Duke opens its NCAATournament run today against No. 16 Lamar in a game that could be a laugher except for how seriously the Blue Devils are taking it. The jokes and smiles were present Thursday at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, but so too was a killer instinct that said the East Region’s No. 1 seed wouldn’t be messing around when the 10:10 p.m. tipoff finally arrived.

“If you go into this game looking past Lamar, you might win, but that second-round game will be difficult for you because you didn’t prepare well,”Duke senior Chris Carrawell said. “We’re going to go out and play Lamar like we’re playing North Carolina. The approach is go out there and try to dominate.”

Duke romped through the Atlantic Coast Conference and figures to have no problem with the Southland Conference champion Cardinals, at 15-15 the worst team in the field of 64.

But the Blue Devils (27-4) haven’t had trouble finding motivation this season. Not after last season’s loss to Connecticut in the championship game. And not with head coach Mike Krzyzewski pacing the sidelines.

“I like to do well. I don’t like to do poorly,”Krzyzewski said simply of his motivations for tonight’s game. “I’ve never taken for granted being in the tournament. It wasn’t until my ninth year as a head coach that I got into the NCAA Tournament.I think when you’ve been poor, you remember, so that’s an advantage, and I don’t want to lose that advantage. That’s what I try to get across to my guys.”

The Blue Devils’ advantages seem endless, especially in the first and second rounds played on Wake Forest’s home court.

“I think it’s a lot easier to hop on a bus for an hour than have a half-hour bus ride to the airport, get on a plane and fly across the country, then drive another half hour to the hotel and finally get settled in,”junior Shane Battier said. “We know we’ve played here and more importantly we know we’ve won here.”

Battier and Carrawell, the ACCPlayer of the Year, each average better than 17 points a game. Fellow upperclassman Nate James, a junior, scores 11 points a game, then the freshman trio takes over. Point guard Jason Williams, forward Carlos Boozer and sixth-man Mike Dunleavy Jr. all averaged better than 10 points a contest during the regular season and ACCTournament.

Despite their flashy numbers, though, Krzyzewski is eager for them to get a taste of life in the NCAATournament.

“You have to have fun at the tournament, too,”Krzyzewski said. “It can’t be a heavy load. I want to make it so they are going to come out here, play like crazy, have fun and hopefully win.”