Duke Blue Planet BLOG

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Top Plays/Post-Game Reaction

Turning Point

After falling behind by 20 with 11:30 left, Duke used rallies of 13-0 and 20-3 to take over the game.  The Blue Devils took the lead for good on an Austin Rivers 3pt FG with 2:26 left.

Blue Devil Ballers

Seth Curry scored 21 of his career-high 26 points in the second half.  Austin Rivers added 16 points in the comeback win.

Duke Data

16 — The Blue Devils overcame a 16-point halftime deficit for the largest halftime comeback under Coach K

37-12 — Duke scoring margin over the final 11:33 of the game

5 — Turnovers by Duke (season low)

14 — Consecutive wins by Duke over NC State in Cameron

Coach K’s Comments

“That was an amazing win.  They thoroughly outplayed us for about 29 minutes and then we thoroughly outplayed them for 11.  They were really good, and we were great in the last 11 minutes.  It was really one of the more amazing games that I’ve been a part of.  I thought our fans were terrific.  They never let us die, I thought it was one of those games in Cameron where the fans and the players were one, and I think that was a huge part of the basketball game.  Seth [Curry] was incredible, they had a hard time defending him on the wing, and he was really strong with the ball, everyone thinks of him as a shooter, but he was really strong with the ball and made plays.  He and Austin [Austin], we had a couple of things that kept working and we used our timeouts judiciously instead of four minute segments kind of going in two minute segments, but not to take full time outs, just to keep the momentum, but get squared away.  We got it down to one possession with under five minutes and I think we called a timeout just to tell our guys don’t press anymore, just play solid defense just so we wouldn’t foul them.  We’ve had a team that’s played so hard for six and a half, seven minutes like that, our kids were able to go to another mode and they did that.  They came out of timeouts really, really well. It’s really a special win, wow, special win.  It’s tough to say anything else.”

Locker Room Reaction

“When we made that run I could feel it.  I could just feel it.  I felt confident.  I love those games.  I love those situations.  It’s a tie game, two minutes left – that’s what you play basketball for, and I think that’s what a lot of guys on our team love to do, and I think that’s why we won this game.”
Austin Rivers

“We were just trying to push the ball and get a fast tempo.  Every time we got a stop and a rebound, we were trying to push it up and just attack the paint, get to the free throw line, and get good shots off.  The biggest thing was that we tried to do was to get stops, because they were scoring in our paint a lot.”
Seth Curry

Crazies

Around the Web

Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Curry Leads Duke

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke travels to Boston College for a Sunday matchup on ESPNU (6 PM).

Fave Photo

At the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting on Tuesday, Coach K and his family were honored as the city’s Civic Honor Award recipients.  The honor has been given by the chamber since 1933 to people who have made “extraordinary contributions” to the community.

Since moving to Durham in 1980, Coach and Mrs. K have been consistent in giving back.  The best example is the Emily K Center which now serves 1,500 people a month in downtown Durham, serving as a community hub for tutoring, academic guidance, sports, theater and more.

“Coaching a national team for the US, you get an opportunity to be with people from all over the world,” said Coach K.  “In every interview I do, where they (ask where I’m from), I say, ‘I’m from Durham, N.C.’  How good is that to be able to not only say it, but feel it?”

Coach K received the award with Mrs. K and daughters Debbie Savarino, Lindy Frasher and Jamie Spatola.  Around 800 community leaders attended the function, including a number of Duke employees and members of the Duke Basketball staff.

In the News

Krzyzewskis Emotional in Accepting Award

Coach K, family honored

2010 national champion Brian Zoubek tweeted during the Maryland game, “Miles having a monster game.  What is it about those home Maryland games?”

Almost two years to the day, Zoubs enjoyed a career game against the Terps with 16 points and 17 boards.  The victory propelled the big man into the Duke starting lineup and ultimately helped spark Duke to the 2010 national championship.

Against Maryland on Saturday, Miles followed suit with 13 points and a Coach K-era record 22 rebounds.

“Miles was fabulous,” said Coach K after the game.  ”That’s the most rebounds any player has ever had that I have coached in 37 years in a ball game.  As I told Miles, I’ve coached some pretty good players.”

A pair of interesting feature articles recently written about freshman Austin Rivers…

From the Roanoke Times: “Duke’s been the best place for me, and I think it’s because it’s been the toughest place to be.  They’re going to be on you the most.  They’re going to make you work the hardest.  I think it’s harder to go to Duke.  At the end of the day, it helps you become more of a man and it helps you become a better player.  And I think you win more at Duke,” Rivers said with a laugh.

From the Orlando Sentinel: “[My coaches] challenged me.  I think at other colleges it wouldn’t have happened.  They would have just let me figure it out.  This makes you better.  They’re not going to give you anything.  That’s the main reason I said when I committed here that I did: because they’re not going to let you get away with anything.”

In Pictures |  Game Gallery

Top Plays/Post-Game Reaction

Turning Point

Duke closed the game on a 13-2 run to pull away.

Blue Devil Ballers

Seth Curry led Duke with 19 points while Mason Plumlee contributed 16 points and 10 boards.  Miles Plumlee scored 13 points in the game, while grabbing a Coach K-era record 22 rebounds.

Duke Data

32 — Rebounds in the game by Mason and Miles Plumlee, one fewer than the entire Maryland team

9 — Offensive rebounds by Miles, exceeding the rebound total of any single Maryland player in the game

5 — Consecutive wins by Duke over Maryland

2 — Combined 3pt FG’s made by Duke’s last two opponents (the Blue Devils have made 23 3′s in the games against UNC and Maryland)

Coach K’s Comments

“We are very pleased with beating a very hungry and determined Maryland team.  They had a setback obviously with [Pe'Shon] Howard going down and Mark [Turgeon] is a terrific coach and his kids played us so hard up there that we knew they’d be ready for us. I thought they played really well defensively against us in the first 10 minutes, actually throughout the first half.  In the second half we started running some things with more efficiency.  In the second half, the story is more rebounds and no turnovers. We had eight turnovers in the first half and only one in the second half. We did a great job on the board and Miles [Plumlee] was fabulous. That’s the most rebounds any player has ever had that I have coached in 37 years in a ball game, and I told Miles, I have coached some pretty good players. He ends up diving for the ball, and I think for the first time in his life when he dove he threw the ball to his own team, so he was on a roll, literally and figuratively. To get 22 rebounds in a basketball game is phenomenal, just phenomenal.  Mason [Plumlee] got 10, so the Plumlees have 32 rebounds, and that was the difference in the ball game.  I thought Seth [Curry] really came through for us in tough situations.  When they got it down to four, we called a time-out and called a set up where he would get a shot off or fouled.  He hit both free throws.  A big week for us to come back after that huge game in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, the crowd was great and packed and to get these two wins is terrific for our team.”

Locker Room Reaction

“We played with energy, we played hard, and when we do that, we’re going to play well on defense and on offense.  It showed up in the little things – we got loose balls, offensive boards, and just kind of put the game away.”
Miles Plumlee

“When our big men are scoring in the paint, they get a lot of attention and they kick out, and we get some good shots.  Miles did a good job on the boards, getting putbacks and second shots for us.  We just played a good team game today.”
Seth Curry

Crazies

Around the Web

Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Curry, Plumlees Push Duke Past Maryland

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke meets NC State in Cameron on Thursday night (9 PM, ACC Network).

Fave Photo