Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s top-ranked Blue Devils (15-0, 2-0 in the ACC) have passed every major test so far this season.
Saturday’s showdown with No. 20 N.C. State (13-2, 2-0 in the ACC) presents a hurdle the Blue Devils have yet to clear this year: winning a true road game. So far all of Duke’s games away from Cameron Indoor Stadium have been neutral-site contests.
Making the tilt with its Triangle rival even more challenging, Duke will play without senior power forward Ryan Kelly, who is out indefinitely due to a foot injury.
RALEIGH -- When looking at this year’s Duke team, most scouts and writers have raved about power forward Mason Plumlee, a national Player of the Year candidate.
Plumlee leads Duke in scoring, but the top-ranked Blue Devils have relied just as much on an old friend, the 3-pointer.
Duke leads the ACC with 117 3-pointers, and it’s making a staggering 42.7 percent of its attempts. The Blue Devils made 11 3s against Wake Forest – including six during a 25-7 first-half run – and shot 8 of 15 against Clemson on Tuesday night.
