DURHAM, N.C. - Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that freshman Kyrie Irving had his right foot placed in a hard cast on Friday. The Duke medical staff elected to immobilize the foot during this stage of the recovery process to completely rest the area and allow for optimal healing.
Irving remains out indefinitely and no timetable has been set for his return.
The Blue Devils return to the court on Saturday, Dec. 11 against Saint Louis at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The game will tip off at noon with CBS televising the contest.
[1 AP / 1 Coaches] Duke (9-0) vs. Saint Louis (3-3)
Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 • 12:00 p.m.
The Opening Tip• Duke faces Saint Louis on Saturday, Dec. 11, at noon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• The game is being televised by CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Clark Kellogg (analyst) calling the action.
• Duke is ranked No. 1 in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, while Saint Louis is unranked in both polls.
• The Blue Devils enter the contest 9-0 on the year, while the Billikens are 3-3 overall.
• Duke has won 19 consecutive games entering Saturday’s contest.
• The Blue Devils are looking to open the season 10-0 for the 13th time under Coach K.
• Duke is seeking its 36th straight win against a team outside of the traditional power conferences (Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC, PAC-10, Big 12).
Duke vs. Saint Louis• Duke is 3-0 all-time against Saint Louis with a 2-0 mark at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• Coach K is 3-0 against Saint Louis.
Toys for Tots• Duke Athletics is proud to partner with Toys for Tots and the Durham Food Pantry this holiday season. The men’s basketball toy/food drive will be held on Saturday, Dec. 11 as the top-ranked Blue Devils host Saint Louis at 12 pm.
• Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys and/or canned food items to the game and place them in the collection bins located in the lobbies and on the concourse of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• The women’s basketball Toys for Tots is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 21 vs. Xavier at 7:00 pm.
Numbers Game
l Mike Krzyzewski ranks third on the all-time wins list with 877 career victories. He is three wins shy of passing Dean Smith as the winningest coach in ACC history.
l Saturday’s game marks Coach K’s 200th game while holding the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll. Krzyzewski is second in NCAA history in games (200), wins (175) and winning percentage (.879) when ranked a top the AP poll.l The Blue Devils have won 19 consecutive games dating back to a 79-72 loss at Maryland on March 3, 2010. Duke has won 27 of its last 28 games.
l Duke has won 36 consecutive games against teams outside the traditional power conferences (Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC, PAC 10, Big 12). Virginia Commonwealth’s 79-77 win over Duke in the 2007 NCAA Tournament was the Blue Devils’ last loss to a team from a non-power conference.
l Duke has only lost two home games in the past four seasons, posting a record of 53-2 in Cameron Indoor Stadium during that span. The Blue Devils currently have a 24-game win streak at home.
l The Blue Devils have won an NCAA-best 82 consecutive non-conference home games. The last home loss against a non-conference opponent for the Blue Devils was on Feb. 26, 2000 against St. John’s, 83-82.
l Duke has won 46 straight home games against unranked opponents. The Blue Devils’ last loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium to an unranked opponent was to Florida State on Feb. 4, 2007.
l Duke has scored 80 or more points in eight games this season. The Blue Devils have won 23 consecutive games when scoring 80+ points. Duke is 490-46 under Coach K when scoring 80 or more points in a game.
l Duke is 77-27 all-time against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents, including a 34-1 mark under Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have won 15 straight games against A-10 opposition.
l Duke is averaging 49.2 ppg. in the second half of play. The Blue Devils are shooting 56.6 percent (142-of-251) from the field, including 55.8 percent (53-of-95) from three-point range after halftime. In Wednesday’s win over Bradley, Duke knocked down 10-of-16 three-point field goals en route to a 51-point half.
l Senior Nolan Smith recorded a career-best 10 assists against Bradley while finishing 0-of-8 from the field. Smith joined Tommy Amaker, Quin Snyder and Steve Wojciechowski as the only players in Duke history to record 10 or more assists in a game without making a field goal. Smith leads the ACC in assists (5.6 apg.) and also ranks in the top 10 in scoring and field goal percentage.
Along with a talented group of offensive linemen, the 2011 Duke recruiting class also features an impressive group of athletes that will bolster the defensive secondary. Among these is Jared Boyd, a 5’9” cornerback out of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Jared was in Durham on an official visit this past weekend and caught up with Blue Devil Nation afterwards.
