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Krzyzewski, as per his philosophy, never forces his personnel into a system but rather finds a system that fits his personnel. This year, that's a spread-out, up-tempo attack, very much like what the only team ahead of Duke in the polls, Memphis, has used to get off to a 22-0 start. The Blue Devils are ranked fifth in the nation in offensive efficiency, up from 40th last season, because of the problems they create for more normally constructed foes. Most good opponents have the athletes to keep one or two athletic wing players under wraps, but can they stop four, or even five? "What we do isn't very complicated," said Singler, "but we have the right personnel to do it. We drive well, people have to help a lot, and that's when our kick-outs and shots open up."

While Duke's success isn't complicated, neither is the reason Carolina isn't looking like the juggernaut it was expected to be: it hasn't executed on defense.

The Heels rank 40th in defensive efficiency, as compared to Duke's sixth. Time and time again, the Heels failed to get key stops when they needed them. The two occasions that Carolina cut the lead to one in the second half, at 42-41 and 45-44, it gave up a momentum-halting three-pointer on the ensuing possession. The Heels had an obvious excuse for their lack of offensive flow, mainly, an inability to get Hansbrough enough good touches down the stretch in the second half. They were, after all, missing their floor general. Yet the players who are allegedly their best defenders -- Marcus Ginyard, Danny Green, and Hansbrough -- were all the floor, all being shredded by Duke's spread.

"After what happened tonight," says Hansbrough, "we have a long way to go [on defense]. Coach [Williams] is nowhere near satisfied, and he definitely stressed that in the locker room after the game."

Hansbrough wanted this to be a special night. As much as it was downplayed leading into the game, he wanted to exact revenge on Gerald Henderson and the Blue Devils for the bloodied and broken nose that was delivered last March. Psycho T's passing of Michael Jordan on Carolina's all-time scoring leaders list, with his 23rd point midway through the second half, was bittersweet. He remained on the floor until the buzzer this time, unbloodied and unscathed, but facing a depressing result, and left to wonder what might have been had Lawson been in the lineup.

"It's hard," Hansbrough said of playing without his point guard, "but it's the way it happened. North Carolina lost to Duke."

And Duke, which was already ahead of Carolina in the polls, solidified its place atop the Tobacco Road hierarchy. Asterisk or no asterisk, the Blue Devils had better chemistry, better D, crisper execution. Who could have guessed, back in October, that in Round 1 of this rivalry, Duke would be the one setting the example?