Nolan Smith (photo. Duke University)

*Reprinted from Dime #45, on sale now*

This is the third annual edition of Dime’s NCAA Player’s Ball, where we hand over the task of predicting and prognosticating to the real experts; the best college ballplayers in America. Today, Duke sophomore Nolan Smith tells you why it’s time to start loving to hate the Blue Devils.

THERE’S A GOOD REASON TO HATE DUKE AGAIN

“This year is going to be a huge change. We’ve been in the weight room harder this summer. We have a totally different attitude in the way that we’re going to approach games. We look to dominate. We look to push the ball. We’re going to score. It’s going to be very exciting to watch Duke this year. We’re way more athletic. We’re not going to be the team that everybody calls ’soft’ and gets pushed around. Coach K has told us, we don’t want to see the scrawny Duke teams that teams are used to seeing. We want our fans coming to the gym and seeing a team that looks like grown men out there.

“We’re putting in a new offense this year, the one that Team USA played [in the Olympics]. It’s exciting, fun, and fast-paced. We don’t have the LeBron Jameses and the Kobes and guys like that, but I’ve been watching Chris Paul tapes, trying to see how he played offensively and defensively. We really want to get after it like they did. I can run the one spot, and Greg Paulus is a great shooter, so he can run the two spot. We have many different looks that we can go with, with me at the one or Greg at the one. It’s kind of like how Chris Paul and Deron Williams ran things — two point guards.

“The Duke/UNC game isn’t going to be what the fans are expecting. Duke’s not going out the way they did the last few years. We’re definitely going to enjoy the underdog role; we’re going to embrace it. I was glad to read that Ty Lawson, Wayne (Ellington) and Danny Green all decided to come back. That brightened up my eyes. It wouldn’t have been the same without them. We possibly could have blown them out with just (Tyler) Hansbrough, but now with all them guys back, it’s going to make that game that much more hype. The whole world is going to be watching.”

(Through three games, Smith is averaging 12.7 points and 2.3 steals for the undefeated Blue Devils. They play Southern Illinois tonight at 7 p.m. EST in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on ESPN2)

‘08-09 NCAA Player’s Ball
1. Memphis isn’t dead
2. Davidson is going to shock the world…again

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