One of Miami forward Kenny Kadji's recollections about Jim Larranaga's very first team meeting with the Hurricanes was a discussion about power-brokers in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Larranaga asked who the best teams were. Everyone answered Duke and North Carolina.
At least for this season, anyway, it's certainly looking like those answers would be incorrect.
The fifth-ranked Hurricanes will get a chance to wrap up the outright ACC regular-season title(unofficial) on Saturday night -- against the third-ranked, for now anyway, Blue Devils at raucous and rowdy Cameron Indoor Stadium, where the home team has won 92 of its last 97 games, according to STATS LLC.
"Being in a place where they have to chase us, they're behind us, it's kind of weird," Kadji said. "Obviously, I saw it coming."
Duke may still be chasing Miami, but no one will pass the Hurricanes in this regular season.
The Blue Devils were beaten at Virginia on Thursday night, meaning the Hurricanes are now assured of no worse than a share of the ACC crown. The best Duke (24-4, 11-4) can hope for is to finish tied with Miami (23-4, 14-1).
So for the Hurricanes, the challenge now becomes wrapping up the outright title, which just one more win would do -- and rest assured, Miami wants that clincher to come at Duke. Miami has shown it can win on the road this season, its 10 victories in opponents' arenas doubling what any other team in the conference has posted.
The Hurricanes rode the strength of 27 points from Reggie Johnson to win at Cameron last season. And the number 27 might be in Duke's heads this time, but not because of what Johnson did on their floor last year -- instead, because the Blue Devils and coach Mike Krzyzewski surely remember a 27-point loss at Miami earlier this year, the program's worst regular-season defeat in nearly three decades.
"They embarrassed us," Duke guard Seth Curry said.
The Blue Devils struggled again Thursday, never leading in a 73-68 loss. The Cavaliers built a 64-50 lead with 3:23 left before closing the victory at the free-throw line.
Curry led Duke with 28 points, all but five coming after halftime, and Quinn Cook had 22.
Krzyzewski was ready when a reporter began to suggest that the Blue Devils were guilty of looking past Virginia and ahead to this matchup.
"No," he said. "We prepared hard for this game. We have not mentioned one word about Miami. ... Now we get on a plane, get to Durham and get ready.
"You have quick turnarounds, no excuses. You get beat. Next play. Let's go."
Kadji said Miami knows the stakes. And oddly, for Duke, Saturday still means plenty, considering the Blue Devils haven't even wrapped up an opening-round bye in the ACC tournament.
"It's going to be the best game of the year, in my opinion," Kadji said. "A coach like Coach K, who in my opinion is the best coach in the world, he's going to have them ready. The whole program, the whole school is going to be ready."
They'll especially be ready after Thursday night's loss. The Hurricanes were off Thursday, one day after Shane Larkin scored 22 points to help Miami top Virginia Tech 76-58.
"People have been looking forward to this game on Saturday since we played them last," Larranaga said. "But for us, we've had to take it one game at a time. ... Almost every team in the ACC plays better at home than they do on the road and Duke is no different. They've got great fan support. The place will be packed and rockin', probably hours before the game."

[TABLE="class: mod-data mod-pbp"]
[TR="class: team-color-strip"]
[TH="width: 30%"] [/TH]
[TH="align: right"]MIA

[/TH]
[TH="align: right"]DUKE

[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD="align: left"]W-L[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]23-4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]24-4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD="align: left"]Avg Points[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]69.0[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]78.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD="align: left"]Avg Points Allowed[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]59.1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]65.1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD="align: left"]Home Record[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]13-0[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14-0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD="align: left"]Road Record[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10-2[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4-4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even"]
[TD="align: left"]Current Streak[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]W1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]L1[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

****, if Curry gets going we could be done.

 

How many moving screens is Duke allowed to set?

 

Unbelievable how many freakin jumpers are these lucky ******** gonna hit

 

3 ball is off. Needs to get going

 

Unbelievable how many freakin jumpers are these lucky ******** gonna hit

eh wide open 3s aren't lucky for Curry. We have to stop going under the screens.

 

At what point during the season do we finally learn to guard the line?

 

if we could just play a few min. of good defense we will be good

 

game has me on edge

 

Kadji i the worse off ball defender on this team. Quit leaving ****** *** Kelly to help

 

All 5 of their FG's this half are on Jumpers...**** won't last. Keep penetrating and their luck will eventually run out.

 

I love when Duke fans whine and cry when a foul is called on their team. They have to draw blood for a foul to be called, while the refs call fouls on us when we're in the same area code as Duke players.

 

MY ***** BO IN THE HOUSE

 

Shouts to Sapp and Bomani Jones on the sidelines

 

we just surged for the tie!!!

 

We must have been practing ft these last few weeks.

 

now we get a foul

 

EATIN IN THE PAINT BABY

 

come on

 

I got to get off here fellas..

I'm to into this game and might throw my laptop if Kelly hits another bucket

LETTTSSS GOOOOOO

 

whatta play