On paper, it appears that No. 7 Duke will have an easy time with N.C. State tonight.
But Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke said he doesn't believe that the competitive ACC offers any easy games.
"No one is a dominant team, and nobody is bad," Krzyzewski said. "No one is going to roll over and die, and no one is just going to show up and win. So attitude and toughness and freshness are all going to play key factors as far as the conference race and who makes the NCAA Tournament."
The Blue Devils (15-2, 3-1 ACC) are coming off a 90-70 win over Wake Forest, but forward Kyle Singler hurt his right wrist on a fall after a hard foul and is listed as probable.
And although Singler had 21 points and 15 rebounds in the win, the play of brothers Miles and Mason Plumlee might have been the most encouraging sign. They are improving steadily, giving Krzyzewski more options.
Miles Plumlee, a sophomore center, had career highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Mason, a freshman center who battled a wrist injury earlier in the season, added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Krzyzewski said he's more concerned about how his team develops as the season goes on, not about the ACC standings.
"I don't even pay attention to the standings, I just worry about Duke," he said. "My thing is to make the NCAA Tournament, and if we make the NCAA Tournament and we've won enough games and that puts us in contention to win something in the regular season, then that's cool. But the big thing is the development of your team…."
N.C. State (12-6, 1-3) split two games last week, winning at Florida State and losing 73-70 at home to Clemson. Freshman Scott Wood averaged 21 points and 5.5 rebounds in those games.
Not long after Sunday's win over Wake Forest, Krzyzewski started watching tape of the Wolfpack, and said he noticed what a good shooter Wood (9.1 ppg, 43 percent FG) has become.
"He's just one of those quick, outstanding shooters," Krzyzewski said. "And he has good height (6-7), and he moves well without the ball.… He's a very, very good player and they do some nice things with him."
Wood isn't the only younger player who has picked up his game for Coach Sidney Lowe. Freshman Richard Howell played 26 minutes against Clemson and finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
"What impressed me the most was how active he was on both ends," Lowe said of Howell, a 6-8 forward. "He was going after rebounds and not waiting for the ball to come to him, and he was flying to areas to get the ball and that was what I was impressed with."
Lowe would like more production from some of his older players, such as junior Javier Gonzalez and senior Dennis Horner. Those two combined for just two points in 23 minutes against Clemson.
Horner has been bothered by a knee problem that forced him to miss practice time this week, and Lowe said that Gonzalez, who played only 10 minutes against Clemson, had a great practice earlier in the week.
"We just talk about how much we need them to play well to help us win," Lowe said.
The Wolfpack has lost three straight to the Blue Devils and last defeated them in Raleigh in 2004, taking a 78-74 victory when Duke was ranked No. 1.
jdell@wsjournal.com
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