Date With The Devils

If USC loses to Duke tonight, it won’t be because the Trojans are intimidated by the Blue Devils’ aura.

They didn’t show jitters in their first NCAA tournament game last week and they didn’t fold when the Kentucky Wildcats clawed at their backs Thursday night.

They won’t get thoroughly outclassed in the coaching department. Although Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski is the best in the business, Henry Bibby has proved himself in this tournament. His team has been ready from the opening tip and his game plans have been astute. He already has defeated teams coached by Eddie Sutton, Al Skinner and Tubby Smith to get to the East Regional final.

The Trojans won’t be shortchanged in talent, especially because the best athlete on the court will be USC’s Jeff Trepagnier.

The only thing keeping USC from the Final Four is a 6-foot-2 block packed with skills. No position in the NCAA tournament is more critical than point guard, and no player in college basketball is better than Duke’s sophomore point guard, Jason Williams.

In the regional semifinal Thursday, Williams all but filed the flight plans for UCLA’s trip back to Westwood. He ripped off 19 consecutive points for the Blue Devils--he scored 34 in all--by casting three-pointers and zipping through the entire Bruin defense for layups.

This was one game after he’d taken over a close game against Missouri, scoring 31 points as Duke won going away.

“Jason Williams is a great player,” USC point guard Brandon Granville said. “He can shoot, drive--he does a lot for their team. But I think we’re a team that can throw a lot of different defenses at Duke. We’ll switch it up a lot, hopefully confuse them.”

That was UCLA’s plan too, but it didn’t faze Williams. For the second consecutive game, he and Shane Battier combined for 58 points.

“I think it’s difficult to take everything away that those two guys do, because I don’t even know what they’re going to do,” Krzyzewski said. “We’re not as structured. We play to their strengths and their instincts, and their instincts may be their biggest strengths.”

What makes Williams so potent is that nearly every trip downcourt begins with the ball in his hands, running straight down the opponents’ throats.

“We want to push it up because we feel that Jason is such a strong player with the ball, whether it be with the shot or a pass,” Krzyzewski said. “We don’t run structure when we go down on the break, just so he can make reads.

“It flattens out an opponent’s defense. If you have to run half-court offense, you usually can run it a lot better when you’re in attack mode. We’ve tried to use that system, especially this year, because of his abilities. And I think it’s a wise decision.”

If you recruit great players and decide to give them the ball, you too can be a coaching genius like Krzyzewski.

In this case, Krzyzewski owes an assist to Williams’ mother. Williams was ready to stay in New Jersey and go to Rutgers when his mother persuaded him to take a trip down to Duke.

“I just fell in love with all it had to offer,” Williams said.

The school wasn’t the only thing that made a good impression on that trip. Williams played pickup ball with the Duke players, who saw how he was taking it to the team’s point guard at the time, William Avery.

“He did some things where I said, ‘Wow, this kid’s going to be good one day,’ ” Battier said. “I didn’t know he was going to be this good this quick. But I knew he was going to be a player when it was all said and done.”

Statistically, “this good” means averages of 21.5 points and 6.2 assists. Nationally, it means he’s good enough to be considered the top player in the country by many college basketball observers, even if Battier is the one picking up all of the awards. Financially, it means NBA lottery draft pick money whenever he decides to leave Duke.

Avery stunned Duke when he left for the NBA after his sophomore season in 1999. Williams had expected to be Avery’s backup for his first two years. It has turned out to be a blessing for Duke. Williams was thrust into the starting role last year, made his mistakes and learned his lessons.

Although he’s ahead of schedule now, he says he does not plan to leave school early.

“I have a lot more growing up to do,” Williams said. “I think there’s so much more to the game than just putting the ball in the basket. Just learning and being a leader. Just being around Coach, there’s nothing more that could make you a better player than being around the best coach in the country.

“Another thing is your education. It’s a big part. It’s something that’s important to me. I know that basketball won’t be around forever and I know that in the long run, getting an education is the best thing to do.”

Don’t be too shocked if he decides that in the short run, the money is too good to pass up. For a player this good, it’s hard to say he isn’t ready.

For now, he is very comfortable with his role on the Blue Devils.

