There are no major honors handed out in mid-November, but No. 12 Arizona and No. 2 Duke should draw considerable interest nonetheless.
The teams meet Friday night at Durham, N.C., for a nonconference game.
“It’s Arizona vs. Duke. I think that’s enough said right there,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I think no matter what happens, hopefully you have two great teams that are going to have an epic early season battle. I don’t think there will be any postseason awards given out by what happens the second game on November 10.”
Duke has the Arizona game followed next week by facing Michigan State on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be a big test for us, obviously, Arizona and then Michigan State,” Duke guard Tyrese Proctor said. “But we’re really locked in on Arizona now and we’ve just got to defend home court.”
In Monday’s season openers, Arizona trounced visiting Morgan State 122-59, while Duke won at home by 92-54 vs. Dartmouth.
There were no great conclusions coming from the first games for each of these teams.
“We have a mature group that understands that and we’re looking forward to the next game to see what we can do,” Lloyd said.
Duke liked what happened earlier this week, but the Blue Devils are often wired for the big-time matchups.
“We’re getting right into it this year,” Blue Devils forward Kyle Filipowski said. “I think playing Dartmouth was good, just for exposure for the freshmen but the rest of getting used to playing together in a real game, because it’s coming quick. … We’ve got to beat the best to be the best. We just have a lot to prove and we’ve got to win the game.”
Second-year coach Jon Scheyer of Duke said this game is about evaluating growth.
“We know they’re a high-power team and really good, of course,” he said. “But for us, it’s about growing and maxing out who we can be as a team. There’s plenty we have to clean up and do better, but then the goal is for Friday to get close to that.”
Lloyd doesn’t want to put too much emphasis on the particular matchup. The Wildcats have a lot to assess that goes beyond what player combinations are on the floor.
“I’m more focused on the effort and energy,” Lloyd said. “That’s something that we really want to establish. We really want to hammer home what our standards are.”
It’s a strange return to the region for first-year Arizona guard Caleb Love. He has been to Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium in the past with rival North Carolina, but the senior joined the transfer parade in the offseason and ended up with Arizona after a commitment to Michigan.
Love posted 12 points in his first game with Arizona.
The famed Cameron Crazies are bound to target him with some of their antics.
“I think Caleb is pretty tough and tough-minded,” Lloyd said. “I think he’s probably going to draw a lot of attention. I think he’s probably built for it.”
This is the first game of a home-and-home deal with the teams meeting next year in Tucson, Ariz.
The Wildcats are 5-4 all-time against the Blue Devils, but Duke prevailed 82-71 in the 2001 national championship game.
–Field Level Media
