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(8) Duke 83, St. John’s 76

January 28, 2012

Posted by Dave Bradley under Ballgames

In Pictures |  Game Gallery

Top Plays/Post-Game Reaction

Turning Point

Duke used a 20-3 first-half run to lead 45-29 at the break.  St. John’s closed to within four late in the game but the Blue Devils held on.

Blue Devil Ballers

Duke’s leading scorers were Ryan Kelly (16 points), Mason Plumlee (15 points), Andre Dawkins (14 points) and Austin Rivers (12 points).  Mason hauled in a career-high 17 boards as well.

Duke Data

94 — Consecutive wins by Duke at home against non-league teams

11-0 — Duke’s record this season when scoring at least 80 points

5 — Consecutive opponents Duke has out-rebounded (39-36 was the margin in this game)

Coach K’s Comments

“I didn’t think we played well and St. John’s had something to do with that because they came to play. Those two kids especially [Moe] Harkless and [D’Angelo] Harrison are just outstanding basketball players.  Harkless had a terrific stat line against us. I thought the first half we played well defensively and we have to finish plays.  Quite frankly, we should have had over 60 points in the first half I think we had 45.  Even at the start of the game we missed so many shots inside.  I thought we started the second half well and once we got a lead. Some of it has to do with our kids taking two days off.  This has been a very hard month and you know throughout a season a team goes through energy cycles where for this part of time you have to do this and then you get rejuvenated, but at least they feel like we’re going to win, we’re up by 22 or 20 or 18 or 19 and the execution defensively was not there during the second half and St. John’s stayed in it which shows to their character.  Then you start missing a couple of shots and you got a lot of game pressure on you.  I think our team showed they had game pressure on them, like how are we in this position right now. Well I can tell you, by not playing defensive, not finishing.  That’s what the game does, every game, not just in basketball, but in every game, when you have the opportunity to knock someone out; you have to knock them out especially if the other team is going to keep fighting, like St. John’s would.  If you play a team that doesn’t have that kind of character, you can get away with it. But these kids are striving to build something and they are playing their best basketball. They just beat West Virginia by double-figures and had Villanova.  They feel good about themselves and so you have to stay with it and I don’t think we stayed with it and they did.  We did enough to win, which almost makes me sick to say, I hate saying that.  I hate saying we did enough to win.  That’s not who I am and that’s not who this program is.  We don’t do enough to win.  We play really good basketball and hopefully we win.  And that’s the story.”

Locker Room Reaction

“In the second half, we weren’t as aggressive on the offensive end and our defense was very poor.  When you play defense like that, they start getting good looks and knocking down shots.  They got their confidence going and we kind of tightened up.  We were turning the ball over and not making good basketball plays.”
Ryan Kelly

“It was pretty much an embarrassment to go out there and play well for 20 minutes and then in the second half, be a totally different team.  That’s totally on my shoulders to go out there and try and handle the ball and not turn it over and try and get us in a position to win games.  We didn’t do that.”
Seth Curry

Crazies

Around the Web

Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Duke Holds on to beat St. John’s

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke visits VA Tech on Thursday (7 PM, ESPN).

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They Found Kyrie

January 26, 2012

Posted by Dave Bradley under NBA Devils

Kyrie Irving stars in an entertaining new commercial for ESPN’s NBA coverage.  Glad they found the young phenom so he can continue his impressive rookie campaign…

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(8) Duke 74, Maryland 61

January 26, 2012

Posted by Dave Bradley under Ballgames

In Pictures |  Game Gallery

Top Plays/Post-Game Reaction

Turning Point

Duke trailed 47-46 with 12:54 left but outscored Maryland 28-14 the rest of the way.

Blue Devil Ballers

Mason Plumlee scored a season-high 23 points while grabbing 12 boards and dishing out four assists.  Ryan Kelly scored 14 points and Austin Rivers added 10.

