Duke PG Tyler Thornton brings a calm to his team and that has earned him priase from Coach K who called the sophomore a "Duke Basketball player," which was a testament to his toughness and his being cool under pressure. The Blue Devils face a stiff challenge in a hostile environment against Florida State and we caught up to Thornton to get his thoughts on the game in our latest BDN Video -
Monthly Archives: February 2012
Duke at Florida State Game Notes
• Game 28 •
[5 AP / 4 Coaches] Duke (23-4, 10-2) vs. [15 AP / 16 Coaches] Florida State (19-7, 10-2)
Thursday, February 23, 2012 • 7:00 p.m. • ESPN
The Opening Tip
• Duke (23-4, 10-2) faces Florida State (19-7, 10-2) in an ACC road contest on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
• Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst) and Jeannine Edwards (sideline) will call the game for ESPN.
• Duke is ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Blue Devils are 67-24 when ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll. Florida State is ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll and No. 16 in the Coaches Poll.
• 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 polls. Duke has three wins against top 10 teams in the RPI.
• The Blue Devils are currently 6-0 on the road in league play. Duke has not won seven straight ACC road contests since the 2005-06 season.
Duke-Florida State Series
• Duke and Florida State have met 38 times heading into Thursday’s game with the first meeting between the two schools coming on Jan. 3, 1955.
• The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 30-8, including a 29-8 ledger since Florida State joined the ACC.
• Duke has lost two straight in the series after winning the previous five meetings. The Blue Devils have won 10 of the last 14 games between the two schools.
• Mike Krzyzewski is 28-7 at Duke against the Seminoles, including a 12-6 record at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Duke has won four of the last six road meetings in the series.
• Duke’s eight losses to Florida State have been by a combined 24 points (3.0 points per game). The Blue Devils have not lost by more than five points to the Seminoles.
• 11 of the last 15 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
Numbers Game
l The Blue Devils are 4-1 on the season against ranked opponents. The last time Duke played a ranked Florida State team was an 84-81 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 1990.
l Duke has been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll for 90 straight weeks, the third-longest streak in NCAA history.
l The Blue Devils are 12-3 on the year in games decided by 10 points or less. The Blue Devils have five wins in ACC play by less than 10 points. Duke’s 12 wins by 10 points or less are the ninth-most in school history.
l Duke averages 25.2 points per game off the bench with 10 games with 30 or more bench points. The Blue Devils have had a double-digit scorer off the bench in 20 of 27 games this season.
l The Blue Devils have had at least one 20-point scorer in each of the last six trips to Tallahassee.
l Only five Duke teams have won their first six ACC road games. The Blue Devils are 6-0 in ACC road games to start this season, joining the 2005-06, 1999-2000, 1998-99 and 1962-63 teams as the only ones to win their first six ACC road contests.
l Duke has hit at least eight three-pointers in six straight games. During that streak, the Blue Devils are averaging 29.0 ppg. from three-point range.
l The Blue Devils have scored at least 40 points in the second half in five straight games. The Blue Devils are averaging 41.5 points in the second half of games this season.
l Seth Curry has scored in double-figures in six consecutive games and is averaging 18.5 points per game in that span. He is 18-of-37 (.486) from three-point range and is also averaging 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in the last six contests.
l Austin Rivers leads Duke in scoring at 15.0 points per game and has reached double figures in 23 contests. He is attempting to become just the third Blue Devil freshman to lead the team in scoring.
l Miles Plumlee is averaging 8.7 points and 12.7 rebounds over his last three games. He has two double-figure rebounding games during that span, including a Coach K-era record 22 boards against Maryland on Feb. 11.
l Seth Curry has made 12 straight free throws and 33 of his last 36 free throw attempts. He ranks second in the ACC with an .882 free throw percentage, which would rank as the seventh highest single-season mark in school history.
l Brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee combine to average 17.7 points and 16.3 rebounds per game this season. Either Mason or Miles has led Duke in rebounding in 25 of Duke’s 27 games. The duo has also combined for 20 double-figure rebounding games on the year.
l Seth Curry and Austin Rivers have combined to average 36.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over the last six contests. The tandem is 36-of-79 (.456) from three-point range in that span.
