Many of you are wondering about the injury situation at Duke. Here is the latest as of this afternoon. Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek. Thomas suffered a left ankle sprain in the first half of the game and is listed as day-to-day. Zoubek suffered a broken nose and is day-to-day. Jon Scheyer also suffered an ankle sprain in the second half on Tuesday and Nolan Smith’s status remains unchanged after sustaining a mild concussion on Feb. 25.
Duke remained in the hunt for the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship by defeating a pesky Florida State team 84-81 in their last home game of the 2008-09 season.
Once again, Gerald Henderson stepped up big during a key stretch to help his team win. With Florida State up 76-74 after a Toney Douglas three point shot, "G" drained a three point shot from the corner with 1:41 left in the game to give Duke a one point lead.
After a Toney Douglass miss, Henderson drove into the lane, drew the foul and hit two free throws with 57 ticks left on the clock.
Down three, Douglas missed a three on the other end. Henderson grabbed a long rebound, drove the length of the court ahead of the Noles defense and hit a layup while fouled.
Henderson hit the free throw giving Duke a five point lead with 29 seconds left. Duke rode out the final seconds for a 84-81 win, pushing their conference record to 11-4 setting up the regular season championship game against rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill this coming Sunday.
Florida State was scorching hot from the field, hitting 47.1% of their three point attempts and 50% from the field. Toney Douglas lead all scorers with 27 points to go with his 7 assists. The Noles also got double-doubles from Uche Echefu and Soloman Alabi.
After going into half time trailing 40-34, the Blue Devils erupted for 50 second half points, lead by Henderson with 21 points, 10 rebounds and a team high 5 assists. Kyle Singler had a good game as well scoring 20 points to go with 7 rebounds.
The Blue Devils had to go to their bench early in this game, with Lance Thomas going to the sidelines with a high ankle sprain in less than a minute of play. The Dukies were already playing without Nolan Smith who suffered a concussion and missed his second consecutive game.
The Duke bench responded by outscoring the visitors bench 33-9. Of course, Duke started seniors Marty Pocius, Dave McClure and Greg Paulus. Still, the continued solid play of Elliot Williams provided Duke with some spark. Williams ended the game with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
The most telling stat is one which has become a mainstay of late. Duke committed just 7 turnovers, half that of their opponent. Duke was able to hang on the boards with a tall Florida State team as well as grabbing 36 rebounds to Noles 39.
In a game that had the Cameron Crazies nervous for a good while, Duke protected their turf to go 16-0 in Cameron for the season, tying the 90-91 team for the most wins without a loss in a season.
Duke has now won 256 games in the decade, which is more than any other college program in America. And to think, many media types want to tell you Duke is down.
Another interesting note is that Duke is 11-1 when scoring 80 points or more, with the only loss being to, you guessed it, the team eight miles down the road who they'll play on Sunday.
Krzyzewski's emotion - Coach K continued his emotion of late, encouraging the crowd to chant and firing up his team. The entire Duke staff looked as if they would run to the scorers table at any minute to go in. The upper deck stood on several occasions where emotions were running high. Some were flipping their hats around in rally cap mode, others were screaming in a way that is only appropriate for the team they love. It was nice to see how so many fans ride right along with the team, grimacing or becoming elated on every little thing. Anyhow, make no mistake that the staff's emotion has been critical during the stretch run.
Seniors say their farewells - Duke honored Greg Paulus, Dave McClure and Marty Pocius before and after the game. For the first time in four years, the seniors came back on the court after a win to give their emotional farewells. It was a night when one could see Cameron Crazies linger after the game, taking pictures to preserve memories of their four years. A look around showed one cheerleader sitting on the baseline by herself reflecting on all that she had seen. Another cheerleader was visibly emotional, fighting back tears as if to say, this has been great and I don't want to leave. In the end, all worked out well and the team sent the seniors off in style. It is worth noting that Nolan Smith, always the clown, had a box of tissues in his hand. There were plenty of hugs and lots of smiles for all. It's hard to believe that the next home game is about eight months away. BDN will have more on the game later, including a photo gallery if all works out. So, please check back in.
A quibble- It seems that many season ticket holders have sold their tickets to brokers and some of the locals are not too happy about it. There have been several sections where opponents have sat near the faithful all season long. Many season ticket holders have voiced their displeasure. Not sure what can be done, but I am thankful I don't have to sit beside the more hostile fans as some do. I understand fans from other schools want to come in, but generally they are confined to being behind the visitors bench. The fact that some season ticket holders don't make sure a homer is in their seats will continue to be a problem if nothing is done.
Marty Pocius has decided to forgo his senior season, but he will take with him a Duke degree. He wants to play professional basketball in Europe and will return home to Lithuania. Pocius took time to reflect upon his Duke career this afternoon -
It caught a few by surprise that you would graduate early ...
I just decided to get my degree. Right now, the most important thing for me is basketball and I really want to play. So I will try to figure out where that is and find an opportunity. I got the degree. I accomplished what I wanted.
Have you thought about where you might play ball in the future?
Honestly, not at all. Because we still have a month of the season left and I really haven't given it much thought because I really want to focus on out team and give 100%. I will start to think of that when the season is over. Whatever comes after, comes after.
Was it tough not to play a lot this season?
Every basketball player wants to play as much as he can and have as good a career as possible. For me, things went one way. Maybe if I weren't injured for a couple of seasons it would have been different. It is how it is and I'm just choosing to go back home. There aren't any hard feelings. I love Duke and I will always love Duke. It's a great place with great memories
Do you feel like you are a better basketball player after your Duke experience?
