Duke Blue Planet BLOG

Duke advances past Arizona State to NIT Championship Game

In Pictures - Click HERE for game photo gallery

Top Plays

Turning Point

After Arizona State rallied to tie the game with 13 minutes left, Kyle scored consecutive buckets to spark a decisive 19-3 run.

Blue Devil Ballers

Jon Scheyer scored 16 points and dished out six assists in the victory.

Duke Data

11 – Consecutive wins by Duke in the NIT Season Tip-Off

21 – Consecutive wins by Duke in the month of November

11-1 – Duke record in our past 12 games played in Madison Square Garden

.154 – Arizona State’s 3pt FG% in the game (2-13)

Coach K’s Comments

“It was a hard fought game.   We knew it would be that way.   You know, you play four games at home, and you’re running and shooting and things are going easy.   And then all of a sudden, you’re going to be in a possession by possession game against a defense that you haven’t played against before.  And against an offense that’s going to control tempo.  With our team, we’re not a team that can force them by pressing and stuff like that.  I thought after the first five minutes our kids really played well defensively.   You know, the last 35 minutes of the game we gave up I think 38 points.  We do that, we’re going to be put in a position to win.  And they played good defense too.  One of our objectives to start out the game was to limit their threes, so they made two.  I thought our defense after the first five minutes was the key to the ballgame.   And Singler, who was not having good shooting night, after that tim out in the second half, he came out and for him to hit those two buckets right away.  I’m pleased with obviously the outcome but also our efforts against a very good team.  They’re going to cause a lot of people trouble because they can control the ball.”

Locker Room Reaction

The victory gives the squad a chance to face UConn for a championship.  Said Jon, “A championship here would mean a lot because this is like a Final Four or a Sweet 16 since you play two games in three days against two good teams.  We’ll be ready and so will they.”

Sixth Man

Although we didn’t have the full Cameron homecourt advantage, there was a nice turn-out by Duke fans in MSG.  Also, Duke Band alumni from the NYC area brought the instruments back out and gave us a lift.

Around the Web

Box Score – Stat recap

Scheyer Leads Duke – AP game recap

Duke beats Arizona State — Sun Devils are led by former NC State Head Coach Herb Sendek

Notes

*Next up: Duke vs. UConn in perhaps college basketball’s marquee matchup of the young season.  The NIT Season Tip-Off championship game is Friday at 5:00 PM on ESPN.

*Duke and UConn are led by college basketball’s top two active leaders in coaching wins.

Fave Photo - Nolan attacks the bucket against the Sun Devils…

Elton Brand rounding into form, Mike Dunleavy ready to return

Line of the Week

In was more than a week ago, but it’s hard to overlook a performance like the one Carlos Boozer had last week against Toronto.  The powerful post man led the Jazz to a win over the Raptors with 22 points and an amazing 18 rebounds.  In his past six games, Carlos has averaged 22.8 points and 11.2 rebounds, leading the Jazz to a 4-2 record over that span, which included Utah’s first regular season victory at San Antonio in over a decade.

Top Performer

After an injury-plagued start to his career in Philadelphia, we may finally be seeing the return of the explosive, dominant Elton Brand that led the L.A. Clippers within a game of the Western Conference Finals in 2006.  In three games last week, the former Duke National Player of the Year averaged 19.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game.

Dunleavy Cleared to Play!

After sitting out most of last season and the beginning of this one with right knee and hip injuries, Mike Dunleavy, Jr. has finally been cleared to play again for the Pacers.  Coach Jim O’Brien has stated that he will likely not see time this week, just to make sure that he’s in NBA shape when he gets back out on the court.   After a breakout season averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in 2007-08, Dunleavy hopes to build on that performance for Indiana this season.

Duke Blue Planet NBA Fantasy League Update

There has been a lot of turnover in the battle for second place in the fantasy league this season, as three different teams have alternated time at #2, but the top spot has remained the same for several weeks.  Duke continues to enjoy a healthy lead, and with the return of Mike Dunleavy, Jr. a few days away, that lead could become even more impressive.

1. Duke Blue Devils: 3691.0

2. UCLA Bruins: 3465.2

3. UCONN Huskies: 3261.1

4. Florida Gators: 3196.8

5. Arizona Wildcats: 3032.3

6. UNC Tar Heels: 2402.5

7. Texas Longhorns: 1987.4

8. Kansas Jayhawks: 1932.3

9. Kentucky Wildcats: 1605.5

10. Memphis Tigers: 1277.3

Scoring summary: one point for each point scored, 1.5 point for each rebound, two points for each assist, steal or block, 0.5 points for each 3-pointer made, and -1.2 points for each turnover. Field-goal percentage is included by subtracting 0.2 points for each field goal attempt and adding 0.5 points for each field goal made, which would mean you break even by shooting 40% from the field.

