Monthly Archives: October 2012

Duke Basketball, Monday Musings

BDN Monday Musings – Huge week ahead for Duke Athletics

 

Countdown to Craziness will be electric when Countdown to Craziness kicks off this Friday. Be there!

After a long hiatus, BDN's Monday Musings returns, and there is a lot to talk about with respect to Duke Athletics. To say this is a big week is an understatement. Duke Basketball will hold its annual Countdown to Craziness on Friday evening followed the next night by a prime time football game with archrival North Carolina, where a win would snap a long losing streak in the series and gain the Blue Devils bowl eligibility.

Basketball season is here!

The mens basketball team has started practice, and that always means excitement in the air among Duke fans. Coach Mike Krzyzewski seems as pumped up as ever as he enters the season with a record 927 wins, and he will close in on other marks as the year progresses. His teams have been ranked in the AP Top 10 a total of 425 weeks, and this year's first poll should make it 426. The Blue Devils return 10 letter-winners from a year ago, so there is experience on hand, and the team has received an infusion of talent with the additions of redshirt freshmen Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee, who join true freshmen Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Sulaiman.

A couple of early injuries

As you may have heard, Marshall Plumlee is in a walking boot with a foot fracture, but the prognosis is unknown at this time.  Seth Curry is nursing a minor injury as well, and is close to being able to go 100%. Most football programs are mildly evasive in providing news on injuries these days, and basketball is becoming no different.

Early high praise for Mason Plumlee

Blue Devils fans needed a shot in the arm at the end of last season after the upset loss to Lehigh in the NCAA Tournament and the departure of Austin Rivers, who entered the NBA Draft after his freshman campaign. They got that lift when Mason Plumlee spurned the league for another year to return for his senior season at Duke. Plumlee has earned high praise early on from Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has made no secret that he expects big things from the multi-talented big man. Expect a larger role for Plumlee this year, and look for the Blue Devils to establish his game early on.

Who will run the point?

Actually, it is still likely to be done by committee. Many hope Quinn Cook steps up in his second year and takes over the role, but he will share time with Tyler Thornton, Rasheed Sulaimon and maybe even Seth Curry. Cook improved leaps and bounds in the off-season and his confidence and game are where they were when I first saw him on the AAU trail in his junior season in high school. Thornton has improved his quickness, and he is a calming influence on the team with his cool play. Sulaimon has the ability to be the best on-ball defender from the guard spot, and Curry has run the position before and if necessary can do so again. But in the end, Blue Devil fans will look for Quinn Cook to earn the major minutes.  Only time will tell if that happens.

Countdown to Craziness

This is one of the more fun events of the year, where the Blue Devils let their hair down for the last time before getting dead serious and focusing on the season, where early challenges against tough opponents abound. Countdown to Craziness is a celebration of Duke Basketball, where the team comes out to their song of choice during a raucous introduction and comedic skits are seen via video on the scoreboard. Then there is the Blue/White intrasquad game, giving fans a chance to see some action. It's a great event and one BDN will cover as always, so check back in for coverage. Tickets are still available at reasonable prices at GoDuke.com.

North Carolina at Duke

Both teams come into this weekend's prime time football game with 5-2 records, including 2-1 conference marks, but the Tar Heels have owned the series of late, and they opened as a 10 point favorite in this one. For the Blue Devils program, nothing would be finer than to see Carolina finally go down, and if the goal posts did not follow, there would be disappointment. A win for Duke would not only snap the long light blue winning streak, but it would also mean Duke is going bowling. Yeah, it's a big one, but tickets are still available for it, so why not make a Duke weekend of it by having a blast at Countdown to Craziness and then coming back the next night for some serious -- and meaningful -- football?

Can Duke Football bounce back?

After holding a 20-0 lead over Virginia Tech this past weekend, the team simply collapsed, allowing 41 consecutive points to a team which handled this week's opponent (North Carolina) with ease. The main concern I have is that the team almost seemed to mail it in once adversity struck, and could never find its way back. There have been times this season where I think the Duke team is better than the players realize; they need to believe they can win and deserve to win some ACC football games. Coach Cut has done a terrific job in rebuilding, but there are still important lessons to be learned, and patience is needed.

Duke Hoops in Fort Bragg

The Duke Men's Basketball team is practicing at Fort Bragg today.  You can tune into ESPNU at 1:00 to see the practice.

Duke Football

Coach Cutcliffe discusses Duke’s 41-20 loss at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG - Duke Head Coach David Cutcliffe watched his team jump out to a 20-0 lead, but then yield 41 unanswered points as they fell to the Hokies 41-20 on Saturday in front of a sell-out crowd in Lane Stadium. After a game-changing interception, the Blue Devils failed to respond to adversity and struggled in all phases in the second half. Coach Cutcliffe discussed the loss with media after the game.

Duke Football

After strong start, Blue Devils stumble

Conner Vernon had 4 catches for 70 yards at Virginia Tech - BDN Photo

It appeared the Duke Blue Devils were in the driver's seat early on in their game with Virginia Tech, but it all turned on a single play.  Late in the 2nd quarter, a pass from Sean Renfree bounced off Conner Vernon's hands into the hands of one of three Hokies surrounding him deep in Virginia Tech territory.  Duke held a 20-10 lead at the time, but the Hokies connected on a long bomb on the very next play and carried momentum into the locker down by just a field goal, after having trailed earlier 20-0.

In the 2nd half it was all Hokies, as they ultimately ran off 41 consecutive unanswered points.. The Hokie defensive line looked like an NFL front, dominating the rest of the game, holding Duke to minus 2 yards in the 3rd quarter and creating a lot of pressure on the Duke QB's. Duke must now regroup, as some hard lessons were learned.

