Yearly Archives: 2012

Duke Basketball

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 Football

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 Basketball

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.

 

Duke Basketball

#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.

Duke Basketball

Delaware at Duke Game Notes

Duke vs. Delaware

Saturday, December 1, 2012 • 2:07 p.m. • RSN

Durham, N.C. • Cameron Indoor Stadium

TELEVISION

RSN

Play-by-Play: Mike Hogewood

Analyst: Eddie Fogler

RADIO

Blue Devil IMG Sports Network

Play-by-Play: Bob Harris

Analyst: John Roth

Sirius - 139, XM - 194

THE OPENING TIP

• Duke is ranked No. 2 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Delaware is unranked in both polls.

• The Blue Devils are 7-0 on the year and looking to improve to 8-0 for the fourth time in the last six seasons.

• Duke has defeated three top-five teams, taking down No. 3 Kentucky, No. 2 Louisville and No. 4 Ohio State. That marks the first time in school history that Duke has beaten three top-five opponents before the start of conference play.

• Duke’s starting lineup of Quinn Cook, Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumlee and Rasheed Sulaimon combine to average 70.9 points per game which is 91.6 percent of the team’s total scoring.

• Duke scored 50 points in the second half against No. 4 Ohio State to erase a 31-23 halftime deficit. The Blue Devils are averaging 42.4 points per game in the second half.

Duke-Delaware Series:

• Duke won its only meeting with Delaware, claiming a 79-73 victory over the Blue Hens on Dec. 19, 1995 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

• Duke’s three assistant coaches — Jeff Capel, Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski — all played in that game and scored in double figures. Collins led the trio with 16 points, Capel scored 15 points and dished out six assists, and Wojciechowski scored 10 points with two steals.

DUKE VS. THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

• The Blue Devils own a 40-3 record against teams in the Colonial Athletic Association, including a 23-0 mark under Coach K.

• Duke has won 28 consecutive games against teams from the CAA. Duke’s last loss to a team from the CAA was an 85-82 overtime defeat at the hands of William & Mary in 1953.

NUMBERS GAME

• Duke is ranked No. 2 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Delaware is unranked in both polls.

• Duke, ranked No. 2 in the latest AP Poll, has been ranked in the top 10 of the poll 97 consecutive weeks. The last time Duke was not ranked in the top 10 was Nov. 19, 2007.

• The Blue Devils are playing their 184th straight game as a top-10 team in the AP poll. Duke is 153-30 in that span.

• Duke defeated No. 2 Ohio State in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, extending a school-record streak of 97 consecutive non-conference home victories. That is the longest active streak in the country. Duke’s last loss on Coach K Court came on Feb. 26, 2000 against St. John’s (83-82).

• The Blue Devils have won 43 of their last 48 non-conference contests. Duke is 75-9 in non-league games since the start of the 2008-09 season.

• Duke is 111-16 all-time when ranked No. 2 in the country. The Blue Devils have won five straight when holding the second spot in the AP poll.

• The last time Duke and Delaware squared off, Duke’s three assistant coaches — Jeff Capel, Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski — were all on Duke’s roster. All three scored in double figures and combined to score 41 points in Duke’s 79-73 victory.

• Duke’s starting lineup has accounted for 91.5 percent of the team’s total scoring this season with 496 of Duke’s 542 points through seven games. The starters have scored 293 of Duke’s 305 points over the last four games.

• Duke is 97-13 (.882) with Ryan Kelly in the lineup. He currently ranks fourth at Duke in career winning percentage.

• Duke ranks 11th nationally in free throw percentage, shooting .783 (137-of-175) from the line. That is an improvement of .082 from last season's free throw percentage of .702 (606-of-864).

• All five of Duke's starters are shooting 70.0 percent or better from the free throw line.

• Mason Plumlee has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in each of the past 13 games dating back to last season. Plumlee is 74-of-113 (.655) from the field during that span, including 47-of-72 (.653) this season.

• Plumlee is one of only four players in the country averaging at least 18.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. He is the only one of those four shooting over 60.0 percent from the floor (.653).

• Plumlee broke Duke’s all-time dunks record in the Blue Devils’ last outing. With 149 career dunks, Plumlee surpassed former Duke great Robert Brickey, who threw down 147 dunks from 1987-90.

• Freshman Rasheed Sulaimon has scored in double figures in six straight games and is the third-leading freshman scorer in the ACC at 12.7 ppg.

• Sulaimon averages 4.3 rebounds per game, which is the highest average of any ACC player under 6-foot-5.

• Quinn Cook has scored in double figures in three of his past four games while accounting for 27 assists during that span.

• Cook has improved his scoring average 6.5 points per game and his assist average 4.0 per game from the 2011-12 season.

• Duke has 18 former players on NBA rosters this season, which is the second most of any NCAA team behind only Kentucky (20).

Duke Basketball

Quinn Cook Plays Iron Man Minutes vs Ohio State

Quinn Cook is growing into his role as the teams leader at point guard in his second season. He played Iron Man minutes in the win over Ohio State helping Duke remain undefeated this season. Photo - Lance King

DURHAM, N.C. -  Duke has a new leader at point guard and his name is Quinn Cook.  The sophomore played every minute of last evening's game, going up against one of the most ballyhooed guards in the nation in Buckeye Aaron Craft.  And the numbers speak for themselves.  Craft struggled from the field all night long while Cook took over in the second half, nailing six consecutive free throws down the stretch and tallying 12 points while dishing out eight dimes on the evening.  The emergence of Cook this season has allowed Seth Curry and Rasheed Sulaimon to play off the ball while Tyler Thornton serves in the sixth man role.  Cook is the type of player that gets better as the game goes on.  Perhaps this is still part of the learning curve, for he is far from a finished product, but make no mistake: he is here to stay.  And the best is yet to come.