Nolan Smith and Duke will next face upstart Miami

Greensboro, N.C. – Junior Nolan Smith scored 15 points to help lead Duke past Virginia in today’s opening game.  Smith said he was nursing a cold but would be ready for tomorrow.  Here is a two minute Q & A with Smith. -

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As an observer I never felt Duke was threatened, but they certainly didn’t nail the coffin shut.  The Blue Devils generally come back strong after a somewhat lack luster performance and they will need to be at their best come tomorrow.

Duke was led in scoring by the big three, imagine that!  Kyle Singler led the way with 18 points while Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer added 15 apiece.

The Cavaliers pulled within two at 46-44 at the 6:24 mark but Duke went on an 11-2 run to finish the game and as always when Duke’s offense struggles they lean on their defense.

“I thought our defense was very good throughout.  I don’t think it was the best game we played, but Virginia had a lot to do with that,” said Krzyzewski.

Singler got two quick fouls in the first half and sat for most of the first half, but his play steadied the Dukies on a day when they were sluggish on the offensive end.  Singler grabbed a team high 11 rebounds while Brian Zoubek chipped in with 7.

“I don’t think we came out with a sense of urgency that we needed to.  We were sluggish,” said Singler during post game interviews.

The Blue Devils will need to get back to rebounding the ball better for they won the battle of the boards by a margin of 39-37 over a small team.  Duke also allowed 12 fast break points while scoring just 2 on their on.  The Blue Devils did outscore the Cavaliers on second chance shots by a 15-2 margin.

We’ll have more coming your way, including a chat with Nolan Smith and more, so stay tuned to BDN for full weekend coverage of Duke Basketball.  Bare with us for there is an internet connectivity issue at the Greensboro Coliseum.

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Note – delays due to Greensboro Coliseum internet connection issues

Michael Gbinije is the latest Blue Devil. Read about by joining Blue Devil Nation Premium

The Blue Devil Nation caught up with Gbinije and got his thoughts on wanting to play his collegiate career for Coach K at Duke -

Duke fans got a present just before what they hope is another one, that being an  ACC Tournament Championship on Sunday.

“I decided early this morning that I was going to do it.  I was really excited and  called Coach K after practice to tell him the news,” said a happy Gbinije.

That news would later

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]]> http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/michael-gbinije-talks-about-his-verbal-to-duke/feed/ 0 http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/michael-gbinije-commits-to-duke-university/ http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/michael-gbinije-commits-to-duke-university/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:08:45 +0000 Mark Watson http://bluedevilnation.net/?p=3675

Duke's latest verbal - BDN Photo

After taking in Duke’s victory over North Carolina, Michael Gbinije talked the situation over with his parents and elected to commit to Duke University.  Gbinije is rated the 20th best prospect in the class of 2011 by Prep Stars.  Gbinije stands 6-6 and plays the WF spot for Benedictine High in Richmond, Virginia.  Nate James was the lead recruiter for Gbinije who visited Duke for two games this season.  Talk about it on the Blue Devil Nation Premium Message Board.  If you are a member you know we said Duke was closing on him.  Gbinije chose Duke over Villanova, Wake Forest, Georgetown and Oklahoma.  There is more news!  We’ll be releasing a recruiting update for our members tonight.

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Brian Zoubek - BDNP

Durham, N.C. – Duke senior center Brian Zoubek addressed the media and answered questions about the upcoming ACC Tournament.  BDN was on the scene and here are Zoubeks comments.

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^1-Seed Duke (26-5, 13-3 ACC) vs. ^8-Seed Boston College / ^9-Seed Virginia winner

Friday, March 12, 2010  •  12:00 p.m.  •  Raycom / ESPN

Greensboro Coliseum (23,500)  •  Greensboro, N.C.

The Opening Tip

Duke (26-5, 13-3 ACC) faces the winner of Thursday’s game between Boston College and Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on Friday, March 12, at 12:00 p.m.

The Blue Devils enter the ACC Tournament ranked fourth in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls.

The game will air locally on Raycom with Tim Brandt and Dan Bonner on the call. Dan Shulman, Len Elmore and Erin Andrews will call the action for ESPN’s national broadcast.

The Last Time Out

Duke is coming off a 32-point win over North Carolina on Saturday, March 6. Kyle Singler (25), Jon Scheyer (20) and Nolan Smith (20) each scored over 20 points in the contest, marking the first time since the 2001-02 season that a Blue Devil trio to accomplish that feat.

The Blue Devils jumped out to a 53-26 halftime lead and cruised to an 82-50 win for Duke’s second-largest margin of victory in the series.

