Duke Impressive In 5th Straight Win

This is not a great Duke basketball team. I think we all know that. But this is a Duke team that really plays hard and will get after you on defense. No, it's not a great team, but it's good enough to be 18-3 overall and now 5-2 in the ACC after dropping its first two league games.

On a night that former national defensive player of the year Shelden Williams had his jersey retired, Duke went hard after Boston College, beating the physical Eagles 75-61 while holding them to just 34 percent shooting and out-rebounding them 41-30. Plus, the team, that at many times this season was the gang that couldn't shoot straight, shot 50 percent.

DeMarcus Nelson is impressive. He guards big players, small players, quick players. It doesn't matter. He'll take on on all comers. He rebounds, he scores. He's the glue for this team and for the first time in his Duke career, he's healthy.

It was Nelson who scored the last six points to end the first half, which propelled Duke to an 8-point lead and the Devils were never in trouble after that. Mike Krzyzewski called him the best player on the court during that stretch and that's what the best player does, takes over, lifts his team when they need him to do just that.

It was also another solid game for Josh McRoberts with 16 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and three assists. McRoberts is a player who does a lot of things well. At times, he seems like he's not quite sure what he wants to do on offense. Sometimes it even seems the ambidexterous McRoberts can't decide which hand he should shoot with. He doesn't have the signature go-to move, but he's playing steady basketball. I think Duke does need him to be more of a scorer. He may not be ready for that yet. He took only 10 shots against Boston College but made six and his work on the glass was terrific. He had a wonderful sequence in the first half. Took a lob from Nelson for the slam. Started a fast break and finished it with the jam and then threw a behind the back pass to Greg Paulus for the layup.. Right there, McRoberts showed just how versatile he is. He also is becoming a better leader.

Freshman Lance Thomas has been very up and down and plagued by foul trouble, but Sunday he may have played his best game. Eight second-half points, 10 for the game plus nine rebounds. Duke needs plenty more like that from him.

Now, David McClure, the hero of the Clemson game, who's been so good off the bench with his energy and defense, went down late in the second half with a left knee injury. The same knee that kept him out all of last season. He did return to the bench but was walking gingerly. Coach K said they initially believed it wasn't serious, but that it was serious enough that he couldn't go back in the game. Duke will know more later. They're keeping their fingers crossed.

Duke is not the best team in the ACC but it's a team that works and the coach appreciates that. He likes the growing process.

" Our kids are playing really hard," Mike Krzyzewski says. " They're trying and every game is a whole new thing."

And they're taking much better care of the basketball. Greg Paulus has settled down. Just one turnover against B.C. and six assists.

So Duke is in the ACC race, although like most, I believe the race is for second place.

There's a world of difference between the team that lost in early January at home to Virginia Tech and the one that beat Boston College. The team that lost to the Hokies was tentative and tight when the game was in doubt. The one that beat Boston College was confident and in control.

Duke ends its January on a high note. They'd love to continue that momentum into February. It is that cold, gray month that will often separate the contenders from the pretenders, the men from the boys.

Right now, this young team of maturing Blue Devils is playing pretty much like men.