Duke-NC State: Plenty of Reasons Why Blue Devils Should Be Nervous
Mark Gottfried has NC State believing it can make a run at the NCAA Tournament.
From just some observations on Twitter earlier today I get the impression that there are some Duke fans that aren't all that worried about NC State coming to Cameron on Thursday.
I would not be one of those individuals.
The way I see it there are plenty of reasons why Duke should be cautious about the Wolf Pack's upcoming visit.
For starters, the Pack are coming in a better prepared team. During the Sydney Lowe era there were rumors and rumblings that NC State wasn't strategically prepared and game management was often seen as an issue.
The most damning evidence came from the players mouths earlier this season when some claimed all Lowe did was roll out the ball during practice.
With Mark Gottfried in town things are different. State is clearly a better team and their talent is starting to shine through.The Pack are 18-7 (7-3 ACC) and right behind the three way tie between Florida State, Duke and North Carolina for first place in the conference.
Gottfried has taken the talent that Lowe could not and has got them playing together. The one thing though that the Pack is lacking a signature win that could help propel them from fringe NCAA Tournament team to a serious contender.
They have lost all of their games against ranked opponents and a win versus Duke would do wonders for their resume.
So other than the fact that the boys from Raleigh appear to be significantly better coached, why do they pose a threat to Duke at home no less?
For starters this isn't exactly the same Duke team that has been a juggernaut at home this season. Until their win over Maryland last Saturday, the Blue Devils had lost two straight ACC home games and played several other close games at home.
The Wolf Pack have large, athletic guards, something that has bothered the Blue Devils this season. Teams with larger guards have been able to exploit match ups on both ends of the floor and that has hurt Duke.
NC State has athleticism and if they can get hot, and Scott Wood can get open shots against a less than stifling Duke defense this game could be a lot closer than many would otherwise project.
The Blue Devils have to come out with intensity early, something they haven't done a particularly good job of doing much of this year.
Duke is going to have to continue pounding the glass and their defense is definitely going to have to play better on defense but the intensity has to be there for the Blue Devils.
I full expect the Wolf Pack to come into Cameron hungry and ready for an upset. They've seen, like everyone else has this year, that Duke isn't invincible at home like they seemingly have been in past years.
Duke is more vulnerable at home than they have been in more than 10 years.
Duke is coming off two big wins and even though they have momentum heading into the game with NC State, the specter of inconsistency which has haunted the Blue Devils all year is something that all Duke fans, whether they admit it or not, have in the backs of their minds.
They have had momentum before but that inconsistent play has cost them.
The Blue Devils have recently moved back into the Top 5 a place that hasn't done them many favors this year as it seems every time they move up the rankings they are knocked back down by a surprising loss.
Short of the Ohio State game, Duke's other three loses, to Temple, Miami and Florida State, were all games they were expected to win.
So before anyone wants to write off the NC State game as one of those walk in and show up to win the game games, remember this isn't the same Wolf Pack and these aren't the traditional Blue Devils.
If Duke is to win this game they are going to have to fight for it cause like everything else this season, it isn't coming easy.
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Posted by Duke Sports Blog at 2/14/2012 
Categories: Duke Basketball
Tags: Duke Basketball NC State Basketball ACC Basketball
Categories: Duke Basketball
Tags: Duke Basketball NC State Basketball ACC Basketball
I totally agree !!! This is a great caveat !!!
NC State would love to have an upset of Duke @ Cameron on their resume to bolster their chances of getting a Big Dance bid ...
Let's hope they keep it together and build on the Carolina win and Maryland performance ... it's time to begin to excel further and prove they deserve that ranking !!!
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Yep not sure why some Duke fans think this is a giveme game. Duke hasn't really shown the ability to put teams away, even teams they have greatly overmatched and I don't think State is a team that Duke is heads and tales better than.
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