One of the reasons the Duke Blue Devils came away with a 79-67 win over Pitt was a career-high scoring night from Jordan Goldwire. The Blue Devil guard scored 13 points including three made three-pointers in the first half.
You knocked down three big three-pointers in the first half. What are your thoughts on that?
They [Pitt] were giving me the shot, so I just tried to step in and shoot the ball with confidence and my teammates told me to keep shooting and it felt good to see them going in.
You have made yourself into a player and a key contributor. What did you do in the offseason to help accomplish that?
I don't think it is anything special I did. I have always been in the gym a lot in the summer, so I mean, it was just a matter of getting the confidence
Your teammates seem to have confidence in you. How does that make you feel?
It feels good to know. As you said, the hard work I have been doing is paying off and I am just happy to help get the win.
You had a career-high in scoring, who will be the first people yo text?
My parents and friends.
What will you work on the rest of the season?
I want to keep growing as a player, leader, defender and just keep adding different things to my game. That's what I want to do to help my team and continue to win,
Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel is and will always be a part of the Duke Brotherhood. During last evening's Duke win over Pitt, the Cameron Crazies set into motion a chant which went, "Jeff Capel sit with us."
That chant drew the ire of Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski. As the first half ended Krzyzewski went over to the students clearly perturbed, telling the fans to stop it, he is one of us.
Krzyzewski had a locker room to get to, so he could not linger to chat about the situation. And that brings up a key point I will shed light on to make for some clarity.
A Duke Basketball game for Mike Krzyzewski and his staff is all business on game day and especially in live game competition. A look around on game day will see his managers working in military unison. Everything is structured and that is one reason the program has flourished.
Some in the media seemed shocked by Krzyzewski's action, but not so much me. Having covered Duke for over a decade in Cameron Indoor Stadium, I have pretty much seen it all. And for that matter, heard it all be it the fans or what is considered Cameron decorum.
But let's back up a second, for Krzyzewski also said that he misunderstood the cheer during his post-game press conference. And he apologized for the situation, but he was still mildly taken aback and I will explain my take on that.
Here is a comment from Krzyzewski on Capel, “I love Jeff. Jeff is my son, man. We’re part of a brotherhood. Playing against him is very difficult. I don’t like it.”
There were multiple levels of emotion in Cameron Indoor Stadium last night. Krzyzewski has told the media on many occasions he hates coaching against his former players and from covering this team for a long time I know this to be true.
Add to that, Krzyzewski coached Team USA to three Gold Medals and those teams were led in part by recently departed Kobe Bryant. And Duke commemorated his passing with a pre-game ceremony complete with special warmups and 24 ticks of silence.
With so much going on in a game Duke needed to win to move in a second-place tie with Florida State in the ACC, it should not surprise long time followers of the team that Krzyzewski did not like a cheer.
Even after the air was cleared and apologies made, the chant still puzzled Krzyzewski and others who realized the timing of the cheer was off and the head man seemingly thought the cheer was taunting at first.
"I apologized for you know... let us think of a different chant," said Krzyzewski before lightening the mood offering up some basic cheers. He continued by saying leave the other guy alone meaning Capel.
But he also brought up the fact that what was said was not a basketball cheer. Look, there is no doubt the Duke students meant "Jeff Capel sit with us" chant as adoration and respect. And to be fair, the students follow the lead of a single individual who starts the cheers.
What was questionable about the timing of the cheer is that it bled into live game action. Also, the "So and so, sit with us," chant is in place for a prospect or recruits, former players and the occasional celebrity visitor to Cameron but not the opposing coach.
I mean, was Jeff Capel expected to acknowledge the cheer during live game action? Trust me, the coach of another team in the heat of an ACC basketball game is not going to smile and wave even if he is a Duke alum.
In fairness to the students, the cheer started during a timeout. The problem is it continued for a good bit during game action and was awkward. While Krzyzewski and Capel are locked on their teams in live game action, the cheer felt out of place.
The truth of the matter is that the cheer while innocuous in nature came at an inappropriate time. And it is the first time I have seen the cheer used in a way that I cannot fathom why the support was not on game action.
I see the whole issue as a learning experience for all. But it is expected be it fair or not for some who steer the cheers to do so with a basketball IQ. Save the cheers for the right time but do not distract from actual live game action.
The good news is this will fade, but because of the situation, Krzyzewski will get a little bad press from varying uninformed spins. It was an emotional night where people should be talking about the former Olympic coach and the Duke tribute to Kobe Bryant not to mention a good win.
The students can give their coach an assist and help keep the focus on where it should be just paying a little more attention to detail. But make no mistake, Krzyzewski and Duke need the Cameron Crazies and he stated that he loves them, something that did not get lost in translation.
The Duke Blue Devils are coming off a needed break and will return to the court tomorrow evening in a 9:00 game versus Pitt in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils halted a two-game losing streak with an 89-59 win over Miami in their last outing which pushed them to 6-2 in the ACC with and 16-3 overall.
