RALEIGH -- From N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe's perspective, last season's surprising 88-74 defeat of Duke at the RBC Center could have an effect on tonight's game with the Blue Devils.
The Wolfpack finished 5-11 in the ACC last season, while Duke went on to win the NCAA championship. But for one night, in the teams' only meeting last season, N.C. State dominated an opponent that finished the season 35-5.
The N.C. State game marked Duke's largest margin of defeat of the season, but the teams obviously are different now. Duke lost three senior starters off last season's team, and the Wolfpack started three freshmen in its most recent game.
But Lowe said N.C. State (11-6, 1-2 ACC) can gain confidence from last season's win.
"I think it's good that our guys can tell our young guys, 'Listen, this is what we have to do. This is how we have to play.' Having won that ballgame certainly lets them know that they can [win]," Lowe said.
No. 4-ranked Duke (16-1, 3-1) has an opportunity tonight to strengthen its position in the ACC standings, where every team has at least one conference loss.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said he doesn't expect last season's result to have any bearing on tonight's game (7 p.m., ESPN).
"I think he has a really athletic team," Krzyzewski said of Lowe. "They get supported really well at home. They have a great crowd. We expect a very, very difficult game, whether we had one last year or not. Last year we had two different teams. We're talking about this year."
Duke faces a similar challenge to last year, however, because senior Tracy Smith (15.0 ppg) is back in the low post for N.C. State. Smith scored 23 points and shot 10-for-12 from the field against the Blue Devils in last year's matchup.
Duke shored up its interior defense with 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek after that game. But Zoubek, a senior last season, has departed, and without him the Blue Devils have at times been vulnerable defensively in the low post.
On Jan. 2, Miami's Reggie Johnson shot 9-for-10 from the field and scored 22 points against Duke, and Maryland's Jordan Williams scored 23 points with 13 rebounds a week later. The Blue Devils won both games, but now Smith gets his chance to probe the Blue Devils' defense.
"He's very difficult to guard," Krzyzewski said. "I don't think there's a better player in our conference in scoring when there's a man between him and the basket than Tracy. Other people sometimes get angles, and they have good power moves and stuff like that. But Tracy, you can just throw the ball down there, and he has a great feel for scoring in the low post."
When Duke has the ball, it can turn loose guard Nolan Smith against an N.C. State defense that allowed Florida State to shoot 69.2 percent from the field in the second half of a Wolfpack loss Saturday. Smith leads the ACC in scoring (20.1 ppg) and assists (5.7 apg).
"You have to be ready to compete against somebody that comes at you all the time," Lowe said.
This game is important for Lowe. He has always understood the importance at his alma mater of defeating local rivals Duke and North Carolina. He has posted a 2-5 record against Duke and has lost eight in a row to the Tar Heels after winning his first meeting with them.
N.C. State plays both teams twice this season, and winning against either one of them can energize a team.
"This is a big game," Lowe said. "It's a big game for a number of reasons. You don't want to fall to 1-3 [in the ACC]. You can beat a quality team. It can be a boost for your team, for a young team like this. And then who knows from there? Once you experience a good win, then confidence and understanding, belief and trust, all that stuff can come into play."