Duke Data

10-1 — Duke’s record in the past 11 meetings with Maryland

94.4% — Duke’s FT% in the game, 10th best in school history and tops since March 6, 2001

40-28 — Scoring margin in the paint (favoring Duke)

Coach K’s Comments

“I’m proud of our team. I thought we beat a very energized, well-prepared team tonight. Maryland played with all their hearts, you could tell. They were quick, their game-plan was well conceived, and they knocked us back 18-10. We started playing better defense the last 10 minutes of the first half, and to start the second half they knocked us back again. The crowd was really into it, and in the last 16 minutes of the game we played really well. In the last 10, we got a lot of those scrum balls, just those tough balls to get. In the last four minutes, the play Mason made was spectacular tonight. I thought his best play was when he got that loose ball, he dove for it with a real sense of urgency. Down the stretch, we really executed well, hit our free throws, and it was a big win for us. Any win on the road is big, they have a great crowd, it was a big night for Maryland basketball, and for our guys to come out on top was really good for our team.”

Locker Room Reaction

“The openings were there and [my teammates] got me the ball.  I kind of struggled the last two games, so I was in need of a game like this individually.  But more importantly, collectively everybody came to play.  We didn’t have any weak links and everybody contributed.”
Mason Plumlee

“We had two really good days of practice leading up to this and prepared for [Maryland].  You’re not going to play against a team that has a greater crowd at their home court and you have to be amped up for it.  For us to respond the way we did was a good sign for our team.”
Ryan Kelly

Around the Web

Box score — Stat recap

AP recap — Plumlee Lifts Duke

Quotes — Coach and player comments

Notes — Team and player updates

Notes

*Next up: Duke meets St. John’s Saturday at noon on ESPN.

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New Uniforms for Duke

January 25, 2012

Posted by Dave Bradley under Center of the Universe

After the team’s shoot-around at Maryland, Duke players were excited to see the new Hyper Elite Platinum jerseys for the first time.  Nike had just unveiled new uniform sets for seven men’s teams including the Blue Devils’ new blue and grey warmups, jerseys, shorts and shoes.  The team will wear the uniforms one time, on February 11th, when Maryland visits Cameron.

Here’s more info:

“Specially designed for Duke men’s basketball and eight other NCAA Championship teams, Nike unveiled its new Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms that the Blue Devils will wear during their Feb. 11 showdown against Maryland in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke will be one of seven men’s teams in the nation to wear the high-performance, low-environmental impact gear. As the latest and most innovative fit system, the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniform is designed at the intersection of sustainability and performance. The uniforms are specially designed for nine NCAA Championship teams that won their national titles wearing Nike footwear and apparel.

The fabric of the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum shorts is made from 100 percent recycled polyester while the jersey’s fabric is made from at least 96 percent recycled polyester. Both short and jersey are tailored for the optimal efficiency of movement and are five percent lighter than the previous Nike Hyper Elite uniform. Featuring laser-cut bonded logos, a sharp platinum design as well as prominent accent colors, the Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms are sure to shine on the court.

“Nike is committed to producing top-of-the-line performance attire with reduced sacrifice to the environment,” said Phil Cook, Nike’s Brand Manager for Basketball. “With our Nike Hyper Elite Platinum design, Nike is maintaining its long-standing obligations to our fans to not only produce the best on-court looks but also a design that makes use of the resources we already have.”

Other teams scheduled to wear the uniforms include The University of Arizona, Baylor University (women’s), University of Florida, University of Kentucky, Syracuse University, The University of Connecticut (men’s and women’s) and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2011, Nike affirmed its commitment to increasing its use of more sustainable materials by doubling its use of recycled polyester, using approximately 440 million PET plastic bottles, enough to cover over 12,000 basketball courts, and 2012 will build off of those successes.

The short includes laser perforations in side panels for increased breathability while featuring a lightweight 4-way stretch woven design. The bonded hem detailing found on the short and the bonded back seam near the neckline on the jersey enhances both comfort and style. Additionally, the front of the jersey features a lightweight Nike Sphere fabric, while the back includes a full Nike Aerographics back panel.

The uniforms will hit the hardwood beginning late-January for some of oldest and strongest rivalries in college basketball.”

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Coach K on Coach Paterno

January 24, 2012

Posted by Dave Bradley under Center of the Universe

Coach K shared thoughtful remarks on the late Coach Joe Paterno in an ESPN interview yesterday, discussing Coach Paterno’s life, legacy and time they shared this summer during their TV special.

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