Duke's Smith to play in ACC opener

Point guard Nolan Smith is one of four double-figure scorers for No. 5 Duke. Icon Sports Media

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Duke point guard Nolan Smith's injured knee won't keep him out of the Blue Devils' Atlantic Coast Conference opener Sunday night against Virginia Tech.

Smith, one of four double-figure scorers for No. 5 Duke, gave the Blue Devils a slight scare earlier this week when he knocked knees with a Loyola of Maryland player while going up for a rebound in the first half of their final pre-ACC tuneup.

Team officials said Friday the sophomore guard is expected to play against the Hokies. His teammates said the point guard looked healthy during full practices Thursday and Friday with a protective pad on his left knee.

"You couldn't even tell he got injured, besides the knee pad," forward Kyle Singler said.

But even if Smith wasn't able to go, there would be no reason for the Blue Devils to panic with plenty of players who could've run the show.

Greg Paulus started for most of the past three seasons before becoming the team's sixth man, freshman Elliot Williams also comes off the bench and shooting guard Jon Scheyer is capable of shifting to the point.

"We're a very well-balanced team. We have a lot of guys who can contribute in each spot," center Brian Zoubek said. "If we had lost Nolan ... you can't replace him, but I think we'd do a good job of adjusting."

Perhaps just as importantly, the Blue Devils recently installed a free-flowing motion offense that relies on improvisation and movement to free up the shooters and doesn't put too much pressure on the point guards -- or any other players -- to orchestrate designed plays.

"I think that's been really good for us -- a lot of guys are touching the ball, and it really makes the defense play," swingman Gerald Henderson said. "You have to guard everyone, and it's really hard for a helpside (defender) when you have a lot of guys moving (and) you have to worry about a lot of different guys scoring the basketball. ... With the athletes we have, we can put guys in different spots."

That can only help the Blue Devils (11-1) as they dust off the rust that may have accumulated by only playing one game since Dec. 20. Now comes the grind of an ACC season that took a toll last season. After winning their first 10 league games during their 22-1 start, they dropped five of their final 11 games and didn't win more than one game in either the ACC or NCAA tournaments.

"There's a lot of good teams, and each night is going to be a tough game -- you can lose on any given night, regardless of the team," Singler said.

The Blue Devils don't have to tell that to Virginia Tech, which beat Duke two years ago in overtime in its last visit to Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke is 4-2 against the Hokies since they joined the ACC five seasons ago.

"The guys played hard, and they're not awed by Duke," Zoubek said. "They come out against us, and they're going to come out physical."

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