Duke makes the ancient trip to Raleigh Saturday, although of course not to the glorious Reynolds Coliseum, but rather to the sterile and icy RBC, where a very strange Wolfpack will stand between Coach K and his 800th victory. No one, not even Sidney Lowe, seems to know what to make of this team. There is considerable talent, particularly on the front line. Yet is has been a contentious season, bordering on disastrous.

Grant makes his last stand BC (today) and Duke stand in the way of perfect road record for UNC N.C. State, confident but slumping, stands in the way Coach K goes for 800th win EARLY DAYS Easton has played under, and coached with, Krzyzewski since Army It was all about defense, changing that losing attitude at West Point Grant will play final home game for State Mum’s the word as Duke’s Coach K vies for 800th win Coach K draws on his past Grant will play final home game for State What has caused NC State’s offensive woes?

Last year, Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner were superb. This year, with the arrival of sensational freshman J.J. Hickson, their roles changed sharply. Neither is playing consistently well, and it at times has spread to Hickson as well. Both returnees have either sulked or lost confidence, and not even McCauley’s sensational game-winning dunk against Miami really changed things.

State started the season hoping to play point guard by committee, with three candidates available by midseason. But Farnold Degan blew his knee out early, and fellow transfer Marques Johnson was clearly not up to it. Javi Gonzalez has at times been okay, but he wasn’t a guy who was ready to start from day one. He will be a good point guard before he’s through, but as of now he’s still inconsistent.

State also features Gavin Grant, highly versatile, and Courtney Fells, a 6-4 guard who can shoot a bit but like Gavin isn’t much of a ballhandler.

To an extent, State is caught between the deliberate team Herb Sendek built and the pick-it-up-and run approach favored by Lowe.

It’s pretty obvious what Duke is going to try to do in this game. With unsteady point play by the Pack, the Devils will try to strip State as often as possible, try to fast-break in order to stay away from Hickson down low.

The biggest question is simple: who’s going to show up in red and white? Will it be the team that has rolled over the last few games? The one that only got three offensive boards against Florida State? That gave up and lost to punchless Virginia by 18? To Clemson by 15?

That’s part of State’s identity this year, for better or worse. Yet we’ve been here before in the ACC, seen teams in death spirals suddenly pull out long enough to challenge and sometimes shock better teams. Virginia did it to UNC with a 6-8 walk-on bartender. Duke did it to UNC in the darkest days of the 1995 season, almost pulling off an amazing upset.

And State? Well, consider.

They may not much like each other. But even if they’re not getting along, they can unite around two things. First, they left Durham in a bad mood, on top of taking a 20 point beating. State played Greg Paulus very physically, and he ultimately threw it back at them, giving Brandon Costner a hard foul, a move which infuriated Costner.

Too late! It was a TV timeout, and Paulus just walked to the bench.

Paulus mixed it up a bit with Javi Gonzalez as well, as the two guards jawed with each other and had some minor extracurriculars as well.

The second reason? They have the potential to deny Krzyzewski his 800th win. There’s not much to celebrate in State’s season, something we take no joy in. After Duke, in the ACC, we pretty much pull for State. We like the program, the colors, the tradition, all of it.

When things are going badly, though, you have to take your pleasures where you can find them, and denying Duke Krzyzewski’s 800th win would qualify as a bitter pleasure. It wouldn’t save State’s season, but it might take some of the sting off of it.