Redick, the ACC's leading scorer with 21.7 points per game, lost 25 pounds during the offseason because he knew he would have to play more. Williams, who is averaging 15.6 points and leads the ACC in rebounding (11.3) and blocked shots (3.6), lost about 10 pounds.
"I can't take chances like I did last year," said Williams, who fouled out of 11 games in each of the past two seasons. "I can't put myself in position to pick up fouls like I did last year. I know I have to play smarter."
Maryland Coach Gary Williams said that while the Blue Devils might not be as deep as they were in the past, they've still got more talent than most teams.
"They have three great players," Williams said. "Not many teams have three great players. Their depth was questionable, but guys have stepped up for them."
Shelden Williams said the Blue Devils are playing with a chip on their shoulders.
"I don't see how you can just overlook the tradition of Duke and expect us to have a bad year," he said.
