Blue Devils roll past Charlotte and into semifinals of NIT Season Tip-Off next week in the Big Apple...
In Pictures – Game photo gallery
Top 5 Plays
Turning Point
We raced out to a 20-6 lead and never looked back.
Blue Devil Ballers
Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler combined to outscore UNCC 61-59.
Duke Data
57 – First-half points by Duke
24 – Points scored by Nolan Smith in his first game of the season
14 – Assists by Jon Scheyer on the season
0 – Turnovers by Jon on the year
Coach K’s Comments
“Well we played very well tonight on both ends of the floor. I thought our defense set the tone for the whole game in that we didn’t give up fast breaks. [Dijuan] Harris is really a good guard. Lance and then Ryan did a good job of helping Nolan in making them a half court team. And then in the half court I thought Jon and Kyle and Nolan, their experience on the perimeter did not give them open shots. Then Andre came in and he did well defensively. I was most impressed with our defense tonight. They didn’t show it tonight, but they have really good three-point shooters. Harris was third in the country in assists last year, but Nolan did a good job on him. And then our big guys, I don’t know if they can do that every night, but when you combine the two of them they have 24 points and 24 rebounds. That was an amazingly productive night. I know Nolan and Jon are happy to be together again and also Kyle. Those three guys on the perimeter are the strength of our basketball team. I thought everyone did a good job tonight. We beat a good team pretty soundly tonight.”
Locker Room Reaction
Everyone was pleased to see Nolan make a statement in his first game back. Clearly, it’s a different team with the Maryland native in the lineup. Said Jon about Nolan, “He is in a great state right now. He knows what he needs to do and he is very comfortable. We have good chemistry on the perimeter… Nolan is playing with swagger and that gives our whole team swagger too.”
Sixth Man
The Crazies had a lot to cheer about with the Blue Devils pouring in 101 first-half points and pulling off some highlight-reel plays throughout the game. A group of Crazies in the front of the student section definitely deserves a shout-out with the full “KRZYZEWSKI!” painted letter-by-letter.
Around the Web
Box Score – Stat recap
Smith Sets Career High – Nolan’s strong season debut
Smith Powers Devils — Nolan leaves a mark with his return to the lineup
Notes
*With the win, we advance to the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals next week in NYC. We will play Wednesday and Friday in Madison Square Garden, with Arizona State, LSU and UConn also heading to the Big Apple.
*Next up: We’ll face Radford Saturday at 3 PM in Cameron.
Fave Photo
