GAME NOTES: The nation's second-ranked team hits the road tonight, as the Duke Blue Devils take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in ACC action. Duke's 22-1 record matches the best start in school history, and the club has won its last 12 games by an average of 14.3 points. The Blue Devils improved to 10-0 in conference play with a 77-65 victory over Maryland on Wednesday and have a strong hold on first place. They have now spent 229 weeks ranked in the top five under the reign of Coach K, so this tremendous success is nothing new. As for Wake Forest, it has won its last two outings to even its ACC record at 5-5 and move to 15-8 overall. The Demon Deacons were most recently in action on Thursday when they beat Florida State on the road by a 78-70 final. Now they return home where they are a stellar 13-1 thus far. Duke holds a 155-75 lead in the all-time series with Wake Forest, and the Blue Devils have captured the last five meetings.

Balance on offense is the key to success for Duke, as five players are averaging double figures in scoring. DeMarcus Nelson is tops with 15.3 ppg on the strength of his 50.4 percent shooting from the floor. Kyle Singler adds 14.3 ppg and 6.1 rpg, and Gerald Henderson is contributing 12.8 ppg. Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer are posting 10.9 ppg. Duke is generating 85.7 ppg while limiting the opposition to 67.0 ppg. Singler poured in 26 points against Maryland on Wednesday, as he shot 6-of-9 from three-point range. Paulus added 20 points for the Blue Devils, who nailed 19 free throws and 12 triples to overshadow their 39.7 percent overall shooting from the field. Also, 19 forced turnovers helped them overcome a 45-36 rebounding disadvantage.

James Johnson is the leading scorer for Wake Forest this season, as he is netting 14.4 ppg to go with 8.0 rpg. Jeff Teague checks in with 12.2 ppg and a team-high 48 steals, while L.D. Williams is contributing 10.1 ppg. The Demon Deacons are posting 72.3 ppg while limiting the opposition to 67.0 ppg. Teague scored 18 points and dished out six assists in Thursday's win over Florida State. Chas McFarland logged 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, while Gary Clark posted 13 points. Williams played 20 minutes off the bench and finished with 10 points. Wake Forest turned the ball over 20 times, but the squad overshadowed those mistakes by shooting 56 percent from the floor, including an outstanding 8-of-13 effort from three-point range.

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to pick against the Blue Devils. Some thought this would be a down year for the program, so give Coach K plenty of credit for what he has done with a small lineup of shooters.