DURHAM, N.C. _ As No. 2 Duke looks at the rest of its regular season and sees nothing but ACC games, the Blue Devils can take solace that they've amassed a near-perfect record despite inconsistent play.
The highly notable loss on the Blue Devils' 11-1 record came courtesy of Stephen F. Austin last month, a 85-83 overtime result no one in the program will soon forget.
Duke had other games where it wasn't its best for long stretches. Last Saturday's 75-50 win over Brown, where the Ivy League Bears trailed by just six points at halftime, is just the latest example.
On the other hand, the Blue Devils own impressive wins over Kansas and Michigan State, both away from Cameron Indoor Stadium, that will boost their resume when the selection committee seeds teams for the NCAA tournament in March.
Entering its first ACC home game, Tuesday night at 6 p.m. against Boston College, Duke is ranked No. 1 in Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistical ratings system and No. 2 in the AP Top 25.
But the Blue Devils are far from a finished product, something they're quick to admit.
"I just think we're nowhere near the team we can be," said Duke senior forward Jack White, a team captain. "To be 11-1, we can't get fooled by that. We know we have a lot of work to do, and we're just going to keep working into conference play and keep taking it one game at a time."
After playing just two games since winning 77-63 at Virginia Tech on Dec. 6, the pace and competition is about to pick up. Road games at Miami on Saturday and Georgia Tech on Jan. 8 lie ahead over the following eight days.
The Blue Devils played their last two games with point guard Tre Jones sidelined by a sprained left foot, robbing them of an important steadying presence.
"Not having Tre hurts everyone," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
Jones, who has been walking normally on the foot without the use of a protective boot or crutches, is expected to be ready Tuesday night after missing the 86-57 win over Wofford on Dec. 19 and Saturday's win over Brown.
Krzyzewski described Jones' absence as having occurred under an abundance of caution rather than a sign of a long-term problem. He returned to practice Sunday as the Blue Devils prepared to face Boston College.
Jones' injury means Duke knows more about its backcourt now than it did a month ago. With Jones not in uniform for two games, guards like Jordan Goldwire, Wendell Moore, Alex O'Connell and Joey Baker saw their roles change.
Goldwire became a starting point guard with Moore, a freshman, getting minutes at point and off the ball. O'Connell and Baker alternated starting assignments at shooting guard in the two games with mixed results.
Baker excelled off the bench against Wofford, hitting five 3-pointers to score 22 points in 18 minutes of turnover-free basketball.
Awarded his first career starting assignment against Brown, the 6-7 sophomore from Fayetteville struggled. He made 1 of 6 shots, missing all four of his 3-pointers, with one turnover in 17 minutes of play.
Krzyzewski chalked up the poor production to "starter's disease" which led to Baker having a subpar practice the day before the Brown game. He talked to Baker after that practice, hoping the sharp-shooter had gotten all of his bad shots out in practice, but the malaise carried over into the game.
"I told him after the end of the game to remember he's a damn good player," Krzyzewski said. "(Starting) meant so much to him. We're going through all those growth periods."
O'Connell started against Wofford, hitting four of nine shots to score nine points. He contributed two rebounds and didn't commit a turnover in 24 minutes.
With Baker starting against Brown, O'Connell came off the bench to score 14 points on 4 of 10 shooting. He hit Duke's only two 3-pointers and only turned the ball over once in 23 minutes.
Goldwire played one of the better games of his career against Wofford. His offensive rating for the game was 227, according to KenPom.com, well above his season rating of 120 and easily the best single-game performance of his career.
He only scored eight points, but did so while hitting all three of his shots, dishing out five assists and not committing a turnover in his 28 minutes.
His offensive rating dropped to 83 against Brown as he scored four points and committed three turnovers. Still, his play over the game's final 15 minutes as the Blue Devils finally pulled away to win easily drew Krzyzewski's praise.
"He knew we weren't playing well and he sped up a couple times in the first half," Krzyzewski said. "To his credit, he stayed composed in the second half and I'm proud of him for doing that. Once it goes downward, it's tough for some kids. His responsibility in running the team took over."
If things go according to plan, Goldwire won't have that responsibility so often beginning Tuesday night. When Jones has been healthy and available, he has played an average of 34.5 minutes per game, easily the highest on the team.
With 6-10 freshman center Vernon Carey, Jr. dominating inside (18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds per game), the Blue Devils need consistent perimeter scoring from Jones, Baker and O'Connell, plus freshman Cassius Stanley, to be at their best offensively.
With full-time ACC play here, the time to reach that level is now.
