There has been so much made over the last month and a half about Duke trying to seek some level of revenge against Miami when the two teams meet on Saturday.
Miami comes into Durham confident while the Blue Devils appear unsure of themselves.
Whether it is the fact that Duke lost by 27 points, the fact that the Hurricanes mockingly slapped the floor something that started at Duke to spur on defensive intensity, there are certainly reasons that the Blue Devil fan base wants to see the rematch. In reality though for the players and coaches, the game has to be more about getting better than just getting revenge.
Duke has continued to be inconsistent really since Ryan Kelly was lost to injury. Their supposed best player, Mason Plumlee has begun to play his way out of a lot of hardware and honors thanks to his struggles. Seemingly ever game he is pushed further and further away from the basket and he becomes more and more ineffective.
The only consistent player has been Seth Curry, who despite practicing very little, has continued to be Duke’s most reliable scorer. Rasheed Sulaimon has been brilliant in stretches and in others looked like a freshman with still a lot to learn.
Duke heads into the game with Miami with a lot of question marks coming off another road loss where they didn’t seem to play with a lot of toughness getting out worked, out hustled and out played for a complete game.
The Blue Devils still have a lot to prove this season. Miami pushed them around in the first contest. The excuse was that Duke was then just adjusting to live without Kelly, but a month and a half later and it is not clear who this team is or what their ceiling is or if they’ve already maxed out their potential.
Rumors about a possible Kelly return for the Miami game are just that and it is highly unlikely that Mike Krzyzewski would risk Kelly’s potential for both the ACC or NCAA Tournaments just to have his senior captain back for just one game.
Duke has been considerably better at home then on the road. They’ve shot better and defended better but Miami has confidence and they have the talent to beat Duke. They are, regardless of what happens on Saturday, going to win the ACC Regular season title and will most assuredly be just as motivated to play the Blue Devils and solidify their positioning in the NCAA Tournament.
In order to get the victory Duke is going to have to not allow Miami to shoot an unGodly percentage from the floor. In the first game the Hurricanes shot 56.9 percent from the floor. The Blue Devils shot just over 30 percent, not exactly a recipe for victory if you are Duke. Curry and Quinn Cook only accounted for 5 points and that can’t happen again.
Things won’t get easier for Duke with the way Shane Larkin has been playing He is making a strong case for being the ACC Player of the Year. Regggie Johnson who had just come back against Duke in the first game is more ready now and Plumlee has struggled against bigger, stronger players.. Kenny Kadji is also a player who is making a legitimate claim to be a first team All-ACC selection. The length and size of the Hurricanes really hurt Duke back in January and the Blue Devils haven’t gotten any tougher or bigger since then.
This is a game that Duke can win and might actually be favored to win, but make no mistake, Miami is confident and they know they can come into Cameron and win. They did just that last year.
So when the game tips off Duke has to focus on being better and tougher than what they were Tuesday night and they can’t worry about superficial things like revenge. If they can do a better job on the defensive end, an area they’ve struggled a lot with this season, and on the boards, then they’ll be in a position to win in the end.
Against Virginia Duke showed little fight, that can’t be the case against the Hurricanes or they could end up with a repeat performance of last month’s blow out loss.
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