If college basketball has a Holyland,"" it stands in Durham, N.C. Every year the ""Cameron Crazies"" come dressed in blue and white to partake in the religion known as Duke basketball.
Yet, when the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers arrive at Cameron Indoor Stadium Tuesday night to take on the No. 7 Blue Devils, they won't be in awe of the hostile road crowd or the raucous atmosphere.
""We're not going to get caught up in all the hype,"" junior guard Joe Krabbenhoft said. ""It's college basketball. The Big Ten gets to play the ACC. As a team, we just want to go out there and accomplish some things and get better.""
Duke (6-0) enters Tuesday's contest on a hot streak after winning the EA Sports Maui Invitational. The Blue Devils defeated two of Wisconsin's familiar foes, Illinois and Marquette, on consecutive nights to take the tournament crown.
Duke also cruised to a 78-43 victory over Eastern Kentucky Sunday at Cameron Indoor.
Freshman sensation Kyle Singler leads the Blue Devils with an average of 14.3 points per game. The 6'8' forward played especially well against Marquette, tallying 25 points and seven rebounds.
Although Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan praised Singler's aggressiveness and smart play, he also commented on the overall makeup of the Duke lineup.
""They're very athletic and quick with the ball,"" Ryan said. ""They have good 3-point shooters. They have good posts. That's why those players were ranked the way they were going into college.""
Guards DeMarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson also provide an offensive punch for coach Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils. Henderson, a sophomore, averages 13 points per game while his senior counterpart, Nelson, records 12.5 points per contest.
On offense, Wisconsin will have to generate points against a traditionally stingy Duke defense. In the Blue Devils' first six games, only Marquette managed to score more than 70 points.
""They're just very well coached,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""I think that the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Duke is Coach K and their discipline.""
The Wisconsin-Duke matchup will be just one of the 11 games in the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Although the Badgers defeated ACC foe Florida State at the Kohl Center last season, Wisconsin lost its last four ACC-Big Ten Challenge games on the road. The Badgers fell 91-88 at Wake Forest in 2005 and lost at Maryland 73-67 in 2003.
Since the inception of the inter-conference competition in 1999, the ACC has dominated the Big Ten, winning all eight contests.
Although Tuesday night's game will mark UW's first road test of the young season, senior forward Brian Butch said the Badgers would be prepared for the challenge.
""That's the nice thing about playing in the Big Ten, you have opportunities to go to places and be in situations where you know you're on the road,"" Butch said. ""When you go into a hostile environment, you know you have to play well as a team to be successful.""
Tuesday night's meeting will be the first between Duke and Wisconsin. Although the Blue Devils possess a tradition of success, the Badgers did not seem intimidated by the aura surrounding the Duke program.
""It is Cameron Indoor, and there is a lot of history with Duke basketball,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""We all know that. We're all well aware. We've been following the game of college basketball since we were little kids, but now as players we just have to take it like we do every game.""
The Badgers and Blue Devils will tip off at 8 p.m. with Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale and Doris Burke covering the game on ESPN.
How to prepare a freshman
Wisconsin freshmen Jon Leuer, Keaton Nankivil and Tim Jarmusz will experience their first road game as Badgers Tuesday, but Krabbenhoft said he would give the younger players some tips for life on the road.
""We'll be talking to them in the next 24 hours,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""I'll ... let them know what candy they should bring and tell them to bring their own pillow and stuff like that.""
