Dre throws down a slam! BDN Photo

How bad were the web based rumors surrounding Andre Dawkins?  So bad that the Duke Sports Information Department released a brief statement saying he will remain at Duke but could redshirt this coming season.  It’s a shame that we live in a world where some feel compelled to break something like this once they get wind of it.

But whether there is smoke or a blaze want-to-be insiders who are self appointed experts via an anonymous posting name or a twitter account force the issue to light before it’s time.  This has been the case with Andre Dawkins this off season and there seems to be no end in sight of fans that clamor to know all the details be they private or not and hang on every false and outlandish rumor.

While it is certainly natural for fans to show concern and want to know why a possible redshirt could take place, you can bet there are personal reasons.  And personal reasons mean just that and are sensitive in nature.  Unfortunately that leads to more speculation and people have a tendency to think the worst.

Dawkins came to Duke a year early out of high school and he is attending his dream school.  And it is also a well known fact that he lost his sister to an very unfortunate automobile accident in season not that long ago.  In short, he’s been through a lot.  But what I just said may or may not have something to do with what is going on, so you can see the danger of speculation which will lead to yet another probable release.

So while many of you are curious I encourage you to not speculate and be a part of the ridiculous rumors that surround the program these days.  Allow the process to work it’s way out for I can assure you it is a bit liquid in nature.  Give Andre and the team for that matter a modicum of privacy.

And support Andre with well wishes instead of questions.  Just act the way you want others to if you were in his place.  Athletes are under a red hot light where almost everything they do is scrutinized and it’s sad that every time you turn around, some fan wants to play insider on a message board and speculate so much it becomes real to many.

Just give Andre a break yall and if you want to come in out of the Wild Wild West of reporting, join BDN Premium and get accurate and timely info you can depend on.  I’m unsaddling my high horse now and hope I at least made some of you think before you participate in the next rumorfest.

The Andre Dawkins Show

The first half of the game belonged to Andre Dawkins who knocked down 21 points on 7 of 9 three pointers.  Dawkins earned the praise of Krzyzewski in his post game speech which just concluded. Dawkins failed to score in the second half.  Check out our interview with Andre per BDN Video.  Dawkins knocked down five straight three point shots and Dawkins has now scored 20 plus points in two consecutive games and this was his 9th double figure scoring game for the season.

Ryan Kelly scored a double-double

Kelly went 8 of 11 from the field on his way to a team high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds.  His consistent play was a huge factor for Duke as they maintained a working lead the entire game.  Kelly has scored 20 points in two of his teams ACC wins and he scored in double figures for the 11th time this season.

Austin Rivers comes off the bench for the first time

Rivers started the game on the bench as Krzyzewski said he was checking new combinations, but maybe he should remain the sixth man if he puts up numbers like 20 points.  Despite starting on the bench with 32 minutes of playing time, he basically still was a starter.  His 3 of 4 from the three point stripe matched a career high.  Austin has now scored in double figures 14 times this season and he leads the Blue Devils in scoring.

Just too much talent for Duke

The Blue Devils held Wake to zero three pointers in the first half and just 3 all game long.  They also held the Wake bench scoreless at the half.  Duke ended the game with a 43 to 8 points advantage, thanks to the aforementioned Kelly and Rivers.  Duke held an 18-9 second chance point advantage as well and while they were outscored in the paint, that was due to their outside shots falling where they knocked down 11 three pointers.  The Blue Devils also dished out 17 assists tonight.

This and that

Duke extended it’s ACC home court streak to 45 games and 64 straight against unranked teams.  This was the first game since March of 2010 that Duke had three 20 point scorers in one game.  Duke is 51-9 when ranked #4 in the country.  Four Blue Devils scored in double figures for the 11th time this season.

Post game videos

Below are Austin Rivers, Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly post game comments per BDN Video.

Property of BDN Photo

The Duke Blue Devils are atop the ACC standings as the only undefeated team after a key road win over the Clemson Tigers. “I’m really proud of our guys. We played a really good team tonight. Brad (Brownell) is such a good coach and those guys are veterans, said Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski after his team earned a 73-66 win.

Krzyzewski continued, “Our guys came off a great win against Virginia and to come on the road and tough it out was a good win for us.”  With the victory Duke, now ranked 4th nationally in the polls, but as mentioned, being atop the conference standings is the immediate goal of this team as they continue to get better.

