Monthly Archives: February 2011

Duke Basketball

N.C. State at Duke Game Notes

Nolan Smith - LKI

Game 23 [5 AP / 5 Coaches] Duke (20-2, 7-1 ACC)  vs. N.C. State (12-10, 2-6 ACC)
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011 • 6:00 p.m.

 
The Opening Tip

• Duke (20-2, 7-1 ACC) faces N.C. State (12-10, 2-6 ACC) on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
• The game is being televised by ESPN with Mike Patrick (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst) calling the action.
• Duke is ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, while N.C. State is unranked in both polls.
• The Blue Devils have now won 20 or more games 46 times, including each of the last 15 seasons.
• Duke has won 38 of the last 41 games entering Saturday’s game with N.C. State.
• The Blue Devils are looking for their 15th straight ACC win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
Duke-N.C. State Series History• Duke and N.C. State have met 234 times heading into Saturday’s game with the first meeting between the two schools coming on Feb. 9, 1912.
• The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 137-97, including a 45-23 mark at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• Duke has won 29 of the last 34 games in the series, including 16 of 17 home games in that span.
• Mike Krzyzewski is 45-20 at Duke against the Wolfpack.
• Duke topped N.C. State, 92-78, at the RBC Center earlier this season. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler combined for 40 points, while Miles Plumlee and Ryan Kelly each scored 11 points in the victory.
 
Numbers Game
l The Blue Devils’ current 31-game win streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium is the longest active home win streak in the NCAA.l Duke has only lost two home games in the past four seasons, posting a record of 60-2 in Cameron Indoor Stadium during that span.

 l Duke has won 53 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 won 25 consecutive games in the state of North Carolina. The Blue Devils’ last loss in the state was at N.C. State on Jan. 20. 2010.l Duke has scored 80 or more points in 16 games this season. The Blue Devils have won 31 consecutive games when scoring 80+ points.

l The Blue Devils have had at least one player score 20 or more points in 17 straight games. Duke has had two players top the 20-point mark eight times this season, including each of the last four games.

l Nolan Smith is attempting to become the first player in ACC history to lead the league in scoring and assists. Smith is currently averaging 21.0 points and 5.5 assists per game. He is one of three players in the NCAA leading his conference in points and assists.l Mason Plumlee has raised his rebound average an ACC-best 5.6 rebounds per game from a year ago. He ranks fourth in the ACC in rebounding at 8.7 rpg. and has grabbed 10 or more rebounds 11 times this season.

l Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are the third-highest scoring tandem in the NCAA at 39.1 points per game. They are the highest scoring tandem at Duke since J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams averaged 45.6 ppg. during the 2005-06 season.

Duke Football

Durham Hillside prospect Jamal Marcus visits Duke

Hillside's Jamal Marcus makes a tackle

Duke kicked off the 2012 recruiting season this past weekend with the first of two Junior Days in Durham. Over 100 prospects made the trip to campus and most came away impressed with the Blue Devil program. BDN kicks off our coverage of the class of 2012 with a series of interviews with the weekend’s visitors.

Jamal Marcus is a 6’2” 225 pound defensive line prospect from Durham’s Hillside High School, the same program that produced current Duke players Desmond Scott, Corey Gattis, and Brandon Watkins. After winning the Defensive MVP Award at last summer’s Nike camp in Blacksburg, the standout defensive end went on to lead Hillside to a North Carolina State Championship in the fall. His performance on the field has drawn interest from coaches around the country, but the junior stayed home last weekend to visit Duke for Junior Day. Highlights from Jamal's junior year can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing the strengths and weaknesses of your game for someone who hasn’t had a chance to see you play?

My strength is mostly my speed and my athleticism. My strengths on the field are really my speed and I want to win bad. So that’s my strength, too, my desire to win.

BDN: What are some of the things you’ve been working on this offseason?

My goal is basically to put on some more weight, put on some more pounds. Get faster, help get my team better. I want to go for an undefeated season. So basically get faster, get bigger, get better, and get my teammates better.

BDN: What are the most important things you are looking for in a college?

I’m looking for good team chemistry. A place where I can feel like family at. A place that really wants to win.

BDN: What schools have you recently heard from? Who was the first school to contact you?

We got Oregon, you got Alabama, you got Nebraska, you got [North] Carolina, you got [NC] State, you got ECU. A lot of schools right now, pretty much everybody in North Carolina. And a lot of schools right now and my options are open right now. I don’t know where I want to go to right now.

BDN: Which schools have you had a chance to visit so far? Were there any schools you came away particularly impressed with?

