ANAHEIM - Check out these videos of the Duke Blue Devils practicing in Anaheim today. The public was allowed in for the first practice, an NCAA tradition. BDN was there to get some highlights for you.
Tag Archives: Coach K
Monday Musings – Lot’s of Duke Basketball chatter
As Duke took a 15 point lead over Michigan in yesterday's game, the song "California Dreaming," started to play in my head, but a furious Wolverine comeback almost burst that dream bubble and that's what it is all about. It takes but one made shot to send your dreams packing and nightmares to begin, but Duke survived and advanced and this is how you do in the NCAA's. In this weeks Monday Musings, late afternoon column, we'll take a look back and ahead with happenings surrounding Duke Basketball.
Sometimes, you have to make your own emotion
For the first thirty minutes of the game I kept thinking to myself on press row, how flat the crowd was in Charlotte. Across the way, the only person I could make out standing up in the Iron Duke section was Debbie K, Coach K's daughter. A few moments later with the team looking flat, Coach Krzyzewski slapped the court with his hand, jacket peeled off, arms in the air exhorting fans as he walked out to meet his team, emotion clearly implanted on his face. It's not the first time he's had to do this for as fans we get a little fat and happy. Regardless, without that emotion Duke would have never vaulted to a substantial lead, one which they had to hang onto for dear life to advance.
900 wins, 1,2,3, 4 ................. 896 more
Wow! Coach K now has 900 wins! Amazing feat indeed and it deserves even more attention than it is getting but make no mistake, Coach will reflect on this after the season. For now, he wants nothing more than this team to win, not for him, but for them and the fan base. With so much going on, BDN hasn't even been able to write much about the accomplishment but we want to address that after four more victories if you know what I mean, wink, wink. We do however salute him with the count box on our main page which will soon contain a link to his vast accomplishments.
The return of Kyrie Irving
Let me tell you first hand that it was quite the circus surrounding Kyrie Irving this past weekend. Never have I seen so many cameras on a kid during NCAA events. Irving is clearly coming along fast at this point and he will see even more minutes against Arizona and may even start. We have several video interviews up with Irving, so check them out. You could see flashes of Irving getting back to where he was but there is a ways to go yet with concern to his Still, Duke may not have advanced had it not been for his second half play. His one steal was a key one and the only one the Blue Devils made all day and that runner was the difference in the end.
... but Rollin' Nolan is the backbone
Make no mistake, Nolan Smith is the leader of this season's team and his skills have allowed Duke to get as far as they have to date. Nolan put the team on his back, scoring 10 straight points against Michigan yesterday and without him Duke would be staying in Durham until graduation. Smith has been flat out hard to stop and when he gets on the same page with Irving ... watch out! He is the most dependable player on the team and his consistency has been amazing. Give him a good look the rest of the way Duke fans, because he's having one of the best seasons of any player in the Blue Devils illustrious history.
Kyle Singler, he's not that good
Relax! I didn't say it, an astute well thought of sports writer beside me on press row did. Look, Kyle had some misses yesterday that make you want to hide until the next play and it is funny how some only seem to recognize an air ball. That was the case with the writer beside me. I then pointed out that Kyle had 7 rebounds and led the team with assists with 4 with about 17 minutes left in the game. It amazes me how people fail to see what he does off ball and how good a defensive player he is. Singler is a flat out winner who could care less about his stat line. You better get a good look this week at #12 Duke fans, for you will not realize how much you miss an eternal starter until he is gone.
Jet lag and adjusting
Duke will leave tomorrow afternoon for California in order to adjust to a three hour time difference. It will be quite an adjustment for the Devils and could point to a slow start. Arizona is much more familiar with the turf, having a lot of players from Cali on their roster mixed with some street tough New Yorkers. Anaheim is a nice family oriented place so it shouldn't be too many crazed fans and for the first time, Duke is away from the baby blue bunch that is booing them heartily at every turn.
Speaking of the lunatic fringe fans ...
Okay, there are a lot of Carolina fans, so that means more fools in their fan base and all schools have them. But I just cannot understand the make up of hate some of them seem to have. F&%$ Duke shirts are a bit over the top and you never see Duke fans, no matter how redneck they may be in similar garb. There were fans there whose soul purpose was to spew hate when Duke took to the court, spittle flying out of their mouths, faces red with last nights beverages. One got escorted away and even more rational Tar Heels fans actually clapped. One couple held up an anti Duke sign saying I hate Dooke? Any Tar Heel hating fan knows its Dook. On to a public restaurant where four Heels fans were asked to leave or take off their F&%# Duke shirts. Not the kind of thing one would wear in public unless of course they are part of the lunatic fringe. The hate really is disturbing at times.