“I think I have the ability to make things happen, either if it’s me scoring or getting somebody else involved in the game,” Williams said. “It’s a role that I’ve wanted to take on. It’s just a role, being a leader on a basketball team and getting everybody involved, and it’s something I can do. It’s a pressure I like to have on my shoulders.”

It’s not too much pressure at all.

Pressure is having to stop him.

*

J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: ja.adande@latimes.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Duke in the Tournament

Duke is 70-22 in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils’ tournament history by coach:

HAROLD BRADLEY

* 1955: lost to Villanova, 74-73.

VIC BUBAS

* 1960: beat Princeton, 84-60; beat St. Joseph’s, 58-56; lost to New York University, 74-59.

* 1963: beat New York University, 81-76; beat St. Joseph’s, 73-59; lost to Loyola, Ill., 94-75; beat Oregon State, 85-63. (Final Four).

* 1964: beat Villanova, 87-73; beat Connecticut, 101-54; beat Michigan, 91-80; lost to UCLA, 98-83 (NCAA runner-up).

* 1966: beat St. Joseph’s, 76-74; beat Syracuse, 91-81; lost to Kentucky, 83-79; beat Utah, 79-77. (Final Four).

BILL FOSTER

* 1978: beat Rhode Island, 63-62; beat Pennsylvania, 84-80; beat Villanova, 90-72; beat Notre Dame, 90-86; lost to Kentucky, 94-88 (NCAA runner-up).

* 1979: lost to St. John’s, 80-78.

* 1980: beat Pennsylvania, 52-42; beat Kentucky, 55-54; lost to Purdue, 68-60.

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI

* 1984: lost to Washington, 80-78.

* 1985: beat Pepperdine, 75-62; lost to Boston College, 74-73.

* 1986: beat Mississippi Valley State, 85-78; beat Old Dominion, 89-61; beat DePaul 74-67; beat Navy, 71-50; beat Kansas, 71-67; lost to Louisville, 72-69. (NCAA runner-up).

* 1987: beat Texas A&M;, 58-51; beat Xavier, Ohio, 65-60; lost to Indiana, 88-82.

* 1988: beat Boston University, 85-69; beat Southern Methodist, 94-79; beat Rhode Island, 73-72; beat Temple 63-53; lost to Kansas, 66-59. (Final Four).

* 1989: beat South Carolina State, 90-69; beat West Virginia, 70-63; beat Minnesota, 87-70; beat Georgetown, 85-77; lost to Seton Hall, 95-78. (Final Four).

* 1990: beat Richmond, 81-46; beat St. John’s, 76-72; beat UCLA, 90-81; beat Connecticut, 79-78, OT; beat Arkansas, 97-83; lost to UNLV, 103-73. (NCAA runner-up).

* 1991: beat Northeast Louisiana, 102-73; beat Iowa, 85-70; beat Connecticut, 81-67; beat St. John’s, 78-61; beat UNLV, 79-77; beat Kansas, 72-65.(NCAA champion).

* 1992: beat Campbell, 82-56; beat Iowa, 75-62; beat Seton Hall, 81-69; beat Kentucky, 104-103, OT; beat Indiana, 81-78; beat Michigan, 71-51.(NCAA champion).

* 1993: beat Southern Illinois, 105-70; lost to California, 82-77.

* 1994: beat Texas Southern, 82-70; beat Michigan State, 85-74; beat Marquette, 59-49; beat Purdue, 69-60; beat Florida, 70-65; lost to Arkansas, 76-72. (NCAA runner-up).

* 1996: lost to Eastern Michigan, 75-60.

* 1997: beat Murray State, 71-68; lost to Providence, 98-87.

* 1998: beat Radford, 99-63; beat Oklahoma State, 79-73; beat Syracuse, 80-67; lost to Kentucky, 86-84.

* 1999: beat Florida A&M;, 99-58; beat Tulsa, 97-56; beat Southwest Missouri State, 78-61; beat Temple, 85-64; beat Michigan State, 68-62; lost to Connecticut, 77-74. (NCAA runner-up).

* 2000: beat Lamar, 82-55; beat Kansas, 69-64; lost to Florida, 87-78.

* 2001: beat Monmouth, 95-52; beat Missouri, 94-81; beat UCLA, 76-63.