The Duke Blue Devils hung on to win against Wake Forest last evening which sets up another big game with North Carolina this weekend.  One of the key players in the victory was senior captain, Marshall Plumlee who scored 11 points to go with a game high 17 rebounds.  Plumlee discusses the win and the game coming up one on one with Blue Devil Nation.

You had a very nice double-double which is the start of a good way to go out in your last two games in Cameron.  So, what are your thoughts after the performance?

I'm really proud of the composure my teammates showed throughout the game because there were ups and downs.  We didn't let the downs keep us out especially with concern to shots not falling. Coach (Krzyzewski) believed in us and just encouraged us to keep on shooting,  It's awesome when you have a coach who gives you the green light the way he does and believes in you and it gives you all the confidence in the world.

What is it like when the shots are not falling.  I mean, you guys were getting turnovers on defense and getting to the free throw line but barely led at the half.  I know what Coach just said, but what do you tell the team as a captain?

Well, we can't let missed shots affect us on the defensive end of the floor and I think we showed maturity in that we've been trying to work on that.  The lapses we had were more mental lapses and things we can correct.  But overall, I am proud of the mental effort and thought we were more the team we've been these last five games than we were, say, against Pitt.  It was a hard-fought win.

I guess you have to put this game right to bed with UNC coming up this weekend.  How do you go about doing that?

We have to be able to move on to the next play.  That's something we've learned throughout the season that there is no time to linger on any victory ir feel good about yourself.  You have to start preparation right away and get ready for the next opponent.  So, we are going to out in all the work in the next few days, getting our minds right and out bodies right so we can give them a good fight,.

I almost hate to bring this up now, but this is your last home game coming up.  Is it already starting to sink in?

At times when I think about my last few games at Cameron it gives me a tremendous fire, but other than that, I try not to think about it because it is not time to get sentimental now.  Now is the time to fight and the time to sprint -- it's March, the last half of the season.  I could not be more excited to pursue great moments with my teammates.

One more question.  How did your leadership role change when Amile more or less went out for the season?

I think every ones role changed in that not one person could pick up the slack for Amile Jefferson because he brought so much to the floor. We all had to come together and we all had to work together and something we did to combat and we've gotten tougher from it.  We've not lost Amile Jefferson, he;s here with us every day working his butt off in rehab and pushing us to be the best basketball players we can be.  We are grateful for Amile Jefferson.