Mason Plumlee, Rasheed Sulaimon ACC Players of the Week

Photo Lance King for BDN

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke forward Mason Plumlee was named ACC Co-Player of the week and freshman Rasheed Sulaimon was the ACC Rookie of the Week after helping Duke top No. 4 Ohio State and Delaware last week, as announced on Monday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Plumlee shared the weekly honor with Virginia Tech’s Erick Green after delivering back-to-back double-doubles in Duke’s two wins in Cameron Indoor Stadium, including a 21-point, 17-rebound effort in the 73-68 win over Ohio State. He followed with an 18-point, 11-rebound performance in the 88-50 win over Delaware on Saturday, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor while also blocking three shots. A native of Warsaw, Ind., Plumlee also broke Duke’s all-time dunks record and now sits atop the list with 150 career dunks.

Sulaimon powered Duke to a second-half surge against the Buckeyes, scoring 17 points in the second half as Duke overcame a 31-23 halftime deficit by outscoring Ohio State 50-30 in the second period. Sulaimon, whose 12.9 points per game ranks third among ACC freshmen, shot 7-of-10 in the second half while playing all 20 minutes. He followed by scoring 14 points against Delaware on 6-of-12 shooting while also chipping in a career-high six assists. Sulaimon has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games, hit a three-pointer in all eight games and is one of the best rebounding guards in the league, grabbing an average of 4.3 boards per game which ranks first among all ACC players under 6-5.

Plumlee and Sulaimon have been key contributors to Duke’s 8-0 start, which includes victories over No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 Kentucky and No. 4 Ohio State. The Blue Devils, who with the two victories last week have won an NCAA-leading 98 consecutive non-conference home games, will take on Temple this Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

Duke Bound For Belk Bowl in Charlotte

Duke will meet Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl on December 27.

DURHAM, N.C. – Led by 2012 ACC Coach of the Year David Cutcliffe, Duke University will make its first bowl appearance in nearly two decades by meeting the University of Cincinnati in the 11th annual Belk Bowl on Thursday, December 27 in Charlotte, N.C.

Kickoff at Bank of America Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally live on ESPN.

Will Webb, executive director of the Belk Bowl, extended the invitation to the Blue Devils on Sunday.  The meeting with the Blue Devils (6-6) and Bearcats (9-3) will mark the first on the gridiron between the two schools.

Blue Devil fans are encouraged to purchase tickets from the Duke allotment on GoDuke.com.

“I could not be more excited for our players – especially the seniors – to earn a berth in the Belk Bowl against a very good and well-coached Cincinnati team,” Cutcliffe said.  “I thought coming out of spring practice that we had a chance to be a good team – a bowl-caliber team.  We battled through some adversity, received tremendous leadership from our captains and reached the goal of playing in the postseason.  This is a great opportunity for our seniors to end the season on a winning note. For our returning players, it is going to be a chance to gain invaluable experience and practice opportunity as we continue to grow as a program.”

Offensively, the Blue Devils are led by redshirt senior quarterback Sean Renfree, who has completed 260-of-392 passes for 2,755 yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions.  Duke boasts the nation’s only trio of receivers – Conner Vernon (75), Jamison Crowder (70) & Desmond Scott (61) – with 60-plus catches each.  Rookie Jela Duncan paces Duke’s ground attack with 516 yards and four touchdowns on 99 attempts.

On defense, a pair of All-ACC defensive backs in safety Walt Canty and cornerback Ross Cockrell headline the unit.  Canty leads the squad with 102 tackles while Cockrell has an ACC-best five interceptions to go along with 63 tackles.

“We are thrilled to announce that Duke University will be playing in the 2012 Belk Bowl against the University of Cincinnati,” said Webb. “Duke has made great strides this season and we are very proud to have them representing the ACC against the Co-Champions of the Big East. We feel that the Blue Devils will provide a good matchup against the Bearcats in Charlotte. We look forward to hosting both Duke and Cincinnati, and their fans, for the 2012 Belk Bowl and all the surrounding events.”

