Duke Blue Planet BLOG

Scheyer Nets 22, Smith Adds 19, Duke Improves to 10-1

In Pictures - PHOTO GALLERY

Top Plays

Turning Point

After LBSU scored the first bucket of the game, the Devils embarked on a 27-7 run and led by at least 13 the rest of the way.

Blue Devil Ballers

Jon Scheyer scored a game-high 22 points, while dishing out seven assists (without a turnover).  Nolan Smith scored 19, also with seven assists and zero turnovers.  Brian Zoubek was strong inside, recording a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds, 5-5 FG) in 25 minutes of action.

Duke Data

10 – Duke blocks, most by the Blue Devils in a game since 2007-08

.577 – Duke’s 3pt FG% in the game (15-26)

26% – Brian Zoubek’s NCAA-best offensive rebound percentage on the year (a measure of the percentage of possible offensive boards he grabs while on the floor)

35 – Consecutive home wins by Duke against unranked teams

Coach K’s Comments

“I thought we beat a good team tonight, a team that’s trained hard, probably harder than anyone in the country.  Initially I thought we played great.  We let up defensively once we got a really commanding lead and we never got back to the level of defense that we played at the beginning of the game till the end of the game.  I thought our two backcourt kids (Nolan and Jon) were terrific to have 14 assists and 0 turnovers in this game.  They have good quickness and they just took good care of the ball.  Overall, I thought we played well or else we wouldn’t win.  They (Long Beach State) keep a lot of pressure with their quickness.  We did a good job on (T.J.) Robinson because he’s actually been 18 and 13 and he’s done it against Kentucky and Notre Dame, West Virginia and UCLA and Clemson.  That’s the schedule that these guys have played, so they weren’t in awe of anybody.  They weren’t going to back down. I thought, especially in the second half, they played really well.  Coming off the break, overall I thought we did well.  We did a good job.”

Locker Room Reaction

After a 10-day layoff for the holidays, the Blue Devils were happy to get back to business in Cameron.  Said Nolan, “The whole game, we were excited to play, but especially the first half because it was the first game in 10 days.  Everybody was excited, ready to get after this team, especially seeing the teams that they played…  I’m happy with any win, pretty or ugly.   I just love to win.  As a team, we know there are things we can do to get better.  We have Penn, which will be our next game to get ready for the ACC, and we need to go out there and really turn it up more than we did tonight.”

Sixth Man

With the students still on break, Cameron was packed with a number of fans who don’t get inside for games as often.  Several recent Crazie grads were spotted in attendance and leading the traditional cheers.  A caveman appeared in the student section as well.

Around the Web

Box Score — Stat recap

AP recap — Smith, Scheyer combine for 41

Duke Makes the Extra Pass — 14 assists, zero turnovers for Scheyer/Smith backcourt

3-pointers lift Duke — News & Observer recap

Quotes — Player reactions

Notes

*This happened for possibly the first time in history during a game in Cameron.  Our managers hustled to track down a replacement ball.

*Duke jersey retiree Mike Gminski was in the house and on the call for Fox Sports South.

*Next up: Duke closes out the calendar year on Thursday when Penn visits Cameron (6:00 PM, ESPN2).

Fave Photo

Blue Devils Roll Past Bulldogs in Marquee Matchup at MSG

In Pictures - PHOTO GALLERY

Top Plays

Turning Point

After Gonzaga scored to take a 10-8 lead with 9:43 left in the first half, the Blue Devils responded with an 11-0 run and never looked back.  The Duke lead grew as large as 38 in the second half.

Blue Devil Ballers

Nolan Smith scored 24 points (10-18 FG, 3-3 3pt) while dishing out three assists, and Jon Scheyer recorded 20 points and eight assists.  Brian Zoubek had a solid outing too, providing great defense and a strong presence in the paint.

Duke Data

44 – Combined points scored by Jon and Nolan

41 – Points scored by Gonzaga, the school’s lowest total since 1984

6 – Consecutive Duke wins at Madison Square Garden (aka Duke North), including 3-0 this year

21-6 – Coach K’s all-time record at Madison Square Garden

Coach K’s Comments

“You can’t let offense dictate defense.  Because we have veteran players, they understand defense.  This is the first team in seven or eight years that really understands our defense so well, not individually, but together.  Lance played a great game today. The kid (Elias) Harris, I thing he is a really good player, and Lance did a great job on him.   Obviously, (Matt) Bouldin is a great player and Kyle did a great job on him.  They talk it out.  It is not a new assignment.   They actually talk to each other when we go through a walk through.  It is kind of like, not on that level, how our Olympic team is.  They have been in these situations a lot.  They talk about defense.   It is just a very mature way of doing that.   The kid who really hasn’t gotten much attention for us, is Zoubek.  Brian has had a hell of a year so far.  Our veteran guys, they just know how to play.  That veteran group, in the first half, did not let them score when we got that double-digit lead.”