BDN: Can you briefly recap your official visit to Duke this past weekend? It was great. I loved all of it, everything from start to finish was great. It was actually a lot more than I expected. I got real cool with some of the guys and I feel like we’re really going to bond, which is great. I’m coming there to play, you know, that’s a big thing for me, but team is important to me too. I feel like we have a great team and I can’t wait to be a part of it. We have a great coaching staff, I mean, Coach Cutcliffe, I can’t say enough good words about him. He’s a good man and he’s going to do good things there. I can’t wait to help him and the rest of the coaching staff.
BDN: Who was your host on your visit? Ross Cockrell was my host.
BDN: They keep the corners together, huh? Yes sir, and he knows about playing early, too.
BDN: There were some other commits in the secondary on campus this weekend. Can you talk about your relationship with them? Tim Burton was there and Chris Tavarez. That’s a cornerback and a safety there. We bonded with each other from the beginning. I had known Chris because we went to camps with each other, and same thing with Tim. Me and Tim actually were at the San Antonio Combine right next to each other, going one-on-one drills. Me and him were competing against each other the whole time, and it’s kinda ironic how we ended up committing to play together for the same team in the future. Chris Tavarez, we actually played his team this year. He plays for Westlake, which is in Atlanta, Georgia. We played against each other and there was a lot of trash talking going on that game, but we beat them pretty good, too. He’s a nice guy, so is Tim and a lot of the other guys up there. I just can’t wait to be a part of that team.
BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and where do you think the program is headed? I think we lost 5 games by 5 points or less. There’s no moral victories in football, I know that’s true, but it says something that we’re that close. Just a couple plays in each game and those are wins, easily. We’re easily 7-5 or 6-6, things like that. I think that I have a lot to bring. I’m coming to bring some wins and get this thing on the right track. You know, I’m not that worried about what happened this season because when I come in I expect to win regardless.
BDN: Where do you and the coaches see yourself fitting in with the Duke defense? They need a corner, that’s what I’ve been hearing all this time. I’ve just got to come in there and play my role. There’s nothing special I can say. I’ve just got to come in there and be a baller, come in there and step up to earn the job.
BDN: You played on a very talented team and had a pretty good year. Can you give us a brief recap of your season for us? We really did. It’s kind of unfortunate it ended without us getting a ring, but we had a good season. We ended up 9-2, but were actually 9-0 at one point. Lost the last game of the season and lost in the first round of the playoffs, so that really hurt. I got to play with a lot of good guys and a lot of good talent, so that’s going to really help me when I’m at Duke. We’ve got 10 guys who are D-1 committed already and 5 guys with scholarship offers for 2012, so that’s really big to have that much talent on one team. I’m really disappointed that we couldn’t put it together, but I’m still rooting for those guys and hoping they get it done next year.
BDN: What are your plans for the offseason? What’s next for you? Next weekend I’m playing in the All-County Game here in Georgia. Then I got invited to the All-World Game in South Carolina, so I’m looking forward to going up there and showing my talents against the best.
BDN: When can Duke fans expect to see you on campus? Hopefully in May, that’s when summer school starts so hopefully I get up there in May and get ready to make things happen.
BDN: Thanks so much, Jared. We look forward to seeing you in Durham.
Thanks, you too. Have a nice day.
Blue Devil Nation will continue to bring updates on Duke football’s class of 2011 right up through signing day.
Toiny Parker - BDN Photo Check out what the top Duke prospect has to say in BDN Premium's latest interview
When we last spoke with 2012 big man Tony Parker he was about to visit Duke for their Countdown to Craziness event. Since then the stud big man has been busy with his high school season getting into the full swing of things. Currently Miller Grove High School and Parker are 5-0 including an impressive win against USA Today’s number one team in the country Milton. Tony had a great night with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the win. BDN got a chance to speak with the highly skilled big man and catch up with him a little bit.
BDN: Congratulations on the big win over Milton, the number one team in the country. This was obviously a big victory for you moving forward, can you talk about how this helps your confidence?
TP: Yea definitely it was a big game and a big win. We just had a tough game yesterday as well and we won. We just have to keep playing and move forward and I think we’ll be alright.
BDN: Your [private] team has won back to back state championships and is looking for its third in a row. Can you talk about the pressure and mindset that goes along with that task?
TP: Well to me pressure is only pressure when you don’t know what you are doing on the court. So not really any pressure here. It’s just the fact of keeping our heads level and stay doing what we’ve been doing. Go out and work hard every day. Doing that will get us to where we need to be and have us playing like we should.
BDN: Is there a ‘take one game at a time’ mentality?
TP: Yes sir absolutely.