Duke will make its ninth bowl game appearance and first since dropping a 34-20 decision to Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on January 2, 1995.  The Blue Devils also have appeared in the Rose Bowl (1938 & 1941 seasons), Sugar Bowl (1944), Orange Bowl (1954 & 1957), Cotton Bowl (1960) and All American Bowl (1989).

The first college bowl game to call the Carolinas home, the Belk Bowl has averaged nearly 60,000 fans each year with three sellouts.  In addition, the game has reached 28 million television households.  Charlotte Collegiate Football, a non-profit organization, runs the Belk Bowl and serves as the local organizing committee for the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game.

Duke Post Game Wrap – Amile Jefferson and Alex Murphy chat up BDN

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke's true freshmen Amile Jefferson and Alex Murphy got extended minutes in the Duke win over Delaware, which allowed both to further develop their games.  Both thought the experience could be used as a springboard for the future.  BDN caught up with the duo post-game to get their thoughts on the game and the process of growth as a player -



For more player interviews, join BDN Premium for full site access.

 

#2 Duke Rolls Delaware 88-50

DURHAM, N.C. - Despite the fact that starting guard Seth Curry sat out the game with an ankle injury and the fact they were coming off a huge win over Ohio State, the Duke Blue Devils had no letdown as they demolished Delaware 88-50 in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon. With the victory Duke moves to 8-0 on the young season; the team will surely get more votes for the number one spot in the nation this week, which Indiana has occupied all year.

It was a feel-good game for Duke in more ways than one. With the students potentially being preoccupied with exam week, it looked initially as if attendance might be a little sparse, but a late rush filled the old arena and the atmosphere was the usual Cameron. On this day, the home fans gotwhat they wanted -- not only a victory, but a chance to see the bench guys get plenty of minutes to hopefully spur their development.

Seniors Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee led Duke with 18 points each; the All-American hopeful Plumlee posted another double-double as he also corraled 11 rebounds. Another veteran, Tyler Thornton, had only three points, but more importantly played his best floor game of the season, dishing out ten assists and grabbing six rebounds from his guard spot. The Blue Devil guards dominated the Blue Hens backcourt, as they combined for 22 assists on the day. Thornton earned the praise of Mike Krzyzewski in the post-game press conference, and for good reason.

Rasheed Sulaimon continued his stellar play as well, stepping up for the injured Curry and scoring 14 points to go with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. He is the coolest customer as a freshman that I have seen at Duke in quite some time and, more importantly, the unselfish Sulaimon is the consummate team player, never forcing anything and always playing within the team concept.

The Blue Devils also got another great game from Quinn Cook, who has earned the keys to the car at the point guard spot, allowing Thornton to play the sixth man role he seems to relish. Cook brings a brash, cool confidence to the court and in addition to posting consistent numbers, he's making players around him better.

That brings us to the Duke bench, that in this game was just four players deep due to the injuries to Curry and Marshall Plumlee. Both Alex Murphy and Amile Jefferson got valuable minutes and turned in solid performances -- performances they can build on. Murphy has been the subject of inaccurate web rumors of late with concern to his status at Duke, but he was happy after helping his team play with intensity for a full forty minutes. Murphy ended the game with 10 points and 7 rebounds, both career highs at Duke, while Jefferson added 12 points and 6 rebounds. Those totals were also career highs for the freshman forward from Philly.

All in all, it was an impressive performance from a Duke team that came out with plenty of intensity and was able to coast to a win. The Blue Devils dominated the game throughout and from every position, outscoring the Blue Hens in the paint by a 40-24 margin and also getting a season-high 27 points from the bench. "I feel good about everybody's play. Everybody played well today. Everybody. They were terrific together," said Kryzewski in the post-game. That statement pretty much sums up another solid win for Duke.

Game Notes:
- The Blue Devils pushed their home winning streak against non-conference opponents to 98 straight
- Their 8-0 start is their third in the last five seasons.
- Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee have scored in double figures together in all but one game this season.