... Blue Devils Enjoy Continued Dominance

And now, they have to play Duke.

Ain't life a bitch?

"You come off that Clemson game and at the press conference you say, 'We turned the corner,' and we're staring Duke straight in the face," said UNC coach Matt Doherty. "I'd rather not be playing Duke right now."

And there's no reason to want to play the Blue Devils. They're nasty and haven't missed a step without NCAA student-athlete poster boy Shane Battier.

These are the starting guys UNC will face tonight: Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones and Jason Williams.

Although Williams is considered the nation's top player, it's not like he is the only guy who can play. Boozer is averaging 18.8 points a game. Dunleavy's 3-pointers helped destroy Arizona in the NCAA title game last year. Jones shut down Maryland's Juan Dixon on Jan. 17 like it was child's play, and Duhon has a game Doherty "just loves."

The long and short of it is that Duke is very, very talented. They're very, very good. And very, very tough.

"You just have to defend them," said UNC center Kris Lang. "Which is a tough thing to do because they spread the court and they've got great players to drive and dish and shoot the 3. Carlos Boozer is a threat on the inside. Hopefully the defense will bother them from making 3s. That's what they live out on."

In 1998, something radical happened at Duke. Three underclassmen joined senior Trajan Langdon in the NBA draft, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski suddenly had to deal with replacing two sophomores and a freshman.

Big deal. The 1999-2000 Blue Devils finished first in the ACC and won the conference tourney before getting upset in the NCAA Tournament by Florida. The 2000-01 guys won a national title.

Krzyzewski has been able to maintain the level of play with a mix of four-year guys and fresh talent. Battier hung around for four years and had ample opportunity to leave early. Dunleavy has said he isn't going anywhere, giving Krzyzewski an experienced leader next year.

Boozer and Williams will be gone -- graduating in three years, mind you -- and Duhon is also working to leave in three years with a diploma.

Duke has six players coming in next year, although one's status is in doubt because of his alleged connection to a rape case. Jones is a transfer, and both of Duke's freshmen have good credentials.

The only dark spot Duke has had this year is a loss to Florida State in which the Blue Devils shot an uncharacteristically poor 27 of 67 from the floor and 7 of 19 from the free-throw line. They lost by a point.

"We'll have to play really well, and they'll have to have an off night," Doherty said. "Hopefully, we'll show up and give it our best effort."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.