Locker Room Reaction

Several former Blue Devils stopped by the locker room after the game to say hello while the team packed up and the players met with the media.  Among the alums who dropped in were former point guards Jason Williams, Chris Duhon, and Greg Paulus.  Jon was asked about putting on a show for the alumni PG’s and he responded, “I didn’t know who was here until after the game and that’s a good thing because you play a little differently if you do.  I’m not one of those guys.  They were obviously great guards and it was fun for Nolan and I to have a game like that.  Nolan and I have a special chemistry.”

Sixth Man

As usual, our December “home” game in New York included a pro-Duke crowd at Madison Square Crowd (announced attendance was 14,554 — Mostly rooting for the Blue Devils).  The Blue Devil was in the house, the cheerleaders made the trip, the alumni band was hard at work, and a couple of Duke fans even got a high-five from Nolan after a second-half three-pointer.  Having played in and won three games in MSG this year, the storied venue definitely feels like our house.

Around the Web

Box Score — Stat recap

AP recap — Devils hold Zags to lowest point total in 25 years

D in Duke — Defense carries the day (by ESPN’s Andy Katz)

Devils Old Guard Watches Rout — NY Times on the guard reunion at MSG

Quotes — Coach and player reactions

Notes

*A number of former Duke players were in attendance at the game.  In addition to previously mentioned Chris Duhon, Jason Williams and Greg Paulus, Alaa Abdelnaby, Matt Christensen, Andy Means and Kenny Dennard were also at the Garden.

*Next up: The players have a break for the holidays until December 26th.  Our next game is December 29th at home against Long Beach State (7:00 PM, Fox Sports South).

Fave Photo

Blue Devils Move to 8-1, Scheyer Nets Career-High 36

In Pictures - PHOTO GALLERY

Top Plays

Turning Point

Jon Scheyer made his first seven shots and the Blue Devils outscored Gardner-Webb 30-10 during an 11-minute stretch in the first half that pushed the score to 47-26 with 2:06 left.  Duke had a season-high 27 assists, shot 65% from the floor and never trailed.

Blue Devil Ballers

Jon Scheyer had one of the best games of his career, scoring a career-high 36 points while adding nine assists and grabbing eight boards.  Six Devils scored in double figures in the ball game.

Duke Data

13 – Number of field-goal attempts by Jon needed to score 36 points (11-13 FG, 7-9 3pt, 7-7 FT)

64 – Second-half points scored by Duke

23 – Season-high turnovers forced by Duke

21 – Consecutive free throws made by Jon

Coach K’s Comments

“I was pleased with our team.  I thought we played very hard and I thought Gardner-Webb played very hard.  I was pleased, coming off this break, with the enthusiasm and some of the sharpness we had offensively.  In the time that we have had to practice we’ve been working on a little bit more offense than defense to get into a better flow.  I thought we had that today.  Jon’s performance was spectacular.  To get 36 points with 13 shots is about as good as you can get.  Plus he had nine assists so that means he passed up shots to get his teammates shots.  And then he got eight rebounds.  He had a great game.  I was really pleased with Andre, going through the week he’s going through and being away and coming back Saturday night.  Dealing with the tragic death of his sister, I thought his performance was outstanding and he’s been that way in the two practices we’ve had.  The big guys did well.  Brian really asserted himself and was strong.  Overall I thought it was good.  We got a few guys banged up so we have to deal with that, but everyone was able to play so that’s a good thing.”

Locker Room Reaction

Jon Scheyer: “It was a fun night.   We haven’t played for awhile, so I was just excited to get out there and play.   I guess for all the ones that went in and out [in prior games], tonight those replaced those shots.  I’ve been working really hard on my shot.  The last ten days, since we haven’t had a game, it’s given us a lot of time to work on our individual games and some shooting and getting in better shape.”

Sixth Man

The winter break games provide fans from all over the country with the chance to purchase tickets in the student section and see the Blue Devils live with most of the students home for the holidays.  This fan took advantage of the opportunity.

Around the Web

Box Score – Stat recap

Back to Basketball — An emotional night for Andre

Scheyer’s career night leads Duke – And it is great to have Dre back as well

Scheyer Shoots Lights Out – More on Jon’s outstanding outing

Quotes — Coach and player reactions

Notes

*Next up: Duke Airlines leaves Thursday night for another trip to New York City and another marquee matchup in the world’s most famous arena.  No. 7 Duke and No. 15 Gonzaga meet at 4 PM Saturday on CBS in Madison Square Garden.