“Obviously, Andre (Dawkins) played an outstanding game. His three-point shot when we had a four-point lead was huge shot.” said Krzyzewski.  Dawkins scored a game high 24 points on a night when there were just two other double figure scorers for the Blue Devils.  But Duke was the first team to have more than two double figure scorers versus the Clemson defense to date this season.

Dawkins missed his first few shots before finding his range and coaches always want a shooter to keep shooting and that’s exactly what the junior did.  Each three pointer he made ripped through the heart of the Clemson team and on this night he was indeed the main key to victory.

There were some statistical bright spots as well, “Miles Plumlee was a force for us with 14 rebounds. Down the stretch, our guys hit free throws and I thought we finished the game very well,: said Krzyzewski.  His 14 boards, which is monster by any teams standard was done in just 23 minutes.

His brother Mason Plumlee, knocked down 4 of 4 free throws after struggling from the line in previous games, showing a new follow through from the stripe.  Mason added 12 points and 7 rebounds as well and has proven himself one of the most, if not the most, consistent players on the team to date.

In fact the team was 15 of 18 from the free throw line and that was another huge key as was the Blue Devils ability to maintain a working lead after being down big early in the contest going on an 18-4 run of their own to take control of the game and quiet a hostile and packed Littlejohn Coliseum.

Coach Krzyzewski decided to go with his veterans down the stretch, which proved wise as the Tigers defense forced 17 turnovers.  Duke will next face Wake Forest in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday and then come back on Saturday to face a Florida State team that demolished North Carolina.

Notes:
• Duke improved its all-time record against Clemson to 104-29. The Blue Devils have won four straight in the series and 26 of the last 28 meetings.
• Head coach Mike Krzyzewski improved to 50-11 against Clemson during his 32 years at Duke.
• For the fourth straight game, Duke held Clemson under 25.0 percent shooting from three-point range. The Tigers have shot just 20.0 percent (13-of-65) from behind the arc against Duke during those four meetings.
• Clemson is the sixth team Duke has faced this year that ranks among the top 40 defensive teams in the nation (by defensive scoring average). Duke has averaged 70.2 points in those six games, while each those teams combine to hold opponents to less than 60 points per game. Duke ranks 11th nationally in scoring offense with 81.9 points per game.
• Duke became only the fourth team all season to have more than two double-figure scorers against Clemson. Andre Dawkins (24 points), Mason Plumlee (12) Quinn Cook (10) all scored at least 10 points against the Tigers.
• The post duo of Miles and Mason Plumlee combined for 18 points and 21 rebounds while shooting 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the floor. Miles and Mason combine to average 9.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season.
• Duke trailed 18-9 at the 11:04 mark in the first half, but went on an 18-4 run over the next 6:50 to take a 27-22 lead. Duke outrebounded Clemson 10-7 and went 7-of-12 from the floor during that span.
• The Blue Devils carried that momentum into the second half, scoring on six of their first seven possessions as part of a 14-5 run. After overcoming an early 13-4 deficit and heading into halftime with a slim 32-28 lead, Duke led by as much as 13 points in the second half.
• Duke’s eight three-pointers tied for the most allowed by Clemson in a game this season. The only other teams to hit eight treys against Clemson were Southern Illinois (Dec. 23) and Boston College (Jan. 12).

Player Notes:

Quinn Cook
• Scored in double figures for the fourth time this season and the second time in Duke’s three ACC games. Cook went 4-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-3 from three-point range.
• Ignited a second half run by sinking a driving reverse layup in the first 15 seconds, knocking down a three-pointer less than two minutes later and assisting on an Andre Dawkins three-pointer that put Duke ahead 46-33. Cook scored five of Duke’s first seven points in the second half as the Blue Devils opened that frame with a 14-5 run.

Seth Curry
• Made his 30th consecutive start and played a team-high 31 minutes. Duke is 25-5 during that 30-game start streak.
• Is now averaging 16.3 points per game in three career games Clemson (including one game during his freshman season at Liberty).
• Hit a three-pointer for the seventh straight game. Curry has hit a trey in 16 of Duke’s 17 games this season.
• Went 4-for-4 from the free throw line, improving his percentage to .891 (49-of-55) for the third highest mark in the ACC.

