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DURHAM -- In theory, this was going to be a stern test for No. 7 Duke.

In theory, a team with No. 20 Wisconsin's size should have bothered the Blue Devils.

In theory, the Badgers' efficient half-court offense should have pushed the Duke defense to the limit.

In theory.

Replace all those theories with this fact Tuesday night. Duke dominated the Badgers 82-58 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and showed that when it's on its game, it can be one of the best teams in the nation.

"It ended up being our kind of game tonight," said Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Wisconsin's starting lineup featured two players 6-feet-11 and two 6-7. That could have been a problem for the Blue Devils who, with the exception of reserve center Brian Zoubek, lack an imposing post presence.

"We could not play a game where we're going to try to muscle them inside," Krzyzewski said. "Otherwise we'd get killed."

Instead, Duke (7-0) more than made up for its lack of size with its surplus of speed. And because its lineup featured so many ball-handlers and shooters, nearly every defensive rebound became a fast-break opportunity.

"We wanted to play an up-tempo game," said Blue Devils guard Jon Scheyer. "Really get it and push it and try to get some easy things in transition."

Sometimes those easy things were layups -- and one thunderous dunk by DeMarcus Nelson -- but just as often, Duke's fast breaks found their way to the 3-point line, where the Blue Devils buried shot after shot.

Those 3-pointers began to fall in a flurry midway through the first half, when Duke broke open the game.

Greg Paulus (18 points, 4-for-7 on 3-pointers) got things started with back-to-back threes. Then freshman Taylor King (15 points, 5-for-9 from 3-point range) started shooting, and kept shooting.

By the time halftime arrived, at which point Duke led 48-25, King had used his incredibly quick release and total lack of a conscience to nail four of five 3-pointers. It was King's second straight shooting clinic after playing little in the Maui Classic.

King scored 27 points Sunday against Eastern Kentucky.

"I said, 'Mike, does he even play against us if he doesn't hit those threes on Sunday?"' Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said of King. "He just smiled."

Duke gave its coach more to smile about by battling the much bigger Badgers (5-1) to a near standstill on the boards. Thanks to the gang-rebounding techniques used by the Blue Devils -- Scheyer actually had a game-high nine rebounds -- Wisconsin mustered only a 42-40 advantage in rebounding.

That wasn't nearly enough for the Badgers to compensate for the damage Duke was doing on the perimeter and for the havoc the Blue Devils were wreaking on Wisconsin's vaunted swing offense.

Duke's relentless pressure sped the Badgers up far beyond their comfort zone, often forcing Wisconsin's guards to over-dribble and over-penetrate. The result was 18 turnovers and 36.9 percent shooting for the Badgers.

"Everything that could go wrong, did," Ryan said.

Krzyzewski seemed to recognize that, mentioning multiple times that the two teams were much closer than the final victory margin indicated.

Still, there were numerous reasons for Duke to give itself a pat on the back. The victory was the Blue Devils' fifth in a nine-day stretch. It was the third distinctive style Duke had faced in its last three games -- Marquette's phalanx of guards, Eastern Kentucky's Princeton-style offense and then Wisconsin's swing. The Blue Devils handled them all.

Then there were those theories that Duke debunked emphatically Tuesday night.

"It was a statement game," Scheyer said. "But we've got a lot to prove."

This much has already been proven: The Blue Devils are once again a team to be feared.

Contact Jim Young at 373-7016 or jyoung@news-record.com