Fave Photo

Blue Devils Improve to 7-1 with Victory Over Big East Foe St. Johns

In Pictures - PHOTO GALLERY

Top Plays

Turning Point

A 14-2 Duke run after St. John’s had cut our lead to four with about 10 minutes left put the game out of reach.

Blue Devil Ballers

Kyle Singler scored 17 points and Nolan Smith added 16.  Big guys Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek were strong inside, combining for 22 points and 15 boards.

Duke Data

17-0 – Duke scoring run midway through the first half

41-31 – Duke rebounding advantage in the game

8.4/1 – Jon Scheyer’s A/TO ratio on the year (he had six dimes, zero TO’s in the game)

46 – Consecutive Duke home wins in the month of December

Coach K’s Comments

“I’m proud of my team.  It has been a rigorous stretch for us these last four games.  The NIT, at Wisconsin …we got back at four in the morning on Thursday.  We played against as athletic a team that we have faced all year.  They have seven kids who are juniors, who know how to play…  They just know how to score.  In saying that, in the first half, our defense was magnificent.  I thought we had a chance to be up more.  We missed some opportunities in execution.  I think we are a little bit mentally and physically tired right now.  They [St. John’s] make you that way, too, by the way.  We would play great, then there would be a stop in play with a timeout called or a television timeout, then we didn’t execute it as well.  To me, that shows that we are a little mentally tired.  And again, they are going to make you mentally tired.  Jon [Scheyer] to have six assists and no turnovers in this game is remarkable.  Our two guards Nolan [Smith] and Jon [Scheyer] had nine assists and no turnovers against the best ball pressure we have faced so far.  Their team [St. John’s] plays really good man-to-man defense.  They have good character.  I think they are a very good basketball team.  Obviously, they were undefeated coming in here.  Besides caring for the ball, because we only had eight turnovers, the story was also Lance [Thomas] and Brian [Zoubek].  To get 22 points and 15 rebounds … they have been in a fight before.  This was like a big conference game.  It’s a fight early in December.  I thought they did extremely well.  So I’m pleased with the win and to come back with that type of vigor after a really tough loss at Wisconsin and getting back so late.  It was a really good performance by our team.”

Locker Room Reaction

Nolan on the performance of the post players: “We’ve definitely started to count on our bigs more, and they’re ready to play.  We’ve concentrated on that in practice and the film sessions.  So whether it’s a penetrate and kick or an inside out, it will just make our offense a lot easier.  It’s just a mentality.  Our perimeter, with Jon, Kyle and me, we know we’re going to take shots and be aggressive, but we know we’ll get better shots if we use [our big men].”

Sixth Man

There was a holiday feel in Cameron tonight with Santa in attendance, along with this Crazie excited for the season of giving.  Fortunately, Santa delivered on this Crazies’ wish list item (Thunderbird is the SJU mascot).

Around the Web

Box Score – Stat recap

Big Men Shine – Seniors LT and Zoubs productive in the paint

Blue Devils Go Inside – Duke “mucks it out”

Quotes — Coach and player reactions

Notes

*Next up: Blue Devils take next week off for exams before returning to the court on December 15th for a 7 PM game against Gardner-Webb on ESPN2.

Fave Photo - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Wisconsin Hands Blue Devils First Loss in ACC/Big 1o Challenge Game

In Pictures - Click HERE for game photo gallery

Turning Point

Wisconsin never trailed but the Blue Devils had three possessions to tie the game in the closing minutes thanks to a barrage of 3′s by Andre Dawkins.  The Badgers sealed it with a free throw to push the lead to four with three seconds left.

Blue Devil Ballers

Kyle Singler scored a career-high 28 points in the game and Andre was 4-for-4 from downtown.

Duke Data

10-1 – Duke’s all-time record in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge (loss snapped our 10-game win streak in the event)

10-1 – ACC’s all-time Challenge record (Big 10 wins for the first time this year)

Coach K’s Comments

“You have to communicate really well against (the Wisconsin offense) and play passing lanes well.  And their offense beat our defense.  Their offense was better than our defense…  We lost to a team that played, I thought, an outstanding game.  Great crowd.  Great team.”

Locker Room Reaction

Jon Scheyer: “I don’t think we did a good job of just staying patient.  They did a good job, didn’t give us a lot of open looks and there just wasn’t much there.  We need to know that every game we play, no one’s going to give us a game, every team’s going to fight.”

Around the Web

Box Score – Stat recap

Duke Falls at Wisconsin – AP game recap

Notes

*Next up: St. John’s visits Duke on Saturday for a 3:30 matchup on ESPN2.

Fave Photo – Some Blue in a sea of red…