Duke's toughness is the reason they may actually make a Final Four this year

This is not your typical Duke team.

You see, 'Duke' has become synonymous with 'soft' in recent years. The Blue Devils have had talented players, that's not what was being questioned. What the Dukies didn't have was that mean streak. They didn't defend like a Final Four team. They didn't rebound like one. They settled for far too many threes.

You didn't fear playing Duke. You didn't go into a game against the Blue Devils thinking "win or lose, I'm going to be sore tomorrow" like you do with a West Virginia or a Kansas State.

Is it safe to say that's changed now?

There's an argument to be made for Brian Zoubek being Duke's most valuable player.
(photo credit: ESPN)

There may not be a tougher player in the country than Chris Kramer.

The guy is built like a bowling ball and plays the game like a middle linebacker. He isn't afraid of contact, relishing the role of defensive stopper for a team that prides themselves on allowing nothing easy on that end of the floor.

Yet it was Kramer that found himself laying on the court twice as a result of a big screen from Brian Zoubek, the second of which seemingly knocked Purdue's tough-guy into la-la land.

There may not be a better example of this change in demeanor than Zoubek.

Before the season started, if I would have called Brian Zoubek 'tough' or a 'mean SOB', you would have laughed in my face, and rightfully so. He was the seven footer that flopped more than Manu Ginobili, a gangly mass of flailing arms that wouldn't know a post move if it punched him in the face.

But this year, Zoubek is a guy that you don't want to play against.

Zoubek has always been big, but big only gets you so far if you are afraid to throw your weight around. Zoubek still has no offensive game to speak of, but Duke doesn't need offense out of him. They have Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith to get them buckets.

What Zoubek does is set a tone inside. He crashes the glass, averaging 10.2 rpg -- with 4.1 of those coming on the offensive end -- over his last 13 games. Is it any wonder that during that stretch, Duke has allowed more than 61 points just twice while going 12-1? Since postseason play began, the Blue Devils have allowed just 55.6 ppg, 5.4 points below their season average.

Keep this in mind -- toughness isn't just a physical attribute.

There is something to be said for being mentally tough.

The first half of last night's game between the Blue Devils and the Boilermakers was about as ugly as basketball gets. The game had no flow, as Duke slugged their way to a 24-23 lead. The Blue Devils shot just 24% from the floor with Jon Scheyer and Nolan SMith combining to go 2-16 from the field.

Because you know eventually, Duke's big three are going to get it going. And in the second half, they did. Smith, Scheyer, and Singler -- which sounds more like a law firm than a starting back court -- scored the first 25 Blue Devil points in the second half. And after Smith scored seven straight in the span of 1:21, Duke took a 49-40 at the eight minute mark. Purdue would get no closer than six the rest of the way.

And whether you like the cliche or not, it takes mental toughness to suffer through a poor shooting first half like that and still have enough confidence to hit big shots late.

In last year's Sweet 16, the Blue Devils found themselves down 26-23 to Villanova at the half. They tried to run with the Wildcats in the second half, and only managed to run themselves off the court, losing 77-54.

Last night, Duke out-grinded a team known for their ability to win a physical slugfest.

And that right there is the difference in this Duke team, the reason the Blue Devils have a very real shot at getting to the Final Four that has eluded them since 2004.