Category Archives: Duke Basketball

Second half surge leads Duke past Tulsa 70-52

DURHAM, N.C. - Nolan Smith had 18 points, Kyle Singler added 17 and No. 5 Duke pulled away to beat Tulsa 70-52 on Thursday night.

Jon Scheyer finished with 15 points for the Blue Devils (24-4). They used an big run early in the second half to break open a surprisingly tight game and extend their decade-long nonconference winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium to 77.

Jerome Jordan had 12 points to lead the Golden Hurricane (19-9). In losing their fourth straight, they finished with a season-low point total and were denied the first victory against a top-five team since 1996.

Leading scorer Ben Uzoh, who entered on a streak of three straight 20-point games, finished with eight on 3-of-15 shooting.

Brian Zoubek, a 7-foot-1 senior who has emerged lately as one of Duke's most valuable players, had 10 points and 11 rebounds. He started the game-breaking 18-3 run with a layup through the 7-foot Jordan's foul with 19:05 remaining.

Smith reeled off six straight points and Scheyer scored eight in a row before Miles Plumlee hit a hook shot to make it 52-36 with 13½ minutes left.

That had the Blue Devils well on their way to their 18th straight win at Cameron. They have won 41 straight at home against unranked opponents, they are 16-0 there this season with all but one of those victories by double figures, and Friday makes it 10 years since a non-Atlantic Coast Conference team beat them on their home court.

Justin Hurtt added 11 points for the Golden Hurricane and tied it at 34 with a free throw with 19:20 to play, but they missed 6 of 7 shots after that while turning it over three times during Duke's decisive spurt.

Steven Idlet had 10 points for Tulsa, which shot 26 percent from the field during the second half and finished 1 of 10 from 3-point range.

Lance Thomas had 10 rebounds for ACC-leading Duke.

At least on the surface, the late-February timing of this game seemed unusual. But coach Mike Krzyzewski scheduled this break in the ACC schedule with the NCAA tournament in mind, hoping to give his Blue Devils a test against a quality, unfamiliar nonconference opponent.

And for a while, they got one.

The Golden Hurricane kept themselves within striking distance through the first half, never allowing Duke to lead by more than 10 points and clawing back to tie it at 28 on Bryson Pope's layup 3 minutes before the break. That, despite a miserable start to the half by their top player: Uzoh missed eight of his first 10 shots.

Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik was no stranger to Duke's hostile arena: He was on Matt Doherty's staff at rival North Carolina from 2000-03, and those teams went 1-2 at Cameron. But ultimately, that familiarity couldn't help the Golden Hurricane claim the program's third victory against a top-five team and first since knocking off then-No. 5 UCLA in 1996.

BDN Duke Locker Room Report – Zoubek talks his double double

Zoubek leads Duke
Another double double for Big Zoubs - BDN Photo

Durham, N.C. - Duke just defeated Tulsa by a 70-52 score to push their season record to 24-4.  We have some comments from Brian Zoubek below who scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.  We are experiencing technical difficulties  so it may or may not be morning before we can get other interviews posted.

Just press play

Tulsa at Duke Game Notes

Singler leads Duke vs Tulsa
Kyle Singler is coming off a 25 point, 10 rebound effort - L.King Image

[5 AP/5 Coaches] Duke (23-4, 11-2 ACC) vs. Tulsa (19-8, 8-5 Conference USA)

Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010  •  7:00 p.m.  •  espn2

Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)  •  Durham, N.C.

The Opening Tip

Duke (23-4, 11-2 ACC), ranked fifth in the AP poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, steps out of league play to face Tulsa (19-8, 8-5 Conference USA) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m. The game will air on espn2 with Mike Patrick and Len Elmore calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Duke ran its win streak to six games with a 67-55 win over Virginia Tech on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Junior Kyle Singler scored a game-high 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds and two steals. Singler now has five double-doubles on the year, including 10+ points and rebounds in two straight games.

Junior Nolan Smith added 23 points, while Jon Scheyer chipped in with 15 points and seven assists. Brian Zoubek continued his outstanding play on the glass with 16 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. The Blue Devils closed the game with 23 offensive rebounds and outscored Virginia Tech, 27-9, on second chance points.

The trio of Singler, Smith and Scheyer combined for 63 of Duke’s 67 points in the contest and have now scored 112 of 123 points (91.1 percent) in the last three halves of basketball for the Blue Devils.

Home Non-Conference Win Streak at 76

Duke has won 76 consecutive non-conference home games. Duke’s last home loss against a non-conference foe was an 83-82 decision against St. John’s on Feb. 26, 2000. The Blue Devils are 8-0 in home non-conference games this season.