Get well soon to one of our cheerleaders!
One of our own suffered an injury yesterday, cheerleader Hattie Cutcliffe. BDN loves the support group behind the Blue Devils and we wish her a speedy recovery. She's the one that turns like 164 flips in Cameron, being the best at that! No details on the injury but we have our sources working on it;)
We love what we do!
Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks for all the fans who support and make up the Blue Devil Nation! We love what we do around here and will continue to bring you passionate yet professional coverage of all things Duke Athletics. We will be working on some changes soon which are sure to please and our AAU Basketball coverage will begin soon. You can support our efforts and ability to bring you up close and personal with the teams by joining Blue Devil Nation Premium, our subscription service. It is our members which help keep the site going and that give us the ability to offer so much on the free side of the site, much of which other sites charge for.
In closing, a little story for you
After the media scramble where I interviewed players in the Duke locker room, I ventured back to my computer which was court side. Most of the media had left for the media room but I remained with maybe five others due to a faster Internet connection. It must have been maybe an hour after the game ended when I looked up from my work. Walking towards the court with his head hanging was a player in a Michigan warm up. As he strolled out on to the court area, I could see tears in his eyes. He walked onto the court and then started from just inside the free throw line and walked through and took a shot with and imaginary ball and repeated this two more times. You could see his mind working and he was doing all he could to fight back more tears. He then strolled silently off the court and walked to the top of the arena where he stood and reflected one more time before turning and walking off until he faded from sight. It was Darius Morris who missed the shot at the buzzer. Folks, this is what it is all about! And this is why you need to relish every single victory and understand it is not your birthright as a fan to see Duke win every game. Each win is sweet and it should be cherished for there are players on the losing team who showed as much heart despite the loss. Keep your head up Darius for you guys played a helluva game.
How Duke can survive Michigan and advance
CHARLOTTE - Duke will take on Michigan today and a win will advance them to the Sweet 16 in Anaheim, California. There is one standard which remains the same, that being survive and aadvance. But this years team is different than last seasons and that is a key point to remember when one speculates about the 2010-11 team.
Having followed Duke to the national championship last season, I can tell you the make up of that team and this seasons is indeed different. This years team is loose, all business mind you, but not in the way of last years senior laden group backed by solid juniors. Last season Duke had tunnel vision in that they kept their eyes straight ahead, being completely unaware of their surroundings. There were few smiles until the job was complete for that group and I still remember visions of an exhausted Lance Thomas after each win.
This season, Duke seems to be a bit less tight and that is probably because they are taking on the personality of their leaders. Nolan Smith is a gregarious type, light on his feet and quick to humor. Kyle is more of a quiet leader, one by example if you will. But both know what they want and how to get there, win and survive.
Today, Duke faces a Michigan team that is more than capable of pulling the upset, especially if they are overlooked. If you think Duke being a tad more relaxed this year will hurt, think again. Few teams have been able to stop Nolan Smith this season and that's why he is a first team All American and Player of the Year, depending on which service suits you.
Then you add Kyrie Irving, a media darling since his return, one which has excited both the team and fanbase and Duke will be a difficult out. But the key today for the Blue Devils is to control the paint with their bigs and if they establish themselves there first, they should win. The best way to defeat the Wolverines is to sap their collective will and that is not easy.
Many have said that the Wolverines don't pass the look test but their on the court successes are hard to ignore. Michigan is one of the better coached teams in America under Jim Beilein and they are fairly deep, patient and not easily shaken. Michigan will want to make it a half court game and keep the scoring down and they'll throw multiple looks designed to confuse Duke on defense.
If they go to that pesky 1-3-1 zone defense where they slough off to get back in the paint, Duke can counter by rolling players through the baseline taking advantage of the Plumlees, Kelly and Singlers height. But the real key is to simply start fast.
The way to beat the Wolverines is to jump on them from the start and make them play from behind. If Duke controls the tempo and pushes the ball when the opportunities are there, it will lead to victory. And don't be surprised to see Duke start to run or push the ball more and more with Irving back.
