Category Archives: Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball

Duke Thumps the Hokies 88-64

The Duke Blue Devils came out with a purpose in their 88-64 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils were coming off an upset loss to N.C. State and the way they responded by showing that the game might have been an aberration.

With the win, the Blue Devils (13-3, 24-4) move back into a tie for second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with Florida State. Louisville, with a win over North Carolina today, remains in first place with a half-game lead.

Duke delivered a technical knockout by halftime where they connected on 8 of 15 three-point shots for a 51-25 lead at the break. It was hard to keep the intensity up in the second half, but the Blue Devils closed the game well after a sluggish start where Justin Robinson nailed two late three-pointers.

Cassius Stanley, who had 16 at the half, ended the contest with game-high 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. He also had a season-high 5 -3 pointers.

Tre Jones added 14 points including two dagger three-pointers to start the game for Duke.

Matthew Hurt had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds which was his career-high on the glass.

Vernon Carey Jr. had a near double-double where he added 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Duke shut down the ACC's fourth-leading scorer in the Hokies Landers Nolly who ended the contest with a mere 3 points.

The Blue Devils also outrebounded the Hokies by a margin of 49-31 and they held a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass. The rebound margin was the largest differential in any ACC game played this season.

Duke is an impressive 21-1 vs the Hokies in Cameron.

Duke never trailed the Hokies which dropped to 15-12 overall.

Duke will visit Winston Salem, N.C. to take Wake Forest this Tuesday in a game that will tipoff just after 7:00 on the ACC Network. There are just four regular-season games left on the 2019-20 regular-season schedule before March Madness gets underway.

Sidebar -

  • Five-star, 2020 high school prepster, Parick Baldwin was on a Duke visit.
  • Duke beat their next opponent, Wake Forest, 90-59 in Cameron in early January.
  • The Blue Devils have now connected on at least one three-pointer in 1,086 consecutive games.
  • The win marked Coach K’s 1,000th when coaching a ranked Duke team. Duke is 1,000-226 when playing as a ranked team in the Coach K era.
  • Duke is now 13-0 this season when scoring 85+ points in a game.
  • Jordan Goldwire matched his career-high with six rebounds
  • .Duke is now 34-5 in games that Jones scores in double figures in his career.

Duke Basketball

Duke Looks to Get Back on Track vs Hokies

The Duke Blue Devils will attempt to get back to playing winning basketball when Virginia Tech visits Durham for an 8:00 tipoff on ESPN this Saturday.

Both teams are coming off disappointing losses but in a different fashion. The Hokie let a three-overtime game slip away to Miami, while Duke suffered a butt whipping to N.C. State.

The Hokies (15-11) have won just one of their last seven games. That means Duke will be a healthy favorite. But before you think it is a sure win, consider they were ranked early in the season and beat a then #3 Michigan State team. And is this where I mention they have a 14 point win over N.C. State?

Teams are fighting for their tournament lives this time of year and the Hokies are one of them. They're a guard-heavy team led by Landers Nolly that lost to Duke by 14 in the first matchup in Blacksburg.

Duke will likely come out with some fire. There was enough dejection from the way they lost to the Wolfpack to make sure focus will be intact come tipoff time.

The Blue Devils need to get their entire team involved again where they had a mere six assists in their last outing. But what people will look to see is if they come out with purpose.

Chances are that the Blue Devils will rebound with a win, but what the staff seeks is consistency in the team's effort. Duke can ill afford let-downs the rest of the season where just five regular-season games remain.

Duke will look to shut down two freshmen coming off their career games. Tyrece Radford and Jalen Cone scored 26 and 20 points respectively vs Miami.

The Blue Devils should also be able to score the ball inside where Vernon Carey Jr, should get looks early and often. Duke will also try and get their offense going beyond the big to of the aforementioned Carey and team leader Tre Jones.

The Blue Devils are currently a half-game out of first place in the ACC and tied with Florida State for second place.

