Two games in and the Duke Blue Devils are already 2-0...pretty good, right?
Well, when your first two games are against Presbyterian and Georgia Southern, and you're a top 10 team in the country, those should be 30-plus point victories.
When the schedule hits its stride, things will get much tougher for Coach K's bunch. Here are 10 games for Blue Devils fans to keep a close watch on in 2008-2009.
When: Nov. 21, 2008—2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer
Championship Game
Who: UCLA?
Where: Madison Square Garden
The first test, and one of the biggest, for the Blue Devils should come a week from tonight when, barring a Duke upset at the hands of Southern Illinois or a Michigan upset of UCLA, the No. 8 Blue Devils take on the No. 4 Bruins in the Championship of the 2K Sports Classic.
This game will be the Blue Devils' first chance to prove they've made the adjustments necessary to go farther than the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA has appeared in the Final Four three of the last four years and has to be favored in this one.
Playing the underdog is not a familiar position for the Blue Devils this early in the season. It should be interesting to see how they respond.
When: Dec. 2, 2008
Who: Purdue
Where: @ Purdue
The ACC/Big Ten Challenge brings the Blue Devils to the Midwest in December...brrr.
Duke will have its hands full trying to stop Purdue sophomores E'Twaun Moore at guard and Robbie Hummel at forward.
The Boilermakers let it rain from beyond the arc (they sank 37 percent of their threes last year), and the Dukies will have to play a suffocating-type defense on the perimeter and find a groove with their own sharpshooters if they plan to keep up.
When: Jan. 7, 2009
Who: Davidson
Where: Cameron Indoor
Other than the UNC game on Feb. 11, this should be the hottest ticket of the season. The Blue Devils will look to give a hostile welcome to last season's NCAA Cinderella, Davidson. But Davidson possesses arguably the best player in the nation in Stephen Curry.
Curry swings over to the point position, but don't expect him to score any less. However, if the Blue Devils can shut down Curry's supporting cast and force the junior to make mistakes in just his ninth game at the point guard position, it could be a long night for Cinderella.
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