Andre Dawkins
• Scored a game-high 24 points for his seventh double-figure scoring game of the season. Went 7-for-12 from the floor, 5-for-9 from three-point range and 5-for-6 from the free throw line for Duke’s eighth 20-point game of the season.
• Dawkins scored Duke’s final six points over the final 1:16. Duke led by a slim four-point margin at 65-61 before Dawkins hit his fifth three-pointer of the game to improve Duke’s lead to 68-61. He then sank 3-of-4 free throws to hold off a late charge by the Tigers.
• Dawkins became just the second player to hit five three-pointers against Clemson this season. He is the first to shoot over 50 percent from three-point range against the Tigers (minimum five attempts).

Ryan Kelly
• Took his team-leading seventh charge of the season.
• Recorded a block and a steal in the same game for the team-leading ninth time this season. Kelly ranks third on the team in both blocks and steals.

Mason Plumlee
• Made his 38th consecutive start. Duke is 32-6 during that 38-game streak.
• Converted two three-point plays. Plumlee was fouled on a dunk both times and followed through by making the free throws.
• Threw down his 100th career dunk, becoming only the seventh player in school history to record 100 dunks. Plumlee has 31 dunks in 17 games this season.
• Put Duke ahead for good by converting a three-point play in the first half. With Duke trailing 20-18 at the 5:55 mark, Plumlee threw down a dunk, was fouled and sank the free throw to put Duke ahead 21-18. Duke did not trail for the remainder of the game.
• Had a perfect night from the free throw line, hitting all four attempts. It was Plumlee’s first career game without a missed free throw on more than three attempts.

Miles Plumlee
• Hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds, giving him 10 or more rebounds in four games this year. The 14 rebounds were one shy of his career high.
• Recorded a block for the ninth straight game. Miles has 20 blocks during that streak for an average of 2.22 per game.

Austin Rivers
• Tied a season low by attempting just seven shots. Rivers went 2-of-7 from the floor to finish with a season-low four points.

Tyler Thornton
• Saw a streak of seven consecutive made three-pointers come to an end. Thornton had not missed a trey since Dec. 19 for a span of five straight games without a miss from beyond the arc. He is shooting .500 (12-of-24) from three-point range this season.

The Blue Devils staff had their team come out of the gate with a great game plan and that allowed for the Dukies to gain another key vicory for their NCAA Tournament resume.

Rough start for Kelly, but …

Ryan Kelly opened the game 0-7 from the field but then went 6 for 8 the rest of the way to score 16 points to go with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.  Lesser players would have kept shooting, good thing for Duke fans Ryan did not.

Miles tough off the bench

Mile Plumlee was very efficient off the bench for Duke grabbing 9 boards and making 3 critical blocks, most during the Huskies comeback.  Miles also went 75% from both the field and free throw stripe.

Duke defended well for most of the game

I thought the Blue Devils had a nice game plan on defense but it was a young team on a learning curve which allowed the Huskies to make the game closer towards the end.  But make no mistake, it was the Duke frontcourt which was the difference in that they altered a lot of shots, having 7 blocks on the game and 6 steals.

Rivers continues his solid play

Austin Rivers is still on a leanring curve but how impressive does that make his team high 18 points.  Rivers is letting the game come to him more and more and he is getting better with each outing and tha bodes well for March.

Dre all day!

IMO, Andre Dawkins played his best floor game of the season. The Blue Devils really needed his mae free throws down the stretch which hepled hold off the Huskies run, especially when the team shot a terrible 27 of 44 from the stripe, including Mason going just 2 of 111.  But Dawkins added 5 rebounds and hit 2 of 5 of the Duke three pointers.

The bottom line

Duke got a good win and despite having to hang on at the end, the game was never really in doubt from the opening tip.  Had Duke connected on their free throws, that gaem would never have gotten closer that double figures, so make no mistake, this was as solid win.