BDN: Have you had a chance to speak with the Duke coaches recently?
TP: Yea I have. I talked to them before the Milton game. BDN: Who are the lead recruiters for you with Duke? TP: It’s Coach James and Coach Wojo.
BDN: How would you describe your relationship with them?
TP: It’s a pretty good relationship. They came to my school. Coach James came to a lot of my AAU games in July so I know them pretty well.
BDN: Do you talk with any of the current players or commits?
TP: Yea I talk to Quinn Cook a lot.
BDN: Does he speak to you about Duke?
TP: (laughs) Yea yea he does a little bit.
BDN: Have you been able to watch any Duke games on TV this year?
TP: Yea I have. I’ve watched quite a bit of them actually. BDN: Any thoughts on the team?
TP: They look really really good. They play tough. They are keeping their mental toughness. They are playing really hard and have a lot of continuity on offense.
BDN: Is there any sort of time frame yet for a college decision?
TP: No not really.
BDN: What schools do you feel are making you a big priorty?
TP: Probably Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Alabama, Duke, Georgetown, Louisville. Florida State is coming on hard too. They really are recruiting me the same. They call me about every day. It’s about the same.
BDN: Are schools recruiting you more as a power forward or center?
TP: Pretty much both from all schools.
BDN: Do you have a preference in playing back to the basket or face up?
TP: I like to mix it up a lot. It really depends on who’s checking me. With long guys I’ll try and face them up and use my moves. With smaller guys I’ll post them up and use my drop step.
BDN: Appreciate your time, Tony. Congrats again on the big win over Milton.
The Duke Blue Devils pushed their record to 9-0 with a 83-48 drubbing of Bradley despite the fact they are missing starting point guard Kyrie Irving. After the game Coach Krzyzewski said the injury was serious and he would see specialist this weekend.
Andre Dawkins was smoking hot
The soft spoken Andre Dawkins' play screamed on the court this evening as he dropped a career high 28 points and nailed 8 of 14 three point shot attempts. He was just one shy of the record set by Shane Battier. It was also Dawkins' first career start at Duke. His 14 attempts from three were the sixth most in Duke history.
Mile Plumlee goes 7 for 7 from the field
Duke got Miles Plumlee going tonight as the Duke big didn't miss a shot going 7 for 7 from the floor tonight. He pulled down 4 rebounds as well but his brother Mason led the team with 7. One of the things Duke wanted to do in the December games was to get Miles going and tonights game went a long ways towards that goal. Miles earned his second start of the year.
Duke bench solid
The Duke bench outscored their opponent 20 to 5 but in fairness the Braves have had some serious injuries. Josh Hairston got some burn and threw down 4 points and Seth Curry added the same. Duke also hope to get Curry going during the December games but he did have 4 assists and 4 rebounds both career highs.
Nolans Smith dishes 10 dimes
Nolan Smith was 0-8 from the floor and 0-4 from the three point stripe but his 10 assists were huge and he was a big reason for getting Miles Plumlee going inside. Smith's shot was off for sure, but he ran the team well and Duke dished out 22 assists to Bradley's 10. Look for Smith to go off against St. Louis on the offensive end this Saturday.
Dual PG's to one PG
In the post game Krzyzewski mentioned that he had gone from having two point guards to having one and that effects their game plan. If Irving's injury keeps him pout for long, Smith will turn into a pure point guard but let's cross that bridge when more results are in. Duke should grow as a team in Irving's absence.
Lance King Images
Panic will ensue
After Kyrzyewski's comments which you will hear in their entirety below, he mentioned that Irving's injury was serious and that he'd see the best of the best to evaluate his toe injury. Keep in mind that Krzyzewski is going to take precautions with any player who has huge earning potential in the NBA even more-so than normal where he always watches out for his kids. Expect widespread panic once the morning editions of newspapers hit but it'd be wise to sit back and not think the absolute worst. Krzyzewski did say he could be out for the year but we'll take a wait and see approach and I, for one, am optimistic he'll be back in the new year. Call it a hunch. Meanwhile, Duke has three games they should win left on the December schedule.
Coach K's Post Game Press Conference - Just press play -
Along with a talented group of offensive linemen, the 2011 Duke recruiting class also features an impressive group of athletes that will bolster the defensive secondary. Among these is Jared Boyd, a 5’9” cornerback out of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Jared was in Durham on an official visit this past weekend and caught up with Blue Devil Nation afterwards.
BDN: Where do you and the coaches see yourself fitting in with the Duke defense?
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