Happy Thanksgiving from the 2009-10 Blue Devils…

Blue Devils win NCAA-best 72nd straight against non-conference opponent at home

In Pictures - Click HERE for game photo gallery

Top Plays (& Nolan Smith Postgame Interview)

Turning Point

After Radford grabbed a 13-10 lead early, the Blue Devils responded with a 28-6 run.  The Highlanders used a zone defense for much of the first half in an attempt to protect their talented frontcourt players and our shooters responded, burying 13 first-half triples.

Blue Devil Ballers

Nolan Smith and Andre Dawkins each scored a team-high 20 points.  Nolan also dished out seven dimes while Dre connected on six of his eight three-point attempts.  Jon Scheyer was solid at the point, scoring 18 points and recording seven assists (and zero turnovers).

Duke Data

18 – 3′s made by Duke in the game, matching the all-time school record

0 – Turnovers this season by Jon Scheyer

25 – Assists by Duke on 35 made field goals

3 – Duke players in the game with seven assists (Jon, Nolan, Kyle)

Coach K’s Comments

“I am impressed with their team.  I thought we beat a really good team today.  We shared the ball so well.  We had 35 buckets and 25 assists.  For our veteran perimeter, each guy had seven assists and only five turnovers [combined].  It was very good.  That was one of the reasons we played so well.  We connected on passes.  We were connecting shots.  There was rhythm, a really good rhythm.  Andre coming off and shooting the way he did…he got them all in rhythm.  It says a lot for our veteran guys.  They got him the ball.  I love my team.  They are very unselfish, a very unselfish basketball team.”

Locker Room Reaction

The media asked the guys mostly about the three-point barrage (18-32 3pt FG for the game), and the team’s unselfish play overall.  Said Nolan, “This team has great chemistry.  We’re playing together, having fun and making connecting plays.  If it’s me passing to Kyle and my teammate makes the shot, I feel like I made the shot.  That’s just how this team is.  We’re having so much fun doing it.”

Sixth Man

The Crazies were loving Andre’s great performance, chanting “DRE ALL DAY” after his fifth three-pointer of the day.  Dre clearly felt the love, breaking into a big smile out on the court and waving his arms.  The freshman guard said afterward, “That was amazing.  You watch guys have that experience on TV and you just wish you could be there one day.   I just got kind of caught up in the moment.  It was fun.”

Around the Web

Box Score – Stat recap

Duke Rolls – AP game recap

3′s Lead Duke — Blue Devils fired away against Radford’s zone D

3-Point Spree Sinks Radford — Devils have fun from downtown

Notes

*Duke scored 104 points, marking the 104th time under Coach K that the Blue Devils have reached the century mark.

*Next up: We’ll face Arizona State in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Wednesday on ESPN2.

Fave Photo – A little shout-out to this group of Crazies… They’ve brought great energy while leaving their shirts at home the past three games.  We see you!  Thanks!

Our Crazie blogger Zach White provides the latest update from the student section

Hey Duke Fans!

Well it’s been a busy few weeks since I’ve last written.  Our boys have played four more games, three of them have been in the last week… and needless to say I have completely lost my voice.

There have been several themed games, including Freshman Night, Greek Night, and Club Sports Night.  These have contributed to a PACKED Cameron Indoor Stadium, with extremely rowdy crowds.  Fans have been loud, creative, and supportive.  The coaching staff has offered seats directly behind the bench to the Crazie with the best sign at every game.  I’ve seen some pretty good ones, including some girls having “Single ladies for Singler,” and “Nolan: be my date to our Crush Party!”

I’ve had my fun in Cameron these last few games.  During pregame warm-ups, a Findlay player promised me that if I “friended him” on Facebook, he would accept.  Strangely enough, he hasn’t responded to my friend-request yet.  During the Charlotte game I attempted to make small-talk with a ref before the game.  I introduced myself, and the gentleman gave me a fist-pound, but declined to let me know his name.  Naturally, within the next few minutes I changed into my referee uniform which I happened to have on hand.  During the game, the Crazies assured our new friend (after several calls that went towards our opposition), that if he needed a break, I would be happy to take over.

It appears as though we have some future Crazies on the way, too!  Coach K’s grandson, Joey, had his 10th birthday party at the UNCG game. If you think 13 ten year olds can’t be intimidating… think again.

There is an increasing buzz around campus about our team.  Here’s what I’m hearing:

-Scheyer and Singler are comforting to have on the floor.  Not only are they explosive scorers, but they both make every player around them better.

-Lance has stepped up as a clear team leader, and his strong defense is going to be a huge tool for us especially in the rigorous ACC play.

-Miles has progressed tremendously over the offseason. And wow, he sure knows how to throw down some nasty dunks.

-It was devastating to lose Mason due to his wrist injury. Hopefully he can return as good as ever.

-Nolan’s silliness is second only to his performance in the Charlotte game. He came back with an intensity level that I haven’t seen since Gerald tore apart Maryland last year.

-It has become completely acceptable to refer to any Duke student who has a beard as “Little Zoubek.”

-Olek has played great and has kept us all very “entertained.”

We play Radford tomorrow.  The Crazies will surely come up big, and hopefully over Thanksgiving break I will recover my voice, only so I can lose it again vs St John’s.

Zach