I visited Duke, ECU, NC State, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. I liked all of them. When I went to ECU it felt like a family down there, but when I went to Duke, there’s a lot of opportunities that can be made outside of football, as well. So…I like a lot of schools right now at this moment.

BDN: Do you have any plans for other visits this spring or summer?

Well, I’m going to the Wake Forest Junior Day next week, I think. And the [North[ Carolina Junior Day after that.

BDN: It’s still very early in the process, but ideally, when would you like to make your college decision?

I don’t know. I’ll probably wait and see the best school that fits me. I’ll probably wait until my season’s over to find the school that best fits me.

BDN: Is there anything else you think is important for ACC football fans to know about you?

Jamal Marcus: "I have a desire to win and a desire to be the best."

I want people to know I have a desire to win and a desire to be the best. I just want to be the best, you know, desire to win.

BDN: Thanks a lot, Jamal and best of luck to you.

You too, bye.

Duke Football

Duke Football Signing Day Photo Gallery

Head Coach David Cutcliffe and his staff officially welcomed 20 young men to the Duke Football Family on Wednesday. It was a memorable day for these young men and their families, and we thank them for sharing their photos with Blue Devil Nation. Please join us in welcoming them to the Duke Family!

Click on one of the thumbnails to see a slideshow.

Duke Football

2012 TE prospect Dakota Jackson takes a 2nd trip to Duke

Dakota Jackson was impressed by Duke's academics

With national signing day wrapping up, football recruiting will officially transition from the class of 2011 to the class of 2012. Duke kicked off the 2012 recruiting season this past weekend with the first of two Junior Days in Durham. Over 100 prospects made the trip to campus and most came away impressed with the Blue Devil program. BDN kicks off our coverage of the class of 2012 with a series of interviews with this weekend’s visitors.

Dakota Jackson is a 6’4” 245 pound tight end prospect from Roanoke, VA. He already has been contacted by an impressive list of schools, and recently made his second trip to Durham for Duke’s Junior Day. Highlights from his junior year, during which he helped Northside High School to a state championship, can be viewed here.

BDN: Can you start off by describing the strengths and weaknesses of your game for someone who hasn’t had a chance to see you play?

Hard nosed football. That’s how I base everything I do. Just getting after it until the whistle blows, basically.

 

BDN: What are some of the things you’ve been working on this offseason?

After last season, my goal is to get up to about 240-245, and I’ve already gained all that and it’s not fat at all, it’s all muscle. I’m gonna stay in the weight room, try to get my 40 time to about 4.6 flat, around in there. Just keep working with the team and everything, try to get better and try to win another state championship next year.

 

BDN: You mentioned winning another state championship this fall. What are some of your other goals for yourself individually and your team?

We do like a line, like grading, because we run the ball a lot, and I want to grade out above 95% for the whole year. I want to have at least like 4 or 5 pancakes each game. Catching-wise, probably like about 10, 15, or even 20 touchdowns this year.

 

BDN: What are the most important things you are looking for in a college?

Whether I fit in there, if it’s a program that uses the tight end, that isn’t just a glorified tackle, that use them in their scheme. It’s all about just finding the right home and that kind of stuff. It all fits in. Just if it fits for me and everything clicks. I mean all the campuses I’ve been to so far, they were all nice so it would be tough to say which one sticks out the most because I like them all so far.

 

BDN: What schools have you recently heard from? Who was the first school to contact you?

First ones to contact were area schools like VMI, Liberty, Richmond, and then [Virginia] Tech and UVA followed. Penn State, UCLA, Maryland, ECU, Duke, and Tennessee a little bit. I’ve been to Duke twice now, their Junior Day this weekend and I went to a game back in the fall. I’ve been to [Virginia] Tech twice – I went to see two of their games. I go there the 26th of February for their Junior Day. UVA – I went to watch one of their games and I went to a couple other games up there with a couple of my friends. Haven’t been able to go up to Penn State yet, but I’m planning on it either this offseason or next year. I go to Richmond the 20th of February for a visit.

 

BDN: I know you said earlier that you liked all the schools you have visited so far. Were there any schools you came away particularly impressed with?

I was impressed with Duke’s academics. They spend just thousands and thousands on just the academics alone and making sure that once you graduate you’re not only going to have a degree, but you’re going to have an education behind that degree. If football doesn’t work out for you, then you’re going to have something to fall back on. I mean I’m looking for that too, because it doesn’t always work out and you’re going to have to have that education to back it up. But all the football programs, they’ve all been great, so I couldn’t really put one ahead of the other right now.

 

BDN: It’s still very early in the process, but ideally, when would you like to make your college decision?