Sidebar

  • Duke holds an impressive 48-11 edge over Virginia Tech in the series which began in 1912.
  • Duke is 12-3 in the last 15 meetings.
  • Vernon Carey Jr. was just 4-7 in the first matchup, a 77-63 Duke win.
  • Tre Jones led Duke in scoring with 15 points in the first game.

Duke Basketball

Duke Needs to Let it Go

Some mysteries live on with no logical explanation and one of those is how N.C. State Wolfpack saves their best effort for Duke each season. Last night was no different where Duke got throttled in Raleigh in the worst loss to an unranked team in Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's long career.

A team coming off a loss to Boston College and were roasted by their rival North Carolina in the same PNC Arena just gets up for Duke. Part of that was from desperation or the need for a marquee win with tournament bids around he corner.

The Wolfpack has the talent and they have more or less underachieved this season. I mean, they stormed the court after beating Duke, for gosh sakes. And honestly, this team has the talent to not be going that route had they played better in certain games.

I could see his upset coming miles away. If you do not believe me look at the title of the previous article posted here. Duke lost the game when they went down 12-2 early in the game. The one thing they could ill afford was a slow start against a hungry team and that allowed for the Pack to dictate the pace or the way the game was played.

But Duke made sure this loss was going to happen with horrid free-throw shooting, a paltry six assists and a rim which seemed the size of those we see with games of chance at your local State Fair.

In short, they could do little right and they seemed a step slow both mentally and physically. Coming off a seven game winning streak seemingly had this team too relaxed or not ready to compete at the level necessary to win. And Duke was not prepared to match their opponent in any way on this evening.

But this is a single game. And Duke needs to forget what they did wrong and get back to playing their version of basketball. This was the worst defeat of the season where the Blue Devils looked like freshmen playing against men, but if they allow this to carry over it will not be in their interest.

Yes, it is true that the last two Duke national championship teams have lost by double digits in Raleigh to the Wolfpack. And that is but one why I was concerned last evening.

Duke needs to wipe this game from their memory but only after learning lessons in that if you are not prepared to play, you will be sent home quickly in March.

The Blue Devils have been playing good basketball until the blowout, but the main lesson here is that this team is not a juggernaut and they need to be sharp no matter the opponent.

This team lost a long time nonconference winning streak in Cameron and they now have the worst defeat against a non-ranked team. They also stumbled against a .500 Clemson team.

But this is also a team which is still tied atop the ACC standings despite the recent loss. And this is a team with their marquee wins in the bag. What Duke has to do now is get back on track and do so quickly with another guard-heavy team in Virginia Tech which visits Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

If Duke is to secure a top-two seed in the NCAA Tournament, they can afford maybe one more stumble in the regular season at best. And this is where I refer you back to another article where I stated how hungry the remaining teams on the schedule will be.

Last night was awful for the team and fanbase. The only cure is to show it was an aberration and another learning experience before the tournament begins.

Duke Basketball

Duke on High Upset Alert at N.C. State

The Duke Blue Devils have been playing high-level basketball during their seven-game winning streak. Meanwhile, perhaps N.C. State was caught looking ahead as they let a game with Boston College slip away in their last outing.

What we are guaranteed to see is another strong Wolfpack effort against Duke in Raleigh. N.C. State needs a marquee win for their tournament resume and this will be the first of two games in twelve days between the cross-town rivals.

"We understand coming down the stretch we're going to play some good teams. To be able to advance (to the Tournament), we're going to have to win some of those games. We're sitting at 7-7 (16-9 overall), but with some great opportunities right in front of us," said N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts on Monday.

Make no mistake, the Wolfies will have their ears pinned back before the dreaded 9:00 tipoff time on Wednesday and history suggests they can no doubt pull off an upset win. For those of us who have been around, we know in this matchup that the rim seems to get bigger for the Pack when they face Duke which is 8-6 in PNC Arena.

Duke won their last outing handily against the Wolfpack a season ago, but that was after consecutive losses in the series. Another notable intangible in this game is that N.C. State is playing at home for the first time in 18 days and that will make for a raucous crowd.

