By BRYAN STRICKLAND

bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671

DURHAM -- If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

The Duke Blue Devils are off to New York, off to a 4-0 start but about to take on an entirely different level of competition as the NIT Season Tip-Off prepares to crown a champion.

Duke faces Arizona State tonight in the second semifinal at Madison Square Garden (9 p.m., ESPN2), and then the No. 7 Blue Devils will face either No. 13 Connecticut or LSU on Friday.

The four teams still standing in the 16-team event have a combined record of 14-0.

"We will be excited to play up in New York. It will be a great test for us, those two games up there," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Then right after that, Wisconsin at Wisconsin -- the next three ballgames, we should grow as a team."

As for Arizona State (4-0), there's little doubt that a familiar face from his Tobacco Road days has made the Sun Devils better.

Former N.C. State coach Herb Sendek is in his fourth season in Tempe. The Sun Devils went 8-22 his first season but are 50-23 since.

Krzyzewski was an outspoken supporter of Sendek when many Wolfpack fans got antsy late in his 10-season stay in Raleigh. During his final five years at N.C. State, only Krzyzewski won more ACC games than Sendek.

"Herb is one of the best coaches in the country," Krzyzewski said.

Duke has been as successful as any team in the history of the event that annually ranks among the toughest early season tournaments, winning the inaugural event in 1985 and matching Kansas and Arizona with three titles.

Duke has won its past 10 games in the tournament and has won 10 of its most recent 11 games at Madison Square Garden.

That, of course, is old news, but Krzyzewski is encouraged by what his team currently is doing.

"We are a good basketball team," he said. "The guys are playing hard, and we are getting better."

Sendek won't be the only familiar face. Post player Eric Boateng, a McDonald's All-American who transferred from Duke after his freshman year, finally is breaking out.

Boateng scored 57 points during the 2008-09 season but already has 46 this season, including career highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Sun Devils advance to New York with a 52-49 victory over TCU on Nov. 18.

"I saw part of their game against TCU to advance, and Boateng had a great game," Krzyzewski said. "Eric's done well. He's in his fifth year now. He's a graduate student, and he plays for an outstanding coach."

Duke will counter with its own big man who appears to be blossoming. Sophomore Miles Plumlee, who scored 42 points as a freshman, already has 47 through four games, putting up 11.8 points and 9.3 rebounds on average.

NOTES -- Krzyzewski said that Plumlee's brother, freshman Mason Plumlee, is recovering well from a wrist injury suffered in the preseason. "My hope is that after exams, he'll be ready to go," Krzyzewski said. Duke will play four games, including the two in New York, before exams, then returns to the court Dec. 15 against Gardner-Webb. ... Duke's potential Friday opponents both delivered devastating NCAA Tournament blows to the Blue Devils the most recent time they crossed paths. Connecticut came back in the final minutes to knock off Duke 79-78 in the 2004 national semifinals, and LSU stunned Duke 62-54 in the 2006 Sweet 16.