For a time, Duke reverted to some of the play which doomed them a season ago, and which they had largely avoided in this season's 5-1 start.  I'm talking the explosive plays against the defense and allowing the opponent to connect on 3rd and anything.  And when those habits or lack of execution come back, it means a loss.  Duke is thus 5-2 as they head home to take on archrival North Carolina in a renewal of a series owned by the Tar Heels in the modern era.

Jamison Crowder caught 8 passes for 127 yards at Virginia Tech - BDN Photo

Duke must prove it can bounce back, and that is in question if for no other reason than they seemed completely deflated when adversity hit today.  If the Blue Devils are to find that coveted sixth win, they'll need to respond much better than they did today when the body language indicated they had given in to the pressure.

So it is back to the drawing board for the Blue Devils, who fall to 2-1 in the ACC, with the next big test at home against North Carolina next Saturday.  Here is the game story link.

Duke Football

BDN Week 7 College Football Picks

The Blue Devils are 5-1, after our experts all correctly picked another Duke victory over Virginia last week. For the week, we had a three-way tie for the win between Bob Harris, Thad Lewis, and Patrick Cacchio. Overall, it remains close at the top , with 7 of our 8 experts within 5 points of the lead.

Here are the updated standings:

The week 7 slate of games features another set of marquee matchups, with a few critical conference rivalry games. Kicking things off will be the annual Red River rivalry, as Texas and Oklahoma clash in a Big 12 classic. Geno Smith and West Virginia look headed for another Big 12 shootout as they travel back to the Lonestar state to take on Texas Tech. A resurgent Notre Dame team looks to stay undefeated as they face Stanford. The marquee matchup is again in the SEC, where South Carolina, fresh off a big win over UGA, travels to the Bayou to take on LSU. Within the ACC, UNC travels to Miami, and Virginia hosts Maryland. It's sure to be another exciting Saturday of college football, and our experts expect a close game for the Blue Devils in Blacksburg.

Here are this week's picks:

Patrick Cacchio:  Duke has an opportunity to get their 6th win on Saturday against a struggling Hokies team, but this remains a tough match up for the Blue Devils. Coming off 2 straight losses, Virginia Tech will be looking to restore their dominance in the ACC Coastal Division and get QB Logan Thomas back on track. Lane Stadium is never an easy place to play, and this will be a close contest, with the Homecoming crowd pushing the Hokies to victory. Virginia Tech 31, Duke 27

Bob Green:  The outcome of this game will be predicated upon the ability to execute sustained drives. If Duke is able to establish a running game to setup the play action pass, avoid turnovers and costly penalties (two areas that have not been a problem this season) they will be victorious in Blacksburg and earn bowl eligibility.

Duke' defensive backs are more talented than Virginia Tech's receivers so the defense must force the Hokies into passing situations and then pressure Quarterback Logan Thomas to create turnover opportunities. Virginia Techs lack of a featured running back will be their undoing.

Since Coach Cutcliffe's arrival in Durham, Duke has played Virginia Tech competitively in three of four meetings, losing: 14-3; 34-26; and, 14-10. I expect another competitive game this Saturday.

The Hokies have struggled on defense so far this season yielding
22.3 points and 390 yards total offense per game. With Duke's high octane offense (37.8 ppg/414.7 ypg) headed to Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech's defense face a big challenge. The Blue Devils place multiple playmakers on the field for every play led by Conner Vernon, the ACC's All Time Leader in Pass Receptions, and Jela Duncan who leads the team in rushing yards.

Juwan Thompson and Josh Snead complete Duke's three headed rushing attack, while Jamison Crowder, 5th in the ACC in Pass Receptions with 38, and Desmond Scott, 6th in the ACC in Pass Receptions with 36, are two talented receivers who punish defenses which are focused on slowing down Vernon.

Defensively, Duke is banged up but playing solid as a unit. Some key players could be returning to the line-up as Coach Cutcliffe announced Jamal Bruce, Justin Foxx, Brandon Braxton and Chris Tavarez have participated in practice this week. Duke 28, Virginia Tech 27 in a thriller!

Andrew Slater: As outlandish as this might've sounded at the beginning of the year, this is a must win game for the Hokies, who will be scrambling for wins in a bid to make a bowl game, with their difficult remaining schedule. They will need for Logan to use his athleticism and strength as a runner. In the games against Pittsburgh and North Carolina, Virginia Tech was frankly terrible against the run. Jela Duncan has been better than advertised as a freshman, but it's difficult to imagine him having an absolute breakout game against a prideful Hokies team at home. I expect to see the Hokies QB Logan to pick his spots, but to use his strength as a runner against the Blue Devils more often than he's demonstrated so far this season. The gap has closed dramatically between the two programs, but I think the Hokies will muster enough pride to squeak out a victory. 31-27 Virginia Tech

Mark Watson:   I will be pulling for the Blue Devils in a most big way but the Hokies in Blacksburg are a tall order. Coming off an unusual performace where their defense struggled, I expect them to bounce back. Prove me wromg Duke Gang. Duke can win if they limit turnovers but the pick is Virginia Tech 28 Duke 20

Bob Harris:   Duke has an excellent change at getting bowl-eligible. Virginia Tech is smarting, but not the same team that has beaten Duke 11 straight times. Final score -- DUKE 35 - VT 17

Matt Daniels:   The Devils are 5-1 and are on a roll while the Hokies are off to a start they haven't seen in quite some time..look for the Devils to get a road win and they become bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. And if the field goal posts at Duke do not come down in Wallace Wade, I will bring them down myself!

Thad Lewis:   Duke is clicking on all cylinders and have play vtech tough and will finally pull it out this time.

Vinny Rey: Duke 17 Virginia Tech 16- this will be one to remember. The Duke defense will get after the Hokie offense with key turnovers.