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Courtesy: Duke Photography
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DURHAM, N.C. – Sometimes two games are better than one.
Head Mike Krzyzewski has already forgotten about the first meeting with Michigan this season because as the head coach put it before practice on Thursday once you play a team during the season it seems like eight years has passed by the next meeting.
Both teams are playing better basketball since they met the first time 15 days ago. The 4th ranked Blue Devils (8-0) will head north again to square off against the Michigan Wolverines (5-2) for the second time this season. The first matchup had the Blue Devils knocking off the Wolverines in Madison Square Garden 71-56 to claim the 2K Sports Coaches Versus Cancer Championship.
Just over two weeks later the two schools will meet again, this time at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. for a 3:30 p.m. tip on Saturday.
The Blue Devils always play a competitive non-conference schedule already playing on the road against Purdue, traveling north again to face Xavier on Dec. 20 and taking on Davidson and Georgetown at home in January and going back to Madison Square Garden to take on St. Johns in February.
“Our schedule has always been in the top ten of the country,” head coach Krzyzewski said. “At the end of this year we will continue to be that way. We feel we have a real tough schedule this year and we think a veteran team needs it even more so we can learn along the way.”
The last time the Blue Devils played a non-conference team twice during the regular season (no ACC or NCAA Matchup) was back in 2000 when Duke took on Temple twice, once on Nov. 24 and then eight days later on Dec. 2.
The Blue Devils won both meetings against Temple, the first, a 63-61 victory in the Preseason NIT Championship in Madison Square Garden, and the second, a 93-68 win over the Owls in Philadelphia.
The Blue Devils are riding high after dismantling 10th ranked Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. 76-60 on Tuesday night. Kyle Singler posted his second double-double of the season scoring 20 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in the road win. Singler has been a force on the offensive and defensive ends of the court in each of the Blue Devils eight games this season.
“The thing that Kyle gives us is he is one of the most versatile players in the United States,” Krzyzewski said. “He never gets nervous, he will never be afraid, he is a real warrior. He has gotten stronger. He is playing more on the perimeter where we would like him to play. He just gives us an outstanding player on the court.”
Gerald Henderson scored 12 points the last time the two teams met and is coming off an active performance against Boilermakers in which the junior had nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal on a night where he was more concerned with getting others involved than finding his own shot.
“In the second half against Purdue, Gerald really rebounded well, had a couple blocks, he had five assists and he just had a good presence on the court,” Krzyzewski said. “We believe it’s not a person that scores, it’s a team that scores.”
The Wolverines are 2-1 since playing the Blue Devils just over two weeks ago. They fell to Maryland in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge 75-70 getting outplayed by the Terrapins 46-35 in the second half.
“The more that John [Beilein] has his kids playing his system the better they’re going to be,” Krzyzewski said. “They are playing very well. I though they did a really good job against Maryland. It was one of the really good games in the ACC-Big Ten.”
