• Game 26 •

[5 AP / 4 Coaches] Duke (21-4, 8-2) vs. N.C. State (18-7, 7-3)

Thursday, February 16, 2012 • 9:00 p.m. • ACC Network

The Opening Tip

• Duke (21-4, 8-2) hosts N.C. State (18-7, 7-3) on Thursday, Feb. 16 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tipoff is set for 9:00 p.m.

• Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Mike Gminski (analyst) will call the game for the ACC Network.

• Duke jumped five spots in both polls this week, coming in at No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. N.C. State is unranked in both polls. Duke is 65-24 when ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll.

• The Blue Devils are coming off wins over No. 5 North Carolina and Maryland last week that vaulted them into a tie for first place in the ACC with North Carolina and Florida State.

• Duke is the only team in the NCAA to rank in the top 5 in RPI, Strength of Schedule as well as the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Blue Devils are also 3-1 against teams in the top 10 of the RPI.

Duke-N.C. State Series

• Duke and N.C. State have met 235 times heading into Thursday’s game with the first meeting between the two schools coming in 1912.

• The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 138-97, including a 46-23 mark at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

• Duke has won two straight and five of the last six games in the series.

• Mike Krzyzewski is 46-20 at Duke against the Wolfpack, including a 22-5 record at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

• Duke has won 13 straight home games in the series. The Blue Devils have a +18.2 scoring margin in that span.

• The two schools have met 23 times in ACC Tournament play with Duke posting a 14-9 record in those games.

• Duke has won each of the last eight home games against N.C. State by double figures.

Numbers Game

l The Blue Devils have won 20 or more games 27 times under Mike Krzyzewski, including each of the last 16 seasons.

l Duke has been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll for 89 straight weeks, the third-longest streak in NCAA history.

l The Blue Devils are 61-3 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season. Duke is 11-2 at home this season and has lost more than two home games just once in the past 16 seasons.

l Austin Rivers was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the seventh time on Monday and for the fourth straight week. Rivers’ seven selections are the third most in ACC history, while his four straight selections tie three others for the ACC’s longest streak.

l Senior forward Miles Plumlee set a Coach K-era record with 22 rebounds in Duke's last game against Maryland. Plumlee broke the previous record of 21 held by Elton Brand as part of his double-double effort that also included 13 points.

l Mason Plumlee has 46 dunks this season, which is two more than all opponents have against Duke. Plumlee’s 46 dunks are tied for the sixth most in school history and 12 shy of the record of 58 held by Shelden Williams (2006).

l Austin Rivers leads all ACC freshmen in points per game (15.0), minutes per game (32.2), double-figure scoring games (21), 20-point games (6), field goals made (127), field goal percentage (.450) and free throws made (77). He ranks second in three-pointers made (43) and steals (24).

l Brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee combine to average 18.1 points and 16.3 rebounds per game this season. Either Mason or Miles has led Duke in rebounding in 23 of Duke's 25 games.

l Point guard Tyler Thornton owns a 3.86:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in Duke's 10 conference games. That mark is the second highest in the ACC among players who average at least 2.0 assists per game.

l Duke has had 10 or fewer turnovers in four ACC games and ranks second with 10.6 turnovers per game in league play. Duke had just nine turnovers in Saturday's win over Maryland and committed just one over the final 21 minutes.

l Mason Plumlee ranks second in the ACC in rebounding at 9.9 rpg. He has grabbed 12 or more rebounds 11 times this season including four of the last six games.

l Seth Curry is shooting 48.0 percent (12-of-25) from three-point range over his last four games. He is averaging 16.8 points per game during that span.

l Broadcaster Bob Harris will announce his 1,200th Duke basketball game on Thursday against N.C. State. Harris has been the voice of Duke basketball for the past 36 years and was named the N.C. Sportscaster of the Year for the third time earlier this season.