Duke Basketball: Blue Devils Will Exact Revenge on Florida State Seminoles

The last time the Duke Blue Devils faced the Florida State Seminoles, they were shocked, 76-73.

This time around, don't expect the Blue Devils to take the Seminoles so lightly.

Since that fateful day on Jan. 21, Duke has rattled off seven wins in its last eight games, including an 85-84 thriller over then-No. 5 North Carolina on Feb. 8.

The combination of Austin Rivers and Seth Curry has proven to be a dynamic asset for the Blue Devils, as has the development of forward Mason Plumlee, who is averaging 11.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

There is obviously some cause for concern for the Blue Devils after falling behind by 20 points to North Carolina State on Feb. 16. But their monumental comeback in the second half proved they have "it," whatever "it" is.

Florida State, of course, is no slouch. The Seminoles have won 10 of their last 11 games heading into their rematch with Duke.

But it's also worth noting that Florida State has eked out a lot of these wins, including against unranked Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Virginia and the Miami Hurricanes.

Duke has better shooting than Florida State and has played much better defense the past three games, holding opponents to under 60 points per game in that span.

Not only will Mike Krzyzewski's defense step up on Thursday at Donald L. Tucker Center, the defense figures to be strong headed into March Madness, Coach K's favorite time of the year.

Duke will win the ACC and go deep in the NCAA tournament as a result.