Numbers Game

l Duke is ranked fifth in the AP poll, marking the 52nd consecutive week ranked in the top 10. The Blue Devils are 53-23 all-time when ranked fifth in the AP poll.

l The Blue Devils have won 17 straight games at Cameron Indoor Stadium and 46 of 48 home games over the past three seasons.

l Duke is 15-0 at home on the year with a scoring margin of +26.6 points per game. The Blue Devils have won 14 home games by double figures and 11 of their 15 games at Cameron Indoor Stadium by 20 or more points.

l The Blue Devils have won 40 consecutive home games against unranked opponents, dating back to a 68-67 loss to Florida State on Feb. 4, 2007.

l Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are the highest scoring trio in the NCAA at a combined 53.7 points per game. The threesome has accounted for 74 double-figure scoring games (out of 79 games) and 35 of Duke’s 36 individual games with 20 or more points scored.

l Junior Kyle Singler is averaging a team-best 19.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 three-point field goals and 1.3 blocks per game during Duke’s current six-game win streak. He is 23-of-42 (.548) from three-point range in that span.

l Brian Zoubek is averaging 9.7 points and 12.7 rebounds (6.7 orpg.) since joining the starting lineup three games ago. He is tied for second in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.4 orpg) and ranks 14th in total rebounds (6.9 rpg.), while playing 16.4 minutes per game. Zoubek ranks among the national leaders with 16.8 rebounds, including 8.4 offensive boards, per 40 minutes played.

l Duke is collecting a Coach K era-best 15.2 offensive rebounds per game for the year. The Blue Devils are averaging 16.4 second chance points per game and are 22-2 when scoring more second chance points than their opponent. Duke has grabbed at least 17 offensive rebounds in four straight games.

l Jon Scheyer leads the ACC in four statistical categories and is the only player in the league to rank in the top 5 in seven statistical categories: scoring (second, 18.9 ppg.), assists (fourth, 5.4 apg.), free throw percentage (first, .885), three-point field goals (first, 2.8 3pg.), three-point field goal percentage (fourth, .398), assist-to-turnover ratio (first, 3.06:1) and minutes (first, 36.6 mpg.).

Checking in on ...

#2 Nolan Smith - +9.5 ppg. increase from a year ago leads the ACC ... shooting a career-best 42.4 percent from three-point range ... tied for third in the ACC with 12 games with 20+ points scored ... double figures in 24 of 25 games played

#5 Mason Plumlee - Second on the team with 21 dunks ... fourth with 18 blocks ... season-high nine rebounds vs. North Carolina

#12 Kyle Singler - Five double-doubles  and six games with 10+ rebounds ... averaging 19.7 points per game in the last six contests ... 29 three-point field goals in that span

#20 Andre Dawkins - Fourth on the team with 29 three-point field goals ... shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range

#21 Miles Plumlee - Leads the team with 28 dunks ... shooting 57.3 percent (63-of-110) from the field

#30 Jon Scheyer - 20+ points in five of the last eight games ... ranks in the top 10 of the ACC in eight statistical categories ... leads the league in minutes, free throw percentage, three-point field goals and assist-to-turnover ratio ... league-high 13 games with 20 or more points ... three-time ACC Player of the Week

#34 Ryan Kelly - 14 blocked shots ... one of five Blue Devils with 10+ blocks

#42 Lance Thomas - Leads the Blue Devils with 12 charges taken ... 5 or more rebounds in eight of the last 10 games

#55 Brian Zoubek - Four or more offensive rebounds 11 times ... averaging 9.6 points and 12.7 rebounds, while shooting 75.0 pct (12-of-16) from the field in the last three games.

It’s the Big Three and Brian Zoubek

Zoubek leads Duke
The Zoubinator grabbed 16 rebounds vs Virginia Tech - Lance King Image

Durham, N.C. - While the "Big Three" of Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler have carried the Blue Devils on their shoulders this season, senior Brian Zoubek is coming into his his own to help at just the right time.

Quite simply, it's been the Big Three and Brian Zoubek of late and as of last night, the seven foot center's 16 rebounds in a key win over Virginia Tech shows consistency from a fourth player.

It's not like Zoubek hasn't had a good season with numbers of 5.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg but he admits that his play of late has been due to a better understanding of his role thus he is taking another step in his career.

"I'm in the game more because I'm being smarter about fouls.  A lot of times I would play pretty well but get two quick fouls and have to come out so that's really frustrating.  So, being smarter and that' s what I've been trying to do all year," said Zoubek when questioned by Blue Devil Nation after his teams 67-55 win over the visiting Hokies.

At the 7:08 mark, Zoubek  made a lay up and one to put Duke ahead 52-47 and that play put the Blue Devils ahead for good.  "We had a if series of plays and got a three point play and then another one after that.  And then we hit had another three point play and that had not scored during that time and that is really disheartening for the other team, especially when they had just made a run to come back," said Zoubek.

Zoubek seemed elated last night, still perky after a tough conference win and he should have been.  He also like the fact that those TV cameras have been edging his way more and more in the locker room.

