DURHAM — Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley could hardly have done it any better.
Duke honored its 1991 national title team Sunday with a 10th anniversary bash and Laettner, Hurley and a half-dozen former teammates watched happily at Cameron Indoor Stadium as the current Devils bashed overmatched North Carolina State with some championship-level play.
Third-ranked Duke (22-2, 10-1) romped 101-76, scoring the second-most points that N.C. State has allowed in the last 25 years. The game was even more lopsided than the final score indicates. Duke had 86 points midway through the second half and led by as many as 36 before showing mercy.
“It was a beating that was thorough and complete,” said disconsolate Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek. “You can never be happy about anything when you get beat like that.”
Sendek fiddled with three microphones and tried for roughly 30 seconds to make an opening statement to reporters after the thrashing, but no words came to his lips. Finally, he just whispered, “Are there any questions?”
There were, because most everyone was stunned by the enormity of the beating. The Wolfpack hasn’t won often against good teams lately, but was coming in off an impressive win over Virginia that had earned Sendek a vote of confidence from athletics director Lee Fowler. The Pack had also extended No. 1 UNC to the wire just two weeks earlier and had pushed Duke to the limit in mid-January in Raleigh.
Moreover, even though it has now lost nine straight and 14 of 15 to its neighbor, N.C. State (11-11, 3-7) usually plays the Blue Devils as tough as anyone this side of the Tar Heels. Duke needed overtime to hold off an inspired Pack team last year in Cameron.
“We were aware of all the close games,” said Duke’s Mike Dunleavy. “They’ve had our number more than most ACC teams. We wanted to come out and show them we could blow them out for once.”
Mission accomplished.
Actually, N.C. State started rather well. Center Ron Kelley scored three times in the paint over Carlos Boozer and the Wolfpack led 9-7. But then the Devils turned up the heat. They played smothering defense and shot from long range like a whole gang of Laettners. Duke shut out the visitors for nearly seven minutes, while getting consecutive 3-pointers from Chris Duhon, Shane Battier and Nate James. Suddenly, it was 24-9.
In a span of 12 possessions, the Wolfpack — mostly beleaguered point guard Clifford Crawford, who was being hounded by Jason Williams — made eight turnovers.
“It’s difficult,” said Sendek, “when you can’t even get a shot and they’re shooting 3s. They are a terrific shooting team.”
By halftime, the Wolfpack had accumulated 16 turnovers (five by Damien Wilkins, four by Crawford) and the game was essentially over at 51-31.
To a man, the Devils talked about getting back on track. After their home loss to UNC, they had a rougher time than expected in dispatching ACC bottom-feeders Florida State and Clemson.
“We’ve had the February blahs,” explained Battier. “It happens. Everyone’s looking forward to March Madness. But today we stopped our slide and got back down to business. This was a pivotal game for us.”
No question. The February boos and blahs turned to February oohs and ahs for the Devils.
Williams, who had scored just 16 points in his previous two games combined, poured in 23 and had eight assists.
“Jason got back to being himself today,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He was normal. He’s been trying to change his role, but we don’t want him to change his role. We want him to attack.”
James scored 19, while Battier tallied 18. Boozer banged for 17 inside against the Wolfpack’s rotating trees and Dunleavy added 13. Duke shot 53 percent from the field and hit 13 3-pointers, outscoring the Pack 39-9 from the arc.
The start of the second half demonstrated just how balanced and scary the Devils are when they’re clicking. After just six possessions, all five starters had put another field goal in the books and the lead had swelled to 64-38.
Soon after that, the “Cameron Crazies” changed their merry chant of, “If you can’t go to college, go to State” to “Start the tractor.”
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NOTES:Kenny Inge led the Wolfpack with 16 points. ... Crawford fouled out with more than eight minutes remaining. ... Security guards apparently didn’t recognize Billy McCaffrey, one of the stars of the 1991 team, and evicted him prior to the game. He made it back for the halftime ceremony. ... West Rowan’s Scooter Sherrill scored six late points with two layups (one off his own nice steal) and a tough shot in the lane. ... Sherrill drew the attention of the Crazies twice — once after he launched an air ball on a 3-pointer for his only miss of the day, once when he shot a layup instead of going for the dunk after his steal. “You can’t dunk!” the Crazies gloated. ... The first half was no fun for Sherrill, who played 38 seconds. He entered the game for the first time with the Pack down 27-13. He was back on the bench after Duhon ran him into jarring picks by Matt Christensen and Battier and nailed a 3-pointer from the corner.
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