Duke Pre Game – Ryan Kelly talks Florida State
When the Blue Devils take to the court against Florida State, Ryan Kelly will play a key role. For Duke to get past the talented and athletic Seminoles, they'll need contrinutions from all their players. Kelly speaks of the challenge ahead in another BDN Vid -
Austin Rivers talks of the big game with Florida State
BDN was on hand at Duke today where we spoke to Austin Rivers after a long practice and as usual, the Duke freshman had plenty to say. Rivers is always a great interview and today was no different. BDN will take you behind the scenes the rest of the season where we hope to wind up in New Orleans with the team, so bookmark us now for our unique style of coverage.
BDN goes 1 on 1 with Duke star Conner Vernon
Duke Football is hitting the field earlier than most schools for spring practice and most of the players are ready to go. BDN went one on one with the Blue Devils star wide receiver Conner Vernon who is coming off an injury but you would never know it talking to him.
BDN Monday Musings ponders past and future happenings around Duke Basketball
The Duke Blue Devils coasted past Boston College last evening setting up a huge rematch against Florida State this week and BDN Monday Musings takes a look back and ahead.
Duke too much for Boston College
After a slow start, the Blue Devils waltzed past the Boston College Eagles 75-50 and that kept them in a three way tie for first place. A tremendous 45-21 rebounding edge and pounding the offensive glass gave Duke the win but this game is less than memorable after the Blue Devils have won a couple high profile and talked about games. But Duke took care of business and returned to snow dusted Durham healthy and well. The 25 point margin was the larger in the series for Duke who holds a 14-2 edge in the series. Duke held the hapless Eagles without a field goal for a 14 minute plus stretch. Folks point to the Blue Devils defensive numbers being down this season and this game will help those numbers but has anyone taken into consideration the Blue Devils strength of schedule his season and that they haven't played the sisters of the poor? Just sayin'
Curry-Rivers chemistry
If you've been paying close attention to the last few games, the Blue Devils are getting improved chemistry from it's guard tandem of Seth Curry and Austin Rivers. This is a good thing for Duke in that the two have become the top two scoring options on the team. You will continue to see Rivers with the ball in his hands at crunch time and Curry has a constant green light to shoot on the offensive end. Both will need to show up big against Florida State in Tallahassee this week.
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show
Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski appeared on the Dan Patrick show today where he addressed "Linsanity," an this seasons team. When asked which president he'd have a drink with if he could, Krzyzewski responded that he'd like to have a glass of wine with George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, the founding fathers. Patrick asked, but what if Washington was a UNC fan tongue in cheek. Krzyzewski responded by saying, "He's not a Carolina fan or he wouldn't be after a few bottles of wine." Kyrie Irving was also on the show and spoke of keeping up with Josh Hairston and his happiness that Rivers shot beat the aforementioned rival North Carolina.
ESPN GameDay is coming to Durham for UNC-Duke Game
The GameDay crew of Reece Davis, former Duke player Jay Bilas, former coaches Digger Phelps and Bob Knight and former UNC player Hubert Davis will broadcast live from Cameron Indoor Stadium during the North Carolina at Duke game on March 3rd. Former players and guests will appear. More details to come from BDN as the event nears. In the past, some fans just come for the atmosphere and then watch the game locally. Tickets to a Duke and UNC game are next to impossible to obtain in Cameron without giving away your first born or a large section of your wallet.
Another reminder for Greensboro
The first round of the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro will feature Duke and North Carolina and tickets are still available, so go to ticketmaster and get them now and show off your royal blue colors in an effort to move the team on.
Coach K post game comments
Here are a few comments from Coach K on yesterday's game where Terry Rains represented the Nation in these two BDN Vids
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