"You can get a little complacent when you are at your job for a little while and you're doing okay, but then you step up like I did in the Maryland game and it brings on even more responsibility and I want to do that every game."

When asked what the difference has been in the last few games, Zoubek said, "It's a combination of me playing smarter in terms of screening in going right to the basket and right to the boards.  I'm in the  game more from playing smarter and that means more rebounds."

He then continued by stating, "It's been a natural progression for me and after the Maryland game I didn't want to go back, didn't want to regress."

Well, Duke fans and Krzyzewski want Zoubek to remain a main member of the party as well in that Duke is about to hit the stretch run.  And that stretch run will be "Zoubs" as he is called by his teammates final run.

During his time at Duke, Zoubek has staved of a myriad of injuries during his Duke career, but there are no regrets according to Brian.

"You can't look back like that.  There's no regrets on my part, I've loved my time here.  I'm happy with the place I'm at and everything is paying off now."

We'll know in the next few weeks if Brian Zoubek continues his torrid play in the boards and if he does so, it will be even more of a special day when he comes out and talks with the Cameron Crazies one more time on March 6th.  That's when Duke will take on their arch rival North Carolina and the table could be set for a really nice exit.

Despite his obvious joy of being the current media darling for Duke,  Zoubek is quick to deflect the attention off himself.

"It feels awesome.  As well as I have been playing it's just great to have the team in this position in the league.  I love all these guys and we're having a great time and all things are better when you are winning."

Duke is indeed winning pushing their season record to 23-4 overall and 11-2 in the ACC and for now it seems Duke is the Big Three and Brian Zoubek.

Monday Morning Musings – Hoops, football, prospects, verbal

Just another Monday morning for the Blue Devil Nation. The men whipped the Hokies, the women whipped the Terps to win the ACC regular season, Duke signs a football prospect, two prospects visit during the basketball game a spring football update and of course, the young lady profiling in the pic above is our cheerleader of the week.

A lot of people will call  Duke's 67-55 win over Virginia Tech ugly, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Shooting just 29% Duke had their second worst game from the field this season and still won.   Of course, they beat UConn as well shooting 28%.  So, you can't hit your shots and win.  That's a beautiful thing for a Duke fan.  The Duke defense held Virginia Tech to 55 points.  That's a beautiful thing to Mike Krzyzewski.

Duke won the battle of the boards - again.  History shows this is a rarity which means this is the best rebounding team Krzyzewski has coached at Duke. In fact, this team is 20-2  when they win the battle of the boards this season

Have you heard that Brian Zoubek had 16 boards last evening?  Yeah, I figured you had.  Amazing effort, huh?  You'll hear from the "Zoubinator" shortly for we caught up with him to get some post game comments last evening.

At 11-2 in conference, Duke is in complete control of their destiny in a bid to claim the ACC regular season title.  Duke goes on the road to Virginia and then Maryland before closing the season out at home against North Carolina.  A split on the road and a win over UNC  would almost assuredly lock it up for Duke.  Maybe they'll win them all, but then again, Duke cannot overlook anyone down the stretch.  Maryland is right there with Duke in the standings, while Virginia needs a win to boost their NCAA hopes and UNC just needs wins and are playing for their tournament life, even if it is the NIT.

There goes that Conner Vernon again!  After making a splash as a true freshman, the wide receiver caught the only touchdown pass during this weekends closed scrimmage.  A lot of kids fall prey to the sophomore jinx, but if his performance this past Saturday was any indication, he can avoid that.

So, I am watching the scrimmage and something seems a bit weird and then it comes to me, via seeing Thaddeus Lewis on the sidelines.  Duke is breaking in two new quarterbacks and both are green as grass at this time.  FWIW, Lewis told me he'd be heading to the NFL Combine and we wish him luck.  We wish Duke's two new quarterbacks well too.

Speaking of Sean Schroeder and Brandon Connette, both had their moments.  Schroeder ran the scout team last year while Connette was still in high school.  Connette seems to be the better runner to go with good size but Schroeder was comfortable and threw the ball well.  We'll have an interview with Schroeder up shortly.

There were sixty prospects on campus on Junior Day for Duke Football and Duke got a good one to verbal in Jalen "Scoot" Simmons, a running back with 4.5 speed out of Charlotte.  He picked the Blue Devils over UNC, NCSU, Clemson and a couple of SEC schools.

Props to the women's basketball team for almost clinching the ACC title with a win over Maryland.  The Terp's disrespected the women, walking through them as they got into position for the nation anthem and so Duke gave them a Christmas present.  No, not a real present.  They unleashed Karima Christmas

Finally, the prospects attending last nights Duke-Virginia Tech basketball game were Marshall Plumlee and Michael Haynes.  For more on that, might I suggest you join Blue Devil Nation Premium for full site access?  That's where we talk about the other sport known as recruiting.

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