The Kobe Bryant Passing Effect
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has deep ties with USA Basketball and his experiences have allowed him to meet legendary players. Kobe Bryant was one of those players. The sad news of his passing brought about an official statement from Krzyzewski which you can read on the site. With three daughters of his own, the former Olympic coach can certainly relate to the pain the Bryant family must be feeling as the nation mourns the tragedy. We can likely expect some more comments from Krzyzewski during today's press conference and after tomorrow's game.
Taking Advantage of the Break
The schedule allows for little spare time moving forward but Duke likely made some adjustments after a week-long break. Duke should be a better team for many reasons. The first, of course, is the health aspect. Some Duke players have been battling injuries or nagging ailments. The break should have allowed time for Joey Bakers' gimpy ankle to heal. We are also one week closer to the return of Wendell Moore Jr. Mike Krzyzewski has ruled him out versus Pitt but he is getting closer to returning. Duke is at it's best when they have their full roster and Krzyzewski hopes the team's health remains intact as they build chemistry for the final run in the conference. The staff also likely tweaked a few on-court things with two losses still close in their rearview mirror.
About Those Rankings
Duke is currently ranked 9th in the nation in the new A.P. poll falling one spot behind Villanova this week per the media. The Blue Devils can win games and not move up as quickly as some may want in that the teams ahead of them have favorable schedules in some cases. Anyone who has seen Baylor knows they look the part of number one and I cannot see but one team challenging them in the Big 12. Gonzaga has entered its conference season, so that means less than stellar competition. What I am getting at here is that Duke will have to scratch and claw its way to a top-two seed in the NCAA tournament where two teams are locked in already. Rankings basically matter for tournament seeding and fan pride but the key is to navigate your way to be playing your best ball at years end. Duke may not be a top-two rated team again this regular season, but they should be able to secure a good seed if they play to their potential.
Duke Seeks Growth for Consistency
The Blue Devils staff knows that continued learned maturity and playing together is the key to success. They hope to see consistency develop over the last 12 regular-season games. Duke needs to get a little better at the free-throw stripe for this to happen. The Blue Devils are 11th in the league from the charity stripe at under 70% which is generally considered the minimum desired. But Duke leads the league in scoring, scoring margin and they are 4th in scoring defense. The Blue Devils also are tops in field goal percentage going into tomorrow's game with Pitt. Individually, Duke places two players in the league top 25 scorers. Vernon Carey (16.9) is 4th in scoring while Tre Jones (14.9) comes in at 11th. Tre Jones remains the league lead in assists with just under seven per contest.
Duke Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski on the passing of Kobe and Gianna Bryant “We have tragically lost one of the greatest sports figures of our time with the passing of Kobe Bryant. He was an incredibly gifted person who was universally respected. He was in constant pursuit of doing something special and there will never be a greater warrior in our sport. I had the amazing honor of coaching Kobe in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, and I will always remember how much he cherished representing his country in a first-class manner playing the game he so loved. The game of basketball is better today because of Kobe, and he deserves eternal appreciation for that. This is a devastating loss, made even more tragic by the passing of his daughter, Gianna, and all others on board. The entire Krzyzewski family is saddened as we genuinely loved and admired Kobe. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Vanessa, their daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri, and the families of those involved.”
The Duke Blue Devils ended a two-game ACC losing streak with an 89-59 win over Miami in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The win pushed the Blue Devils ACC mark to 6-2 with a 16-3 overall record.
Duke knocked Miami back with their first-half three-point shooting where they started the game 9-16 from the stripe. The Blue Devils were taking no prisoners up 48-24 in the first half.
"For us to win we have to play good defense and that translates to good offense," said Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He continued, "We emphasize defense and hard play.
Duke held Miami to 30% shooting for the game.
With the loss, Miami falls to 2-6 in the league and 10-8 overall. Duke swept the season series with the Hurricanes and they move3 to 22-7 all time. This game also marked the Blue Devils only appearance in the Coaches vs Cancer event.
Duke cooled off in the second half but still outscored the visiting Hurricanes 41-35. The Blue Devils were led in scoring by freshman Matthew Hurt who tallied a game high 22 points.
Tre Jones chipped in 16 points for Duke while dishing 6 assists Vernon Carey was the only other Duke player in double figures with 11. Nine of the eleven Duke players who played scored.
Duke scored 46 points in the paint to just 18 for Miami. The Blue Devil bench outscored the Hurricanes 27-12. Duke scored 20 points on fast breaks while forcing 13 turnovers.
The Blue Devils will have a long lay off until their next game on January 28th with Pittsburgh in Cameron. That game will again tip at 9:00 and will be on ESPNU.
The Duke Blue devils dropped to 8th in the new A.P. poll released today. After consecutive losses, the Blue Devils hope to get back on track against Miami in Cameron in a game which tips at 9:00 on Tuesday.
The Coaches poll will be released later today. Baylor overtook Gonzaga as the top-rated team in the A.P. Fellow ACC members Florida State and Louisville placed 5th and 6th in the rankings.