The Wolfpack are a difficult matchup with their multiple guard lineup. They are led by Markell Johnson who was in major foul trouble against Boston College and looks to bounce back. Their guards come at you in droves where Johnson is aided by veterans C.J. Bryce, Devon Daniels and Braxton Beverly make for a lineup where you have to locate shooters on defense.

In the paint, the Pack holds their own with Jericole Hellems, Manny Bates and D.J. Funderburk. But this is an area where if they can get one of these two in foul trouble it could open the paint up for Duke.

The Blue Devils should have the services of Cassius Stanley back and that is good news. This will also be a good test for the Duke perimeter defense which must come to play. Duke should expect battles for every loose ball in this one as they'll need to elevate their effort to continue their quest to remain in first place in the standings.

A key for Duke in this game will be to start the game with focus and do not get behind allowing the Wolfpack early confidence. They must be prepared to play a full forty minutes as well if not more.

If the Blue Devils are aware that the Wolfpack has four guys who can get hot in a hurry it will help. And I am sure the staff has their attention on what kind of challenge this game will be.

Duke will lean heavily on Tre Jones decision making in this game. The team also needs to show up across the board for there is match up concerns for some.

So, make no mistake this game will be a war and those expecting Duke to walk through another opponent be warned for plenty of upsets past have occurred when playing at PNC Arena.

Sidebar -

  • Tre Jones has scored more points than any other player in the ACC since January the 8th. The Pack will likely focus on him heavily in this match up.
  • Vernon Carey is averaging 28.6 per every forty minutes played.
  • Duke has been ranked in the A.P. Top 10 for forty consecutive polls.
  • N.C. State has four players averaging double-figures scoring.
  • This game marks the 249th meeting between the cross-town foes.
  • Two of Duke's three losses came back to back losses when Wendell Moore Jr. was out of the lineup.
  • Duke is 20-10 when playing on February 19 and has won seven straight overall on this date.

Follow Blue Devil Nation https://twitter.com/BlueDevilNation on twitter for the most concise coverage available.

A key for Duke will not be the offensive play of players like Alex O'Connell (above), but how they defend at N.C. State.

Duke Basketball

Duke Up to 6th in A.P. Poll

The new A.P. poll was released just moments ago and the Duke Blue Devils move up to

The Blue Devils are currently riding a seven-game winning streak including a recent blowout win over Notre Dame.

Duke returns to the court this Wednesday to take on N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C. before taking on Virginia Tech at home on Saturday.

This is the 40th consecutive week Duke has been ranked as one of the nation's top 10 teams which is the second-longest streak.

The Blue Devils closed the gap to within 9 points from Dayton. Duke is 3-1 vs Top 25 teams, while Dayton is 0-1. The ACC has 14 Top 25 wins while the Flyer's conference has a single top 25 win on the whole, but I suppose that does not matter.

No knock on Dayton, they are a solid team, but I see a much better resume from the team in Durham.

While polls are subjective, considering Duke has a win over Kansas and the aforementioned stats make for curious questions with concern to the criteria some voters are looking for.

Ever since Duke was upset by Stephen F. Austin there seems to be a hesitance to move them forward a bit, nevermind there current seven-game winning streak. For what it is worth, the Lumberjacks are now the 33rd team in the top 25 voting. they're atop their league and a tournament lock.

Duke is also 6th in the new coaches poll, just 7 points shy of 5th this week. The top 10 in each poll are identical.

Duke has been ranked in the top 25 in 79 consecutive polls.

1 - Baylor

2 - Gonzaga

3 - Kansas

4- San Diego State

5 - Dayton

6 - Duke

7 - Maryland

8 - Florida State

9 - Penn State

10 - Kentucky

11 - Louisville

12 - Villanova

Duke Basketball

A Dozen Feel-Good Takeaways From Duke’s Win

With the exception of an unfortunate injury to Cassius Stanley as he was warming up, yesterday was a total feel-good day for the Duke Blue Devils.

