Jon/Kyle (1st team), Nolan (2nd team), LT (All-Defense) Make All-ACC Teams

Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler were named All-ACC First Team selections, while Nolan Smith grabbed second team honors as voted by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.  Lance Thomas was also tabbed as a member of the media’s ACC All-Defensive Team.

Jon leads the Blue Devils in scoring (18.9 PPG), assists (162), three-point field goals (89), steals (51) and free throw percentage (.889).  He is the league’s only player to rank in the top five in seven statistical categories: scoring, assists, free throw percentage, three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio and minutes.  The Illinois native is tied for second in the ACC with 15 games with 20 or more points scored and has reached double figures in 30 of 31 games this season.

Kyle, a second team selection a year ago, joins Scheyer on the first team, giving Duke two members on the squad for the 10th time under Coach K.  He ranks among the league leaders in scoring (17.2 PPG), rebounds (6.8 RPG), three-point field goals (64), three-point field goal percentage (.386) and minutes (35.7).  The versatile wing has a team-high five double-doubles on the year to go along with 12 games with 20 or more points scored.  He is six points and seven rebounds shy of becoming just the fourth player in Blue Devil history to top 1,600 points and 700 rebounds as a junior.

Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech) and Trevor Booker (Clemson) were also named first team All-ACC.

Nolan is fourth in the ACC in scoring at 17.6 PPG and has 20+ points 14 times this season.  The Maryland native is shooting a team-high 40.4 percent (46-of-114) from three-point range and ranks second on the team in free throw percentage (.789), assists (89) and steals (36).  He has surpassed his scoring total from his first two seasons in 2009-10 and is just two points shy of becoming the 60th player in Duke history to score 1,000-points in a career.

Al-Farouq Aminu and Ishmael Smith of Wake Forest along Tracy Smith (N.C. State) and Sylvan Landesburg (Virginia) join Smith on the second team, while Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech), Dorenzo Hudson (Virginia Tech), Chris Singleton (Florida State), Joe Trapani (Boston College) and Soloman Alabi (Florida State) make up the third team.

LT has anchored the Duke defense throughout the year and was rewarded with all-defensive team honors.  The New Jersey native leads the team with 12 charges taken and is one of the hardest working defensive players in the country.  Lance’s versatility and toughness has helped give the Blue Devils one of their best defensive clubs since the 1949-50 season.  Duke has held 16 opponents to under 60 points in a game, including nine times in league play.  The Blue Devils’ 61.8 points per game scoring defense is the lowest since the 1949-50 season and ranks second in the ACC, while their 27.2 percent three-point percentage defense is among the best in the NCAA.

LT was joined on the all-defensive team by Florida State’s Chris Singleton and Soloman Alabi as well as Booker and Wake Forest’s L.D. Williams.

All-ACC Selections Since 1998
Duke: 39
UNC: 31
Maryland: 26
Wake Forest: 20
Virginia: 16

All-ACC First Team Selections Since 1985
Duke: 32
UNC: 24
Maryland: 15
GA Tech: 13
Wake Forest: 11
NCSU: 11

ACC All-Defense Team Selections
Duke: 13
Maryland: 8
FSU: 7
VA Tech: 5
Wake Forest: 5
UNC: 5
*First awarded in 2000.

DID YOU KNOW? Coach K has produced 35 first-team All-ACC selections.  All other active ACC coaches have combined to coach 32 such honorees.

Duke wins 8th ACC regular-season title in past 14 years

Duke’s 82-50 win over UNC gave the Blue Devils a share of the 2009-10 ACC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the 2010 ACC Tournament.  Both Duke and Maryland concluded regular-season conference play with 13-3 ACC records.

“It means a lot not only to me but to our season class and our whole team,” stated Jon Scheyer about winning the ACC regular-season crown.   “It was something we were close to doing the last couple years so winning it this year means a lot.  We worked really hard for four years to get in this position.”

Added Jon’s fellow senior captain Lance Thomas, “The ACC title is important because it’s not easy to attain.  We have a lot of competitive teams in this conference, especially this year.  Earlier in the year everyone’s record was pretty much the same so if you won you might have one game separation but if you lost you were back in a pile with four or five teams.  It wasn’t easy for us to create that separation.  We struggled a little bit early on the road but we regrouped, got back in the gym.  We found a way to make it work and we fought to get where we are.  It means a lot because we worked for it and it sets the tone for the younger guys for next year so they understand what it takes to get there in this league.  But, we are not done yet.”

