Tomko: Duke Heads To Purdue For The ACC/Big Ten Challenge

DURHAM, N.C. ? All the eyes of the college basketball world will turn towards the 10th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge this week. The ACC has won the previous nine challenges with a 56-30 record over the Big Ten schools.

“The main thing it does is it takes over college basketball for those few days,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “You are the center piece for college basketball.”

The fourth-ranked Blue Devils (7-0) will face the ninth-ranked Boilermakers Tuesday night as Duke heads north to face Purdue (5-1) in a battle of top 10 ranked teams. The Boilermakers will be the highest ranked team Duke has played to this point in the season.

“It's a great week for us, to go to two established programs on their home courts,” Krzyzewski said. “Purdue is, I think, the best in the Big Ten, and probably one of the five or six top teams in the country. You know their crowd will make a great setting for us. We have such an opportunity to grow.”

The Boilermakers are coming off an overtime loss in the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at the hands of 13th-ranked Oklahoma, 87-82. Purdue's five wins have come against Detroit, Eastern Michigan, Loyola (Ill.), Coppin State and Boston College.

“What Purdue does though is they play a great motion offense and they have two of the best players in the Big Ten,” Krzyzewski said. “They have two players that could be the player of the year in the Big Ten. They're just really good and they play hard. They will be there right at the end I think.”

The Boilermakers have an inside outside threat in guard E'Twaun Moore and forward Robbie Hummel. Moore, a 6'4” sophomore, is averaging 16.7 points, 3.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1.2 steals and shooting over 40 percent from three for the season.

The 6'8” Hummel is Purdue's second leading scorer with 14.2 points per game. The sophomore is also pulling down 6.5 rebounds, handing out 2.7 assists and recording just under a block per game, while possessing the ability to step outside and knock down a three, shooting 48.3 percent from behind the arc.

Duke is one of two teams in the history of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to have never lost in the Challenge. The Blue Devils are 9-0 all-time with last year's win coming against Wisconsin, 82-58.

“I don't think there is a conference that has a style,” Krzyzewski said. “I think those days are old and gone. I think each team within a conference has its own style. There are teams in our league that play fast, slow, zone, man and the same thing with the Big Ten.”

The Blue Devils are brimming with confidence, having taken down the Duquesne Dukes, 95-72, last Friday with the Blue Devils continuing their play of hard-nosed team defense forcing 19 turnovers and converting them into 31 points.

“I think we're in a good spot,” junior Gerald Henderson said. “Guys are ready to play in big games. Up to this point, different guys have contributed in a whole bunch of different ways. I think we're ready to take on bigger challenges.”

Through seven games, five Blue Devils have led the team in scoring. Sophomore Kyle Singler (19 twice), sophomore Nolan Smith (16), and Henderson (20) have each led the team in scoring in two games with Henderson and Smith matching each other with 14 points in Duke's win over Montana. Junior Jon Scheyer led the team in their come-from-behind win over Rhode Island with 23 points and junior Lance Thomas exploded for 21 points off the bench in Duke's win over Duquesne.

Four Blue Devils are averaging double figures in points on the season with Singler as the team's leading scorer at 16.7 points per game on nearly 48 percent shooting to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals.

“I think he [Singler] is playing great,” Krzyzewski said. “I'm not sure there's a kid playing in the country who loves to play more than that kid. He has so much fun playing and he made a play at the start of the second half [against Duquesne] that was one of the best plays I've seen in years.”

Four days after facing Purdue, the Blue Devils will head back on the road against another Big Ten school, the Michigan Wolverines. The Blue Devils have already faced the Wolverines this season in the finals of the 2K Sports Coaches Versus Cancer Classic with Duke leaving Madison Square Garden with a 71-56 win.

“Michigan will be the same [another road test],” Krzyzewski said. “John [Beilein] has his team playing comfortable in their style, so I think it's another great chance for us to grow... I like the schedule we have because it's very challenging. That's how you become a good team, by playing games like that.”

“It is a little bit more like the old ACC when you play [each team] twice,” Krzyzewski said of facing Michigan twice in a span of two weeks.