Duke eyes repeat

GREENVILLE, S.C. —Duke enters the 2002 NCAA Tournament as the top-ranked team in the nation, just like it did a decade earlier.

The Blue Devils return four starters from a team that took home the title the year before, just like the 1992 squad that eventually cut down the nets in the Minneapolis Metrodome.

No school has won back-to-back titles since Duke followed up its championship in 1991 with a 71-51 victory against Michigan on April 6, 1992, but the Blue Devils take the court for today’s first-round game against Winthrop at the Bi-Lo Center with high hopes of producing another repeat.

Not that everybody outside the program shares the same sentiment.

“The elements that I had to deal with in 1992 to win the championship again are much different than the elements of today,”Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “In ’92 our team was followed like the Beatles. I can’t give an analogy, but certainly it hasn’t been a love fest.”

The way college basketball is watched, covered and played has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, but the Blue Devils’ success has been a constant.

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Duke took the court at the Bi-Lo Center for practice on Wednesday at 5:51 p.m. and were greeted by clearly the largest contingent of fans.

A few people trickled into the arena at around noon to watch Kent State run through its public practice session, but just about everyone that passed through the gates wanted to see the Blue Devils.

“We have to credit the guys that have been here before us for being the ones that started it off,”Duke guard Chris Duhon said.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s what we enjoy. We love the attention, we love the focus, and hopefully we can keep it.”

Of course, not everyone there to watch Duke loves Duke. A smattering of boos could be heard amongst the cheers, a trend that has grown since it won its first two national titles.

Duke junior Mike Dunleavy disagreed with an assessment that the Blue Devils are rock stars.

“I don’t think ‘NSYNC gets any boos,” he said.

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In the last few seasons, several columnists in national markets have written columns explaining why they hate Duke.

It comes as no surprise that Krzyzewski has become less accessible in the decade that has passed since the Blue Devils won their consecutive championships.

Krzyzewski rarely gives individual interviews, and he has even closed practices to everyone, including television commentators.

The increased use of the Internet during the last decade has caused coaches and players to use extreme caution in all of their activities.

“When we went on the road and did things (in 1992), it was nuts,” Krzyzewski said.“That was before Internet, radio talk, intense analysis of recruits, of social lives of players.

“It was when a kid could be a kid without adults getting in the way too much. That’s impossible now. Everything they do is so closely scrutinized.”

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The Blue Devils are under the microscope more than most programs, and deservedly so. They enter Tuesday’s game with a 29-3 record, fresh off a victory in last Sunday’s ACC title game.

The competing-to-repeat Duke teams past and present both have a trio of All-American level players, but the ‘92 squad put up amazing shooting numbers that probably won’t be challenged.

The team of 10 years ago shot 53.6 from field, 74.8 percent from the foul line and an amazing 43.4 percent from 3-point range. This year’s squad is shooting 49.8 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from the 3-point line and 68.9 percent from the charity stripe.

The X-factor on Duke’s latest team is Dunleavy, who Krzyzewski has called his most versatile player since Grant Hill, a sophomore in 1992.

Dunleavy can remember watching Hill throw the pass to Christian Laettner that led to the Blue Devils’ buzzer-beating win in the 1992 regional final.

“I think everybody has seen that game and tried to repeat what was done there,” Dunleavy said. “Coach has compared us a lot, the ‘92 team to this one. Those guys were trying to repeat. Having some guys that have done it sure helps out a lot.”

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Most teams haven’t gotten the needed help. Arkansas won the championship in 1994 in Charlotte but lost to UCLA in the 1995 final. Kentucky came close, winning the title in 1996 before falling to Arizona in the 1997 title game.

Other than Duke, the last repeat occurred in 1973, when UCLA finished up its run of seven championships in a row.

“We want to be on top,”junior Carlos Boozer said. “I haven’t been on the bottom, but there are teams that played at Duke that have been. When you get to the top, you want to stay there.

“A lot of people say the second one is harder to win.”

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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com .