Scheyer and Smith combined for 40 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and zero turnovers in the victory. Senior Brian Zoubek finished 4-of-4 from the floor for eight points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds. The Blue Devils also shot a season-best 95.7 percent (22-of-23) from the foul line in the win over North Carolina.

Duke as the No. 1 Seed in the ACC Tournament

Duke is the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament for the 17th time in school history. The Blue Devils are 34-8 all-time as the top seed, winning championships in 1963, 1964, 1966, 1986, 1992, 1999, 2000 and 2006. Duke has won 14 of its last 15 games as the top seed in the tournament.

Numbers Game

l Duke has won eight of the last 11 ACC Tournament championships, posting a 29-3 mark since the 1999 tournament.

l The Blue Devils have won 84 ACC Tournament games, tied for the most in league history.

l Duke is ranked fourth in the AP poll, marking the 54th consecutive week ranked in the top 10. The Blue Devils are 44-8 all-time when ranked fourth in the AP poll.

l Jon Scheyer leads the ACC in three statistical categories and is the only player in the league to rank in the top 5 in seven categories: scoring (third, 18.9 ppg.), assists (fourth, 5.2 apg.), free throw percentage (first, .889), three-point field goals (first, 2.9 3pg.), three-point field goal percentage (third, .399), assist-to-turnover ratio (first, 3.0:1) and minutes (second, 36.5 mpg.).

l Brian Zoubek is averaging 7.3 points and 11.0 rebounds (5.0 orpg.) while shooting 71.0 percent (22-of-31) from the field since joining the starting lineup seven games ago. He has grabbed 10+ rebounds in four of the last five games and in five of seven games as a starter. Zoubek is second in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.5 orpg) and tied for eighth in total rebounds (7.3 rpg.).

l Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are attempting to become just the third trio in Duke history to each average over 17.0 points per game. Jim Spanarkel, Mike Gminski and Gene Banks accomplished the feat in 1977-78, while Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy did the same in 2001-02.

l Junior Nolan Smith is two points shy of becoming the 60th player in Duke history with 1,000 career points. Smith has 511 points and 14 games with 20 or more points this year after combining for 487 points and one game with 20 or more points in his first two seasons as a Blue Devil.

l The Blue Devils lead the ACC in rebound margin at +6.1 and are 22-2 on the year when outrebounding the opposition. Duke last led the league in rebounding in 1989.

l Duke has had fewer than 10 turnovers in four straight games and is averaging just 11.1 turnovers per game for the season. Duke has never averaged fewer than 12.0 turnovers per game under Coach K.

l Kyle Singler is averaging 20.7 points, while shooting 40.7 percent (15-of-37) from three-point range over the last six games. He has scored 20 or more points in four of the last six contests.

l Lance Thomas was named to the Fan’s Guide Coaches’ All-Defense team, becoming the 20th Blue Devil selected in the 15 years of the team.

l The Blue Devils have won 11 straight games when leading at the half. Duke is 23-1 when entering halftime with the lead.

Checking in on …

#2 Nolan Smith – +9.2 ppg. increase from a year ago is second-best in the ACC … shooting a career-best 40.4 percent from three-point range … fourth in the ACC with 14 games with 20+ points scored … double figures in 27 of 29 games played

#5 Mason Plumlee – Second on the team with 21 dunks … fourth with 21 blocks

#12 Kyle Singler – Five double-doubles and six games with 10+ rebounds … averaged 18.3 points per game in league play … led the ACC with .415 three-point percentage in conference play … third in three-point field goals per game at 2.4 threes per game

#20 Andre Dawkins – Fourth on the team with 33 three-point field goals … shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range

#21 Miles Plumlee – Leads the team with 29 dunks … shooting 57.5 percent (69-of-120) from the field

#30 Jon Scheyer – 20+ points in seven of the last 12 games … ranks in the top 10 of the ACC in eight statistical categories … leads the league in free throw percentage, three-point field goals and assist-to-turnover ratio … tied for second in the ACC with 15 games with 20 or more points … three-time ACC Player of the Week

#34 Ryan Kelly – 14 blocked shots … played in 29 of 31 games

#42 Lance Thomas – Tied for team lead  with 12 charges taken … 5 or more rebounds in 15 games … 1 of 4 Blue Devils averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game

#55 Brian Zoubek – Four or more offensive rebounds 14 times … averaging 17.1 rebounds per 40 minutes played … nine double-figure rebounding games

Kyle Singler and Mason Plumlee watch as teammates cut down the nets in Cameron

Durham, N.C. – The Blue Devil Nation was on hand for today’s media press conference where we recorded Kyle Singler’s thoughts on the coming ACC Tournament.  Singler also addressed his future saying he was undecided on whether he would return to Duke for his senior season.

Hear it for yourself on BDN audio -