History lesson: giants to battle

Since Mike Krzyzewski took over in Durham, N.C., in 1980, Duke has been nearly untouchable. \nIn the last five seasons, Duke has lost 18 games and has never lost more than five games in one season. Only twice since 1984 has Duke finished the season unranked. \nThree national titles, nine Final Fours under Krzyzewski and 75 NCAA Tournament all-time wins.\nBut, as fifth-seeded IU prepares to play top-seeded Duke Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the NCAA South Regional semifinal in Lexington, Ky., the Hoosiers have figured out a weakness. \n"They're human," sophomore guard A.J. Moye said. "And a human has flaws. Everything created in the flesh has imperfections; it's in the Bible.\n"It's not the University of Jesus Christ and you have 12 Disciples playing." \nSo, it's not Heaven's all-stars, but it is a squad that has racked up a 31-3 record and last season's national championship. Monday, Blue Devil point guard Jason Williams captured the Naismith Award, given to the nation's top player. In June, at least a couple Blue Devils are expected to be lottery picks in the NBA Draft. \n"They have five guys that start for them that are going to be in the NBA some day," IU coach Mike Davis said. "It's going to be very difficult for us to match up."\nIU used to create the same problems for foes. From 1973 to 1987, IU appeared in four Final Fours and won three national championships. But since the last Final Four run in 1992, IU has appeared in the Sweet Sixteen only twice, the last time (before the current run) in 1994. \nDuring the same five-year span that has seen Duke go 164-18, IU has a record of 106-56. And this isn't the first time Duke has strung together five consecutive mind-boggling seasons. From 1988 to 1992, Duke appeared in five straight Final Fours and won two national crowns. \nIt was the Blue Devils who beat IU 81-78 in the Final Four semifinal in 1992. But the two programs -- with 20 Final Fours and eight national championships between them -- have met only four times, with each school winning twice. \n"You want to play Duke," said Moye, who said he received hand-written recruiting letters from Duke during his junior year at Atlanta's Westlake High School. "When you were little, you used to watch them win all those games and be like 'Wow, I wonder what it would be like to play for Duke.'\n"Then, you're like 'Wow, It would be even better to beat them.'"\nIU and Duke last met in the 1996 Preseason NIT, when IU upended the Blue Devils by 16. Duke beat IU by six in the 1995 Great Alaska Shootout, and the other two meetings have come in the NCAA Tournament; Duke edged IU by three during its NCAA title run in 1992, five years after IU knocked out Duke by six during the Hoosiers' dash for the 1987 NCAA crown. The combined score of the four meetings: IU 315, Duke 302. \nThursday, basketball history and pride meets basketball history and pride.\n"It's always special to play Duke," Davis said. "The last 10 years, they've been unbelievable. Indiana hasn't been there in a while, but we're getting there."\nAnd to get over the hump and back in the forefront of college basketball's national-title scene, IU will need to make the Blue Devils blue. In their path stands trophy after trophy and accolade after accolade, but the Hoosiers aren't backing down. \n"I don't expect our team to come out and be scared," senior guard Dane Fife said. "These guys are human"