Devils winning with defense

The numbers from Duke's biggest game of this young season speak volumes about the Blue Devils' defense.

Duke shot just 29.2 percent from the field against the 13th-ranked team in the nation on Friday and won. Comfortably.

The 68-59 defeat of Connecticut in the NIT Season Tip-Off also cemented Duke's status as one of the nation's top defensive teams.

"We didn't shoot the ball well at all," senior forward Lance Thomas said. "But if you looked at our faces, we were determined to get stop after stop after stop. And that's how we're going to have to win."

That defensive mind-set has helped propel undefeated Duke (6-0) to a No. 6 ranking in The Associated Press' poll as the Blue Devils visit Wisconsin (4-1) at 9:15 p.m. today in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Duke's stingy performances also have it ranked near the top of some important categories in the ratings used by statistical analyst Ken Pomeroy to track college basketball teams' defensive success.

Through Monday's games, according to the ratings posted on kenpom.com, Duke ranks fifth in the nation in "effective defensive field-goal percentage," a statistical formula that gives extra weight to 3-pointers made by opponents.

The Blue Devils also rank sixth in adjusted defensive efficiency, which takes into account opponents' field-goal percentage, offensive rebound percentage, turnover percentage and rate of free throws attempted, as well as strength of schedule.

Connecticut failed to make a 3-pointer against Duke's defense. In Duke's 64-53 win in the NIT semifinals, Arizona State shot just 28.6 percent from the field in the second half against the Blue Devils.

"Nothing came easy for us," Arizona State coach Herb Sendek said. "Everything was challenged, and I think the difference in the game was their defensive effort in the second half."

Duke's bigger lineup this season has it playing a different brand of defense from the one it played in recent seasons. Starting 6-foot-8 Thomas alongside 6-10 Miles Plumlee and 6-8 Kyle Singler, the Blue Devils are blocking more shots this season.

At 5.5 blocks per game (led by Plumlee's team-high 10), the Blue Devils are averaging more blocks than any Duke team dating back to the 2005-06 team that featured Shelden Williams and Josh McRoberts on its front line.

"Guys don't think we have shot-blockers," said Thomas, who slammed a ferocious block off the backboard against Connecticut. "They don't think we're athletic. So if they want to go up and lob it up, we'll just wipe it off the glass and start a fast break."

Guard Nolan Smith said Duke's size also is preventing opponents from penetrating on the dribble to get good shots.

Although the Blue Devils aren't pressuring full court they way they used to, they are staying between their man and the basket.

"We're just playing half-court defense and using our length to keep guys in front of us," Smith said. "When a guy like [Connecticut's] Kemba Walker sees that length and sees the guys we have inside, he thinks twice about going inside."

Plumlee said Duke also is doing a good job communicating, with Thomas and fellow senior Brian Zoubek leading the way from the back of the defense. According to freshman guard Andre Dawkins, Blue Devils players know that if they don't play well on defense, they're not getting on the court.

That's a message that Thomas, a co-captain, said he reinforces constantly.

"I make sure our younger guys know that," Thomas said. "I make sure my teammates know that. That's something that Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] wants us to make sure they know. Defense is how we're going to win big."