bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
DURHAM -- Duke junior Nolan Smith had every reason to feel worn down following the Blue Devils' victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night, but Smith sounded more upbeat than beat up.
"After a win like that," Smith said, "we're ready to get back on the court now."
Smith and the Blue Devils are getting their wish.
Less than 48 hours after winning a war against the Yellow Jackets, the 10th-ranked Blue Devils visit Boston College this afternoon (2 p.m., ESPN).
The quick turnaround could be that much more a challenge given how the Blue Devils (18-4, 6-2 ACC) felt like they had to challenge themselves leading up to the Georgia Tech game. Taxing practices helped them successfully bounce back from last weekend's loss at Georgetown, but now they'll just have to hope they don't pay the price against the Eagles (12-10, 3-5), who last played last Saturday.
"We practiced real hard for three days. We'll see what it does on Saturday, but you can't worry about Saturday on Thursday," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Just the way our schedule has been this whole five weeks has been amazing. I don't know how in the hell they do it, but we'll take a look at that at some other time.
"But we'll be ready to play up at Boston College. I think our kids will respond."
Circumstances off the court made Smith's week all the more hectic. He attended his grandfather's funeral in Louisville, Ky., on Monday and then returned to campus after missing a day of practice.
"It's been very tough, very emotional," Smith said. "Being back with my teammates has helped tremendously. They've put a smile back on my face."
Smith is the third Duke player to deal with a family tragedy this season. Freshman Andre Dawkins' sister died in an automobile accident on Dec. 5, and senior Jordan Davidson missed the season opener in the wake of his grandmother's death.
"Nolan is one of the two or three guys on the team I'm closest to. We've talked about it a little bit," Davidson said. "Everybody's been really supportive, just like they were with me. I'm sure he's found comfort from getting back with the guys because that was great for me.
"You have a heavy heart for a few days; it's tough to put it behind you. But I've found that those two-and-a-half, three hours a day that you're with your team, those are the best hours of your day."
The Blue Devils had some of their most productive practices leading up to the Georgia Tech game, getting their defensive focus back while shifting their offensive focus to more of a motion offense approach.
Duke handled Boston College's perplexing flex offense in the team's first meeting, a 79-59 victory on Jan. 13 in which Smith scored 24 points. This game, however, is at Conte Forum, site of the Eagles' lone victory in eight meetings with Duke since joining the ACC.
The Blue Devils have posted victories over Gonzaga, Connecticut, Arizona State and Iowa State on neutral courts this season, but they're 1-4 on opponents' home courts.
"Most people are going to play better at home; I think every team in our league has probably played better at home," Krzyzewski said. "We wouldn't be 18-4 unless we had played really well. Our schedule has been one of the top five in the country. We've had a couple of poor games, but we're not going to define ourselves by a couple of poor games. We're going to define ourselves by our full body of work.
"We're going to keep going and doing our thing and then see what happens as we continue to develop."
