Jan. 17, 2006

There are three unbeatens left in Division I college basketball -- Duke, Florida and Pittsburgh. I think the Gators have the easiest game of the three up next as Billy Donovan's team takes on Savannah State, while the Dukies host N.C. State and Pittsburgh travels to play Rutgers.

We saw the Scarlet Knights can be tough, almost knocking off Villanova. Gary Waters' team fell in an overtime thriller, so Jamie Dixon and company will not take this one lightly. Pittsburgh showed a lot of guts by rallying to win at Louisville.

Think about N.C. State as Herb Sendek is getting great performances from several players. After coming in with a big reputation last season, Cedric Simmons struggled as a diaper dandy. He has adjusted as a sophomore and has the ability to be a difference maker. Simmons has a tendency to foul too much, and he has to be careful since Duke will pound the ball inside to Shelden Williams. Talk about a dominator, look at Williams' performance against Maryland last week with 10 blocked shots. Teams are forced to go to the perimeter.

This is a big matchup for Duke, because the scheduling quirks don't have a return engagement at Raleigh this season. It is sad in a way because the ACC was so special when every team met twice. I wonder what former NC State coach Everett Case would think of this arrangement.

Duke has to have an A performance because Sendek has the Wolfpack playing outstanding basketball. NC State has just two blemishes on its record -- a tough loss at Iowa and a setback at North Carolina. The Pack is 11-0 at home and this is the kind of game that can really give NC State a boost. Duke will take the best hit from its opponent, just like it does every time it takes the court.

Prior to the Maryland game, the Blue Devils as a team made a commitment by signing their names on midcourt at Cameron Indoor Stadium. They made a proclamation that it was their floor!

I wonder what that would be worth if they went undefeated and put that on the block at the end of the season. Do you think they'd make some big bucks if they cut up that floor and sold it? If Duke ever does that, I want 10 percent of the action, baby!

It is a big test in the ACC. Can Sendek's kids find the magic at Cameron?

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.