This Duke team earned wins against each of the ACC’s top six teams with first place in the conference on the line at some during the year.  Brian Zoubek credits experience as the reason for the squad’s toughness in big conference games.  Said Zoubs, “The difference this year is we have been through it.  We know what we need to do and we’ve tried to impart that on the younger guys and bring them along.  We’ve had a sense of urgency as a senior group.   We don’t want this to end but since it has to we want it to end on a happy note.”

ACC Regular-Season Titles by Active Coaches
Coach K: 12
Roy Williams: 4
Gary Williams: 3
All other ACC coaches: 0

ACC Regular-Season Titles Since 1985
Duke: 12
UNC: 10
Maryland: 3
GA Tech/NCSU/UVA/Wake Forest: 2
Clemson: 1

ACC Regular-Season Wins Since 1997
Duke: 178
UNC: 143
Maryland: 139
Wake Forest: 119
NC State: 92
FSU: 88
UVA: 87
GA Tech: 87
Clemson: 86
VA Tech: 48
Boston College: 40
Miami: 37
*VA Tech, BC and Miami joined the league after 1997 when the league expanded from nine to 12 teams.

Blue Devils pound Tar Heels on Senior Night to win ACC regular-season title

In Pictures — Game Gallery | Crazies vs. UNC | Senior Night Scenes | ESPN GameDay

Top Plays (and Senior Night Footage)

Turning Point

The Blue Devils hit three straight 3’s (one each by Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith) to race out to a 9-3 lead a little over two minutes into the game.  Duke rolled from there, leading by as many as 30 in the first half.

Blue Devil Ballers

Kyle scored a game-high 25 points, which Nolan and Jon added 20 points each (which combining for 12 assists and zero turnovers).  The Blue Devil trio outscored UNC in the game by a 65-50 margin.  Zoubs was also strong in his final home outing, with eight points (4-4 FG) and 13 boards.

Duke Data

17-0 — Duke’s record in Cameron this year, a new Blue Devil record for most wins in a single season at home

8 — ACC regular-season titles won or shared by Duke in the past 14 years, including 2009-10 thanks to the win over UNC

27 — Duke’s lead at halftime, the biggest advantage at the break for either program in the history of the Duke/UNC rivalry

12 — ACC regular-season titles won by Coach K in his 30 years at Duke

.957 — Duke’s free-throw percentage in the game, a season-high (22-for-23)

42 — Consecutive wins by Duke against unranked opponents at home

20-10 — Duke’s record in the past 30 games against UNC

26.4 — Duke’s average margin of victory at home this year…  Duke won every ACC game by at least 12 points and beat every home opponent by double-digits except for St. John’s (a nine-point win)

Coach K’s Comments

“Well we played a full 40 minutes and that was one of the best games we have played all year.  Our defensive intensity was there throughout.  We really cared for the ball offensively.  Our two guards had no turnovers.  Jon had seven assists and no [turnovers] and Nolan had five assists and no [turnovers].  Those three veterans on the perimeter set the stage in the first half with how they passed and moved and worked with one another.  We played really well.  I think we would have been tough to beat tonight against anybody.  Our fans were great.  Our seniors have been such a good group.  They deserve this moment.  I am really happy for them.”

Locker Room Reaction

Obviously the seniors were pleased that the outcome of their final home in Cameron secured an ACC regular-season title, a record undefeated season in Cameron and Duke’s largest all-time margin of victory over UNC in Cameron.  Said LT, “When that game came here, we wanted to give it our best effort and we did.  It hit me [that this is the last home game of his career], but I’m not looking at it as something sad.  The way we took care of business tonight, I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life.    And I want our younger guys to know that this is the level that you have to bring it to.”

Sixth Man

After camping out for as many as five weeks, the Crazies brought their A game.  The DBP decibel meter was in the house and reached as high as 118 db (comparable to a turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 feet) on the Nolan Smith drive and dunk.

