Duke visits Wake Forest in ACC Affair

All season long the Big East has been the big bully of the Top 25, having as many as nine teams earlier this season. Because they have taken turns beating each other up, the number has dwindled. A few weeks ago coach Mike Krzyzewski stood up and complained (whined) that the ACC was being overlooked and it was his conference that was the best in the land. Having had three No.1’s compared to the Big East’s one, Coach K certainly has a point at least about the strength at the top of either conference and tonight his club will have chance to prove they are the best team in the country against No.6 Wake Forest.

Duke ascended to the top spot in the country, after Wake Forest (16-1, 8-5 ATS) suffered it first loss of the season, losing to Virginia Tech at home 78-71 as 13-point favorites. It the first time this season, Wake Forest allowed an opponent to shoot 50.0 percent, and also had one of its worst offensive performances while shooting only 43.1 percent.

“We’re going to find out about our guys a little bit,” Demon Deacons coach Dino Gaudio said. “There’s tough kids in that locker room. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll bow their necks … and go back to work.” Wake Forest is 20-10 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record over the last two seasons.

There are tough kids over in the Duke (18-1, 10-7-1 ATS) locker room also, since not bringing best game in only loss to Michigan. The Blue Devils have reeled off 10 straight wins (5-3-1 ATS), winning by an average of 22.8 points per game. They mauled Maryland 85-44, administrating worse ever defeat to the Terps in series history. The Blue Devils are 7-1 ATS after scoring 80 points or more this season. With Duke No.1, they became part of history, being the third team from one state to be ranked number one in the same season.

“It’s a big deal for us because it means we’re playing really well,” coach Krzyzewski said. “We talked about it last week that, just don’t worry about anything, let’s just play. It’s the same thing we’re going to tell them going into this next week. … It’s an honor and it says you’re playing real well. You don’t get anything from it except a really big headline when you lose.”

Wake Forest will look to use its length and considerable athleticism to slow down Duke. The frontline of James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu and Chas McFarland presents difficulties for any team. As the Hokies proved, what you have to do is get them in space and attack the rim, as recovery team defense looked to be an issue, which was masked in a couple previous wins. The offense is multidimensional, however is dependent on guard Jeff Teague getting things started. The sophomore has scored 20 or more points nine times, including five in a row. All the big people are excellent passes and when they are clicking, the Demon Deacons are a load. Wake is 10-2 ATS versus good offensive teams scoring 77 or more points a game.

Part of what makes Duke so tough is they have so many answers. Most nights Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson can carry the scoring burden. Other times Jon Scheyer and point guard Nolan Smith have come up big and the bench has added more of late. Though Coach K has had tremendous success going with smaller lineup this month, this is exactly the type of game center Brian Zoubek has to be a factor. After a fast start, Zoubek has slowed down in effectiveness. With the height Wake Forest has, he must be a factor. The Dukies are 9-2 ATS after allowing less than 50 points.

Bookmaker.com has the Blue Devils as one-point favorites with a total of 149. Wake Forest is 8-1 ATS vs. top caliber teams outscoring their opponents by 12 or more points a game and is 6-1 OVER off a loss. Duke is 12-6 UNDER in all games, including 10-3 UNDER after playing two consecutive games as favorite.

Wake Forest has won four of its last five home games (3-2 ATS) against the Blue Devils, but the loss came when the Blue Devils were No. 1, an 82-64 defeat on Jan. 8, 2006. This ACC affair starts at 7 Eastern, with the home team 13-3 ATS in last 16 meetings.