I’m not sure, I’m probably just going to have to play it by ear. If it happens soon, then that’s good. Just whenever the offer comes and whether or not it’s a fit for me. I’ll have to make that decision then, because I’m not sure, to tell you really right now.

 

BDN: Is there anything else you think is important for ACC football fans to know about you?

Off the field, I’m like a book guy. I just try and keep my grades as high as they can get and that kind of stuff. But on the field, I just play with tenacity, I just get after it every play and I hate to lose. I do everything I can and in the offseason, I work my butt off with my teammates and everything just so that we don’t lose. We just keep doing better and better and better.

 

BDN: Thanks a lot, Dakota and best of luck to you.

Thanks, you too.

Duke Basketball

Duke Comes Together in an 80-62 win at Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, MD - You can generally count on Duke to bounce back after a shocking loss and there was even more concern as they travelled to Maryland to play in a hostile environment.  The Terp fans were ready, rocking their yellow t-shirt's and as usual there was a their smoldering atmosphere as the hated royal blue clad Blue Devils rolled into town

But once the ball was tipped, the Blue Devils proved to be focussed early on and resiliant each time the Terrapins tried to mount a comeback on their way to a comfortable 80-62 win.  In fact, Duke was obviously having a lot of fun on the court, getting everybody involved in a great team effort.

That effort pleased Krzyzewski as well.  "This was our best win of the season," said the upbeat coach.  He knew that Maryland and Gary Williams could set a trap and that they were fighting for an NCAA berth.  He also knew that confidence is a fragile thing, especially after their woeful performance in New York against St. John's.

But that game seemed like a distant memory the second Mason Plumlee scored the first basket of the game on his way to a double-double of 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting and 11 rebounds.  "It was Mason's best game of the year," stated Kryzewski in a simplified yet firm manner.

Krzyzewski had to be happy with the play of his senior leader Kyle Singler who moved into sole possession of fifth place on Duke's All Time Scoring List.  Singler totaled a game high 22 points and he was there to hit several key shots down the stretch while playing with 3 fouls for much of the game.

His senior side kick Nolan Smith added another 21 points in front of his home folks in the D.C. area and another local, freshman Tyler Thornton added spark with an unexpected start.

It was clear that the Blue Devils had come together as a team and a solid ACC road win puts them right back on track and atop the conference race and they remain in contention for a top NCAA seed in March.  Perhaps the loss this past weekend was just what the doctor ordered for Duke was solid in all facets of the game.

Duke came out attacking the post and they out rebounded the Terrapins and that eventually led to open looks from the three point stripe where they went 10 of 23 for 43.5%.  Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry hit 5 of 9 of them by more importantly, they seemed to mature and grow into their roles for this team.

The bottom line is that this was a satisfying victory for everybody involved and it took everybody being involved to win.  Duke hopes to build on this impressive victory with another against N.C. State this weekend and with North Carolina suddenly nipping at their heals, winning that game is a must.

Duke v. Maryland BoxScore   Associated Press Game Story  Real Time Team Stats

OFFICIAL GAME NOTES

  • Duke’s win gave them 20 on the year, the 15th straight season they have won at least 20 games and 46th time in school history.
  • In the month of February, the Blue Devils have now won 13 consecutive games dating back to an 80-74 loss at Boston College on Feb. 15, 2009.
  • Duke has won eight of the last nine games in the series with Maryland, including both games in the series this season. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski earned his 50th career win over Maryland, improving to 50-21 all-time against the Terps. 
  • Over the last four seasons, Duke is now 15-2 when following a loss. The Blue Devils have not lost back-to-back seasons since 2008-09. 
  • The Blue Devils have had a 20-point scorer in each of the last 17 games.  
  • Duke has now scored 80 or more points in 16 games this season. They have won 31 consecutive games when scoring at least 80 points. 
  • The Blue Devils shot over 50 percent in both halves for the fifth time this year. It was the seventh time this season they have shot at least 50 percent in the first half. They have shot over 50 percent in the second half in 15 games. 
  • Duke won by 18 points despite shooting 11 fewer free throws in the game. It is just the fourth time this season they have made fewer free throws than their opponent. 
  • With only eight turnovers, Duke has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in three of the last four games and eight overall contests. 
  • This was the first game this season the Blue Devils did not record a blocked shot.  
  • The Blue Devils made 10 three-point field goals and now have made 10 or more in nine games this season.    
  • Duke was able to build a seven-point halftime lead despite three of its starters spending significant time on the bench due to foul trouble. Ryan Kelly only played five minutes after recording three fouls while Nolan Smith missed seven minutes of action and Kyle Singler sat for five minutes with two fouls each. The bench provided 12 points in the first 20 minutes. 
  • Singler scored 11 straight Duke points in the second half from the 16:52 mark to the 8:22 mark.  