Absolutely. I know I have learned a lot from the experience. Having four years to learn from coaches has helped me to improve as a basketball player. I'm just ready to do it somewhere else. I will try to play basketball for as long as I can and I have a chance to do that.
So, do you think you'll start tomorrow night?
I don't know if I can say anything about that, so ...
What did you major in?
International Computer Studies. It's a flexible major, which I can do anything I want with it.
Was it a tough decision to leave Duke?
Um, you know it's ... of course it's hard to leave. It's been a great four years, but I feel it's the time to move on.
What is the one thing that sticks out in you mind you learned while at Duke?
The work experience. I learned to really work hard no matter what and I think that will definitely help in the future.
Best of luck to you in all of your endeavors ..
Thanks a lot.
It was just over a week ago that many were writing the Blue Devils off after a road loss to Boston College. Duke defeated a game Virginia Tech team 72-65 on Saturday to win their fourth consecutive game and in the process pushed their record to 24-5 overall and 10-4 in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference. Here are some thoughts from the game and the future -
Coach K and his staff were emotional throughout the contest - Yes, Krzyzewski raised his chair before setting it down during one timeout. While that may have seemed unusual, his intent was to get his teams attention. Krzyzewski was at his best and his intensity has picked up of late, but he at no time lost his composure. In fact the staff was intense, each one pushing the right buttons at the right time and each one knowing their role. This years team is one that needs that extra push for intensity and they have adjusted to that need. I can see tremendous growth in first year coach Nate James work as well. James tutoring of freshman Elliot Williams is worth noting.
Duke was cool under pressure-Once again Duke committed just nine
turnovers and the team effectively took the Hokie Nation out of the game after they made a comeback to tie the contest late in the second half. At no time did Duke look shaken. In fact, they looked like a team that was all business even when the game took a turn.
Coach K's move to get Singler involved -Coach Krzyzewski knew that it would be tough to win the game without getting his star Kyle Singler involved. Singler had just two points at the half and Duke ran a clear out for him at the start of the second half. Singler was fouled on the play and from that point on he was a go to guy in the game and finished with 21 points. With Henderson held somewhat in check after the half, Singler was the glue as the game entered crunch time.
Gerald Henderson is on fire - Henderson has flat out been hard to stop down the stretch. He's throwing down authoritative dunks with ease and knocking down his outside shots making him an opposing coaches nightmare in how to stop him. Henderson put the Devils on his back in the first half and no player in the ACC is playing better down the stretch towards the ACC Tournament. Henderson's most impressive stat, IMO, was his 6 assists.
Elliot Williams has become a mainstay -Williams scored just 7 points but hit a key three pointer to put Duke ahead ten. The freshman logged 33 minutes and played solid defense.
Steady as she goes- Jon Scheyer has been a hit at the point guard spot. He had just one assist and threw two turnovers, but that's not bad for a game high 39 minutes of play for the Blue Devils. What I mean is that he is protecting the ball. Scheyer was 4 of 8 from the three point stripe and his free throws helped seal the win.
Dave McClure -This seniors contributions are heard to measure in the box score. McClure is adding some toughness and it's obvious he knows his role in the system. He had 4 rebounds, many coming at very key moments in the contest.
Hokie Nation- Virginia Tech students filled Cassell Coliseum like a wall of fans which was impressive. The crowd was loud and a bit more tame than I expected them to be. With the exception of the usual flings towards Paulus, they behaved. Still, hearing the reaction of some fans and watching Seth Greenberg melt down is proof they don't foul in their minds. It should be noted that Set seemed to apologize for fan reactions to Greg Paulus at games end.
Speaking of fouls - The Blue Devils played the driving lanes beautifully taking multiple charges.
Hats off to Vassalio - A.D. tried to put his team on his back and found many driving lanes for dunks in the Duke defense. But it was his three point shooting which made the game close after Duke had gained a double digit lead.
It didn't help that - The Blue Devils contained Malcolm Delaney holding him to 2 of 12 from the field. Despite his cold shooting, Delaney had a game high 8 assists. Many of those came in that he could not get a clean shot off.
Don't look now but -I told some folks that Duke could win the ACC outright if they won their last three games. Well, now that they won a tough game in Blacksburg, everyone is talking about that. Still, do not look for Duke to look ahead to Carolina game with Florida State coming in on Tuesday.
At least it's ... -Senior Day on Tuesday and that should help with added emotion. Duke fans should salute Greg Paulus and Dave McClure for their accomplishments. A Florida State win would jumble the standings and this is pretty much a must win for Duke with concerns to momentum and ACC Tournament seeding. I think we all know that winning in Chapel Hill on Senior Day will take and extra ordinary effort. Still, you think Krzyzewski will have his team ready with a championship on the line? Okay, first things first for Duke and that means taking out a Florida State team - a program which ruined JJ Redick and Shelden Williams Senior Day.
It's hard to believe -that the season is winding down and there is but a single home game left. It's an exciting time and the lineup changes has made for an interesting finish. At the moment, Duke is not stumbling down the stretch like last season. Anyhow, the ACC Tournament is around the corner and it has the makings for the best one in years. Then there is the NCAA seeding and the "real" season begins. It'll be fun!
I will have more photos up later -
Duke got a big road win at Virginia Tech on Saturday. BDN was in the house and we'll give you our thoughts Sunday morning. So, please check back in.
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