Around the Web

Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Duke mauls UNC

Quotes — Player/coach reactions

Big Three Light Up UNC — Singler, Smith, Scheyer score 65

Duke makes a statement – Blue Devils dominate Tar Heels

Cameron Crush — Perfect ending for Duke seniors

Devils stomp Heels — Well-deserved outcome for Duke seniors

UNC gives up without fight — Blue Devils roll in rivalry game

Fitting Goodbye for “Voice of Cameron” — Art Chandler concludes amazing 40-year run as PA voice in style

Growing Together — Jon, LT, Zoubs ready to battle on Senior Night

Notes

*Next up: The ACC Tournament begins Thursday in Greensboro and Duke’s first game will be Friday at noon.  The Blue Devils will face the winner of the BC/UVA matchup (televised on ESPN2).

Fave Photos

Team Starts New Tradition with Tent 1 Pitched in K-Ville for Players

PHOTOS: Tent 1

This year’s occupants of Tent 1 didn’t spend a single night in K-Ville and have never worn a blue wig in Cameron during a game.  But, like the Crazies residing in all the other tents, they did invest significantly in the team and played a most significant role in the 82-50 win over UNC.  In the start of a new tradition, Tent 1 was reserved this year for the Blue Devil players.

The tent, pictured below and called the “Board Room”, was located near the Krzyzewskiville sign in K-Ville.  With an 82-inch ceiling and 96 square feet of floor area, the tent could fit eight people comfortably (and every player except Zoubs, the Plumlees and Ryan could stand upright without touching his head on the roof).

The tent featured several amenities so the players could have some fun in K-Ville with their teammates and the Crazies, including a card table and several decks of cards, eight Nerf guns, lawn bowling, a Nerf basketball hoop, a Duke blue carpet and Blue Devil welcome mat, poker chips and a pop-a-shot (setup just outside the tent).  By the time gameday vs. UNC arrived, the floor was littered with foam bullets, suggesting the Nerf guns were the biggest hit.

Our players stopped by the tent fairly often since the tent was set up several weeks ago, often swinging by after practice or on their way to the gym.  Said Nolan after the UNC game, “The players’ tent was tremendous.  I am not sure if we took it down yet but I wanted to stay in there tonight.  The tent was a great idea and I enjoyed my time playing cards, shooting the Nerf darts and shooting hoops right beside it…  We just want to give back to our fans, our Sixth Man.  They were tremendous tonight, this is what they slept out for.  They were fired up.  To show them we appreciate and love them is what we want to do.”

Lance Thomas designs scoreboard graphics for Senior Night in Cameron

PHOTO GALLERY: LT’s Senior Posters

Lance Thomas’ Senior Night involved more than the traditional senior introduction, intense game, and post-game speech, and started unofficially several weeks ago when he went to work on Photoshop.  The New Jersey native designed customized tribute posters for each senior (Jordan, Zoubs, Jon and himself) that were displayed on the Cameron scoreboard as each senior was announced prior to the game.

Said LT, “I wanted to do something special for the senior class.  I love my teammates, especially the guys that I came in here with and went to battle with.  We’ve been through a lot to get to this point and I wanted to do something special for the guys.   I made a poster for each senior for the scoreboard with their name and number on it.  I did it through Photoshop.  I was very happy with the way it turned out and I actually got to see it on the scoreboard and how it looked.  It was a great moment.  It was a part of an independent study class so I got some credit for it too.  It was all for the guys and I was happy I was able to do it.”

Here are Lance’s designs and his comments about each one…

“For the one with me dunking the ball, I wanted to accentuate the emotion.  I had back-to-back pictures, so I put them together.  I put a cloud in there to go sky high.”

“With Jordan’s, I wanted to show how quick he is.  Jordan is a blur on the court so I put four images as a blur to represent speed.  His turned out really cool.”

“Zoubs’ has a big Z in the background.  I wanted to accentuate the Z because the fans love him and do the Z for him in the stands, and that support has propelled him to play really well.”

“For Jon’s, I put Chicago in the background, the Chicago skyline.  Jon’s one of my closest friends on the team so I wanted to make sure his was special.  It also has stars coming from behind him to represent that he is a trailblazer.  It was nice.”