Player Notes:

Seth Curry

  • Sophomore Seth Curry recorded his second game this season with at least five assists, finishing one shy of a season high.

Andre Dawkins

  • Sophomore Andre Dawkins finished with 11 points to give him 11 games this season with 10 or more.
  • He made three three-point field goals, including two in the second half for nine points. It is the eighth time this season he has made at least three treys in the game.

Mason Plumlee

  • Sophomore Mason Plumlee tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
  • Plumlee has reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time this season. It was his first game with 10 or more points since Jan. 5 against UAB. 
  • He has notched at least 10 rebounds in seven of Duke’s eight ACC games this year and 11 overall contests. In ACC play he is averaging 11.1 rebounds per game.
  • The two steals gave him six multi-steal games on the year.

Kyle Singler

  • Senior Kyle Singler drew his team-leading 90th consecutive start and has now started in 132 of his 133 career games. The 132 career starts ranks sixth most on Duke’s all-time list.
  • Singler recorded his ninth 20-point game of the season which is tied for second most in the ACC. He has scored in double figures in 116 career games and 21 of the 22 games this season. His 116 double-digit scoring games rank fifth on Duke’s all-time list.
  • With his 22 points, Singler moved into fifth on Duke’s all-time scoring list, passing Danny Ferry. He now has 2,166 career points. 
  • Singler also continued to climb up the ACC career scoring list, passing Sam Perkins (North Carolina), Len Bias (Maryland), Ferry and Len Chappell (Wake Forest) into 19th all-time. 
  • He matched a career high with 10 made field goals, the sixth time in his career he has made 10 shots. 

Nolan Smith

  • Senior Nolan Smith reached double figures in scoring for the 21st time in 22 games this season. He has 80 career games with 10 or more points.
  • Smith posted his ACC-leading 12th game with 20 or more points. He has 29 career games with 20 or more and has scored at least 20 in five of the last six games. 
  • He was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line and is now shooting .961 (49-of-51) from the foul line in ACC games. 
  • It is the 13th game this season that Smith has posted at least five rebounds. He has eight games this season with 20 points and five rebounds.

Tyler Thornton

  • Freshman Tyler Thornton  drew his first career start, becoming the ninth different Blue Devil to start this season. Thornton had played in 19 games and averaged 8.7 minutes per game coming into Wednesday’s contest.
  • Thornton dished out three assists in his first start, the fourth game this season with three or more assists.
  • He also had two steals to give him six steals in two games against Maryland. He now has 11 total steals on the year.
Duke Football

BDN’s Duke Signing Day Coverage

Will Monday signs his NLI at the USA U-19 game in Austin, TX

National Signing Day has arrived, and Duke fans are wondering who will be the impact players in the class of 2011. The Blue Devils received a signing day surprise as Alabama TE David Reeves committed to Duke this morning. Blue Devil Nation's Mark Watson will have coverage today from Head Coach David Cutcliffe's press conference introducing the Duke Football Class of 2011.

Visit our Duke Football section to read recent interviews with the members of Duke's class of 2011.

DUKE FOOTBALL CLASS OF 2011

OL Matt Skura 6'3" 265 pounds Columbus, Ohio

DL Sam Marshall 6'8" 250 pounds - Fredericksburg, Virginia

DL Lucas Fisher 6'3" 245 pounds - Monroe, North Carolina

LB Britton Grier 6'2" 190 pounds - Charlotte, North Carolina

DL Mario Sanders 6'4" 220 pounds - Greer, South Carolina

LB David Helton 6'3" 225 pounds - Chattanooga, Tennessee

OL Lucas Patrick 6'3" 280 pounds - Brentwood, Tennessee

ATH Jamison Crowder 5'8" 180 pounds - Monroe, North Carolina

OL Carson Ginn 6'5" 255 pounds - Belmont, North Carolina

K Will Monday 6'4" 176 pounds - Flowery Branch, Georgia

DL Kyler Brown 6'4" 210 pounds - Charlotte, North Carolina

OL Marcus Aprahamian 6'3" 300 pounds - Brookfield, Wisconsin

DB Tim Burton 5'8" 155 pounds - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

DB Jared Boyd 5'9" 170 pounds - Stone Mountain, Georgia

OL Cody Robinson 6'2" 305 pounds - McMinnville, Tennessee

WR Nick Hill 6'2" 200 pounds - Nashville, Tennessee

DB Chris Tavarez 5'10" 195 pounds  - Atlanta, Georgia

TE David Reeves 6'5" 245 pounds - Greensboro, Alabama

WR Blair Holliday 6'3" 195 pounds - Westlake Village, California