Team Notes:

• The Blue Devils improved to 27-15 all-time in Madison Square Garden and 22-7 under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The win came in Duke’s second appearance of the season in Madison Square Garden. Duke also beat Michigan State 74-69 on November 15 in MSG for Coach K’s record-breaking 903rd career victory.
• The game was Duke’s fifth neutral site game of the year. The Blue Devils are 5-0 this season at neutral sites with two wins in Madison Square Garden and three at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui. Duke is 35-2 in neutral site contests since the start of the 2008-09 season.
• Duke started 9-1 for the 18th time in school history and the 10th time under Krzyzewski.
• In December, Duke is now 52-3 under Coach K. Duke has won 13 straight December games with 10 of those wins coming by double digits.
• Seven Blue Devils played at least 10 minutes in the game. Duke has had at least seven players with 10 or more minutes in nine of 10 games this year. Seven Blue Devils average 10 or more minutes per game.
• Duke held Washington scoreless during stretches of 5:40 and 2:55 in the first half. The Blue Devils held the Huskies without a field goal for 5:25 in the first half as Washington netted only two free throws from the 9:24 mark to the 3:59 mark in the first half.
• Duke held Washington to just two points over the first 5:40 of the game. The Huskies missed their first eight field goal attempts of the game.
• Duke staked a 10-point lead at the 10:07 mark in the first half and led by no less than 10 points until the 2:49 mark in the second half.
• Austin Rivers (18 points), Andre Dawkins (17), Ryan Kelly (16) and Mason Plumlee (12) all scored in double figures. Duke has 39 double-figure scoring games this season and five players averaging 10 or more points per game. Eight different players have scored 10 or more points in a game this season.
• Duke pulled in 27 rebounds in the first half, which was a season high. Ryan Kelly (6 rebounds), Mason Plumlee (6) and Miles Plumlee (5) all had at least five rebounds in the first half. Duke’s 13 offensive rebounds in the game tied a season high.
• Both Seth Curry and Austin Rivers fouled out, marking the first time since Jan. 19, 2011, that two Blue Devils fouled out in the same game.
• Mason Plumlee went just 2-for-11 from the free throw line, but the rest of Duke’s team went 75.8 percent from the line.
• Duke allowed two 20-point scorers for the first time this season as Tony Wroten (23 points) and C.J. Wilcox (22 points) both reached that mark. Only four players have scored 20 points against Duke this season.

Player Notes:

Quinn Cook
• Played four minutes, including the final 2:19 of the game after both Austin Rivers and Seth Curry fouled out.
• During his final 2:19, sank 4-of-6 free throws and did not commit a turnover to help Duke hold off a late Washington rally.
• Has committed just four turnovers in his 87 minutes this year, averaging a team-high 22 minutes between turnovers. Only Andre Dawkins (five turnovers in 263 minutes) averages more time between turnovers for Duke this season.

Seth Curry
• Made his 23rd consecutive start.
• Hit all four free throw attempts, extending his made free throw streak to 19.
• Dished out three assists, giving him at least three assists in eight of Duke’s 10 games.
• Fouled out of a game for the first time since Feb. 26, 2011.

Andre Dawkins
• Scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half for his second straight double-figure scoring game.
• Hit a pair of three-pointers, giving him multiple treys in six games.

Ryan Kelly
• Recorded his seventh double-figure scoring game of the season with 16 points.
• Pulled down a season-high eight rebounds, finishing one board shy of tying his career high.
• Added two blocks and two steals.

Mason Plumlee
• Made his 31st consecutive start.
• Scored in double figures for the seventh time this season and for the fifth straight game. Missed a double-double by one rebound.
• Continued his strong defensive play with two blocks and three steals. Plumlee had five blocks and four steals in his last outing, an 87-64 win over Colorado State.
• Hit his first three field goal attempts, including a pair of dunks. He now has 88 dunks in his three-year career which ranks ninth on Duke’s all-time list.
• Plumlee is now shooting a team-leading 66.2 percent from the floor.

Miles Plumlee
• Shot 75.0 percent or better for the fifth straight game. Plumlee is 13-for-14 (.929) from the floor during that span.
• Pulled in seven rebounds, giving him at least five boards in five games this year.

Austin Rivers
• Scored in double figures for the ninth time this season. Rivers led Duke in scoring for the sixth straight game.
• Hit multiple treys for the sixth consecutive game. Rivers is 13-for-28 (.464) from three-point range during that span.
• Matched a career high with four rebounds.
• Fouled out for the first time in his career.