The Return of Zion Williamson

The former Duke standout has taken the world by storm and is now an attraction wherever he turns up. Williamson had participated in the NBA Rising Star game the night before wowing fans with his play. He went out of his way to make it to Duke in time to catch part of the game and when he entered necks were bending. Williamson was also able to see Mike Buckmire collect a late-game basket and it was clear that tickled him. Williamson went to the Duke locker room after the win and hung out with players but he did not address the media, not wanting to take the focus off the team. He spoke with the aforementioned Cassius Stanley who was not able to play in the locker room.

The Return of Tyus "Stones" Jones

A national champion was in Cameron yesterday. Tyus Jones came back to sit with his mom Debbie who is recovering after a health scare. The two were able to see Tre who is having a banner season for the Blue Devils. Tyus spoke with some in the media and it was clear he was there for his brother He also told me they would be able to spend some time together that evening.

D-E-F-E-N-S-E

It is fair to say that Notre Dame guards Rex Pfluger and T,J, Gibbs will not soon forget the Blue Devils defense on them. They were both held scoreless. The Duke defense was stellar in pushing the Irish off the three-point stripe which is their bread and butter strength. In fact, the Irish were held to a season-low made three's. Duke also scored 19 points off forced Notre Dame turnovers and their thing is ball protection.

Matthew Hurt is Playing his Best Ball of Late

At times this season, Matthew Hurt has struggled to adjust to the physicality of the college game. He has turned a corner of late and his 12 points and 9 rebounds were somewhat lost in a game where so many players had success. There was a play in the first half when Irish star John Moody was guarding Hurt and banging on him hard. Hurt backed him down despite the no calls and connected on a mid-range shot. If Hurt continues to hit the boards as he did yesterday and grows his inside game to go with his three-point shot, we will be talking about him a lot moving forward.

Goldwired

The most pleasant surprise this season is the play of Jordan Goldwire. He flat out shut down Irish guards. His offense is getting better and he was working with Duke assistant Chris Carrawell two hours before the game started. The one play where he was relentless on defense, gained a steal and connected on a drive on the other end was a crowd-pleaser. He will be further tested by a guard-heavy Wolfpack team next.

Big Vern Shows Off

Vernon Carey Jr took over in the first half against the Irish. He took it to John Mooney and showed he was at times unstoppable when he gets intense. Carey has been a difference-maker for Duke this season and he is the best big man in the league. Once Duke took a commanding lead, Carey's numbers dropped off, but he made a definite statement in the game,

Tre Jones

Make no mistake, the keys to the machine are owned by Tre Jones. His play continued to be top-notch on both sides of the ball as his brother and mom looked on. His steady play gives Duke two player of the year candidates. Duke is 33-4 when he scores in double-digits.

Duke Won Their 7th Straight Game

The Blue Devils are playing as well as any team in the nation as they won their seventh consecutive game. Duke is likely to move up in the rankings but a very hungry N.C. State team awaits them next. Duke rolled the Irish and never looked back once that started. The smashing of the Irish was a near-perfect performance.

The Win Puts Duke in 1st Place

The Blue Devils moved into sole possession of 1st place in the ACC with their blowout win over Notre Dame. Louisville stumbled at Clemson earlier in the day and that allowed for Duke to take a half-game lead in the standings.

Quinn Cook Return

The Los Angeles Lakers Quinn Cook was the other part of the 2015 National Champion backcourt to return from the NBA All Star break to take in a game. Always popular, the Crazies could not manage to get him to sit with them. He conversed a bit with mentor Nolan Smith on the bench once the game was in control. Cook had to head out shortly after with big Duke win to get back to business.

Everybody Contributed

We have mentioned some of the players which played well for Duke, but yesterday had a lot of good performances. Javin DeLaurier logged good minutes and he is playing well of late. Alex O'Connell had a team-high 4 steals to go with his 12 points for a super effort. Joey Baker scored 8 points in 14 minutes as well. And Justin Robinson and Mike Buckmire scored in late-game minutes.

Cassius Stanley Will Be Fine

I have no idea how a manager scratched Cassius Stanley's eye in the pre-game warm-ups. I do know he hated missing the game with former players back. As I said in opening this was one of the few negative moments. But the silver lining is he will be ready to go when Duke travels to N.C. State and that is good news and a way to close the feel-good dozen.