Advancing to the Sweet 16 on Saturday then chowing down on teammate Shelden Williams' fried chicken on Sunday had the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils feeling good and looking chipper on Monday.

The chicken set the Blue Devils straight for their NCAA regional semifinal game against Louisiana State at Atlanta's Georgia Dome on Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

"Everyone looked pretty good at practice," Duke senior Lee Melchionni said. "I don't think anyone had food poisoning, so it was a good thing."

Williams, one of four captains, thought it would be a good idea to get together with his teammates. He hosted the dinner at the apartment he and Melchionni share.

"It was more like we had had such a great week coming off the first two rounds, and we were starting to become united in all aspects," Williams said. "So I just felt that we should all get together and hang out, not necessarily be in the gym but let everyone relax."

Williams had to buy an extra deep-fryer to feed the whole team. He doesn't have a secret recipe for his chicken but said his mother Jeannette taught him how to cook.

"She taught me when I was younger especially because I eat a lot anyway," Williams said. "So I had to learn how to cook in order to pretty much survive."

Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and green beans were on the menu. Melchionni's mother Karen sent cookies for dessert. For entertainment, the team watched the NCAA second-round game between No. 2 seed Texas and No. 10 seed N.C. State.

"He had two fryers going at once. The man can cook," Melchionni said. "If nothing else, he's got a future with Cuisinart or something like that."

SAFE AT HOME: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski looked relieved on Monday afternoon.

His good mood had something to do with his top-ranked and top-seeded Blue Devils heading to Atlanta for a Sweet 16 matchup with No. 4 seed Louisiana State.

It had mostly to do with finding out late Sunday night that son-in-law Chris Spatola, a captain in the U.S. Army, had returned safely from Iraq to his home to Lawton, Okla.

Spatola, a graduate of West Point and a former West Point basketball captain like his father-in-law, is married to Mike and Mickie Krzyzewski's youngest daughter Jamie.

Spatola had been stationed in Baghdad with the Joint Area Support Group since September. The Spatolas will be in Atlanta today for the Atlanta Regional.

"It's a neat thing," Krzyzewski said. "So I'm anxious to see him."

Spatola had to take a circuitous route to get back to the states, which left the Krzyzewski family in a ruffled state.

He was scheduled to get back to Lawton by 4 p.m. but got stuck in Dallas. Plane issues forced him onto a bus from Dallas to Lawton.

Knowing the bus would stop in Wichita Falls, Texas, about an hour from Lawton, Jamie Spatola drove the 50 miles to fetch her husband and bring him home.

"It's awesome, and he's so excited to see the games," Jamie Spatola said in a phone interview. "Not only does Duke get to go to the Sweet 16, but now we get to go to Atlanta to see my family and his family."