Duke almost Duke again

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski

ATLANTA — Given the relative disappointment for Duke in the past two postseasons, the Blue Devils needed to win Friday in the ACC Tournament.

And they need to beat Maryland today.

Confidence separates teams in March. The Devils didn't have any in 2007, after losing to N.C. State in the first round of the ACC Tournament, or in 2008, after getting bullied out by Clemson in the semifinals.

Friday's 66-65 win over Boston College, an NCAA Tournament team, was the first step in reclaiming Pete Gillen's refrain that "Duke is Duke."

Given Mike Krzyzewski's level of success, his teams will always be measured by March. And in the past two seasons, Duke hasn't been Duke.

Coach K feels this team, with the veteran trio of Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler (sophomores count as veterans in 2009) is getting closer to the vintage Duke pedigree.

"I think our Duke team is more like our older Duke teams," K said "The maturity that we've gained the last two years has really helped."

Sometimes bad experience can be a learning experience. The 2007 team went 0-3 in March, including a first-round NCAA loss to VCU. Last year's team went 4-3, with a second-round exit to West Virginia.

Duke couldn't start another postseason with a loss.

In the end, Krzyzewski, Henderson and Singler wouldn't let them.

When Duke needed it, Coach K dialed up an isolation play for Henderson, who has had better games but hit the shot that mattered most. Singler, who was a man in what Coach K called a man's game, got a big steal after Henderson's bucket with 34.6 seconds left.

Then the Devils caught a break. Tyrese Rice couldn't get the ball and Henderson forced Rakim Sanders to settle for a long 3. It was still a good look and one that could have sunk Duke. The shot bounced out.

Sometimes you need luck. It's better to have confidence. Given Duke's first-half shooting (8 of 25) you can't help but think the previous two teams, so dependent on the 3-pointer, wouldn't have found a way to rally in the second half after falling behind by seven points. The same BC team beat Duke 80-74 on Feb. 15.

"We couldn't hit shots there for awhile, to see us get out of that within a game shows me how far our team has come along," K said.

Duke's 6-1 since that loss. That's not by coincidence.

Duke needs to turn Friday's win into another against Maryland and get back to the ACC title game for the first time since 2006.

"We're getting better as a basketball team," K said. "The more we play, we have a chance to keep getting better. That's what we're trying to do while we're winning."

When you're Duke, nothing less is expected in March.