Duke Basketball: Clash vs. NC State Has All the Makings of a Trap Game

Take a deep breath, Duke fans. The root canal that is otherwise known as the trip to Wake Forest is finally over.

The Blue Devils were actually losing in the final minutes to the Demon Deacons before eventually escaping with a 73-65 victory. Credit Justise Winslow, Matt Jones and Tyus Jones for making critical plays down the stretch even if it was much closer than anyone anticipated.

Now, Duke can finally focus its attention on the upcoming stretch, where it plays at Louisville, at St. John’s, at Notre Dame and at Virginia in a five-game span.

Right?

Not quite.

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Next up for the Blue Devils is a classic trap game Sunday at North Carolina State. It would be easy to overlook the five-loss Wolfpack with so many daunting games on the immediate docket, but that is exactly what North Carolina State is hoping Duke does.

After all, the Wolfpack already lost to Wofford and the same Purdue squad that dropped a game to North Florida. There is no way the Blue Devils, who may just be the most talented team in the nation this side of Kentucky, could possibly lose at North Carolina State.

The three-headed attack of Trevor Lacey, Anthony Barber and Ralston Turner would disagree with that assertion.

All three backcourt members are averaging in double figures in the scoring department, led by Lacey’s 17.2 points per game (as of Wednesday). A number of impressive guards will be a problem for Duke because Winslow can only guard one person at a time. That means Quinn Cook and/or Rasheed Sulaimon will have to keep their guys out of the lane if Duke hopes to prevent North Carolina State’s guards from firing up the crowd.

It’s not as if trips to Raleigh have been all that enjoyable in recent years for the Blue Devils, either.

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The Wolfpack beat Duke in 2012-13 and 2009-10 in two of the last three matchups in Raleigh, which should come as no surprise given the crowds that often attend those games. Duke and North Carolina may be the primary rivalry, but the North Carolina State fans are always more than ready to upset one of the two ACC powers when given the chance.

If the Blue Devils learned anything from Wednesday’s nail-biter against Wake Forest, it is that road games in the ACC are never easy, regardless of how much talent is on the roster. If any team should take that lesson to heart it's Duke, considering it is going to get the opponent’s best shot every single night.

That goes for the intensity in the opposing crowd as well.

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The game was still up for grabs in the second half Wednesday against an overmatched and rebuilding Wake Forest team because Duke just didn’t have the intensity necessary to consistently win on the road in conference play. You would be forgiven if you assumed that wouldn’t have been the case had Duke been playing North Carolina or Louisville. 

Adam Rowe of 247Sports and Shane Ryan of Grantland both highlighted the lackluster play from the Blue Devils:

"

This is ridiculous. Where’s the spirit, Duke?

— Shane Ryan (@ShaneRyanHere) January 8, 2015"

That is why Sunday’s game against the Wolfpack is a trap game. These contests against Duke are the Super Bowl for teams like Wake Forest and North Carolina State, and they often bring more energy than a Blue Devils team that just doesn’t see the games the same way.

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It is human nature to look ahead, especially when there is a stretch on the schedule like the one staring the Blue Devils in the face after the North Carolina State trip. The fact that Duke is loaded with freshmen in Jahlil Okafor, Winslow and Jones only makes the look-ahead factor all the more dangerous for this squad.

None of these freshmen have played an ACC schedule, and they likely have their eyes on the clashes with Louisville, Notre Dame and Virginia. Freshmen or not, the entire team is likely looking forward to those games considering they will likely determine the overall ACC standings and where Duke ends up in the NCAA tournament.

The Virginia showdown alone could be the game of the year in the ACC and play a major factor in who competes with Kentucky for the No. 1 overall seed come Selection Sunday.

All of that is enticing, and we as fans and commentators can look ahead to those games, but the team cannot afford to overlook the Wolfpack. The crowd will be too intense and there is far too much talent in the North Carolina State backcourt to treat the upcoming contest the same way as one would a nonconference cupcake.

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Duke’s recent history in Raleigh should only enforce that notion further.

If there was a silver lining to the fact that the Wake Forest game was still up for grabs in the final minutes, it is that Mike Krzyzewski can point out to his young team what happens when you overlook a trap game in the ACC.

That could be critical as the Blue Devils look to march ahead with their perfect record intact.

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