Another key is for the whole team to show up. Duke has been getting good minutes from top to bottom of late and that has been vital to their run through the ACC Tournament. To win in the NCAA tournament, every player has to play their roles to the best of their ability, a no brainier for sure but the bottom line.
Duke will need to drain their three point shots while pushing the Michigan shooters off the stripe. If you keep Michigan to say 5 or less three pointers you have a solid chance. So jumping on the opponent early makes them play from behind and takes what is sure to be an anti Duke crowd out of the game. With the place full of Tar Heel fans, if the game is close, it could be like an away game atmosphere.
I feel Duke knows they cannot overlook Michigan. Krzyzewski is not focused on the Fab Five debacle and while his team may seem a bit more loose, he is anything but, being focused as ever. Duke will take an early lead and slowly drain the will of Michigan, but don't look for a major blowout. The pick here is Duke 77-63
On the Floor of the 2011 ACC Championship
Blue Devil Nation captured video highlights of Duke's celebrations on the floor of the Greensboro Coliseum as the Blue Devils celebrate their 2011 ACC Championship with a dominant victory over North Carolina. Click on each of the videos below to partake in the celebrations!
2011 ACC Champs Cut Down the Nets:
Kyrie Irving and Coach K Cut Down the 2011 ACC Championship Nets:
Nate James and Chris Carrawell on the Floor of the 2011 ACC Championship:
Scene on the Floor after the 2011 ACC Championship:
Tyler Thornton on the Floor of the 2011 ACC Championship:
Duke ACC Champions – BDN Post-Game Videos
Blue Devil Nation is on the scene for the post-game excitement! Here are a few videos of the action at Greensboro - more to come later, so be sure to stay tuned to BlueDevilNation.
Duke drops Maryland 87-71 behind Singlers 29 points
GREENSBORO - The name of the game in March is to survive and advance and Duke did just that on Saturday night. The Blue Devils took out a game Maryland team with a 87-71 victory. Had someone told you before the game that Nolan Smith would score just 7 points and commit 5 turnovers to 2 assists you would have thought Duke lost. If somebody told you Duke would knock down 3 of 15 threes you may have thought the same thing.
Duke won because players stepped up in a big way, in short, it was a team effort. When Smith went down with a stubbed second toe, Seth Curry rose to the occasion and ran the point as if he'd been doing so all season. Curry struggled early, but his game came togehtr at just the right time.
Then there was the play of Kyle Singler who went 10 of 15 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw stripe for 29 points to go with his 9 rebounds. Singler played with confidence and really put the Blue Devils on his back scoring 6 of the Blue Devils first eight points.
"Kyle had a magnificent game and out bigs really rebounded well, Kelly especially in the first half," stated Krzyzewski. Ryan Kelly finished the game going 5-5 from the field for 11 points and 2 rebounds in 13 minutes of play.
The brothers Plumlee were very effective as well. Mason had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds while Miles had 10 points and 9 rebounds. The duo helped hold Jordan Williams to just 16 points, but he did manage a whopping 16 rebounds. Miles also had success with his perimeter jump shot, something he leaned on in high school.
Duke also got a boost from Andre Dawkins who tallied 9 points while playing 18 meaningful minutes. Duke outscored the Terps 34-32 in the paint, 13-9 off turnovers and got 20 points from their bench as they pushed their season record to 28-4.
"It was a a hard fought win for us. Maryland is always an unbelievably tough game for us," said Krzyzewski. Duke will face the winner of the Virginia Tech- Florida State game tomorrow.
**I hope to have videos up, but it is not looking good at the moment due to unforseen issues.
Team Notes:
- Duke has now won seven straight ACC Tournament games in Greensboro and have also won seven straight overall with championships in 2009 and 2010. The Blue Devils have won a record 88 ACC Tournament games all-time and are 34-15 when playing in Greensboro.
- Head coach Mike Krzyzewski earned his 50th career ACC Tournament win and is now 50-17 all-time. He is just the second coach in conference history with 50 tournament victories, joining North Carolina’s Dean Smith (58). Since 1998, Duke is 33-4 in the ACC Tournament.
- When playing in the Greensboro Coliseum, Duke is now 40-9 under Coach K with victories in 13 straight contests dating back to the 2004 ACC Championship game.
- The Blue Devils have won 18 straight neutral site games dating back to a loss to Villanova in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
- Duke improved to 4-0 this season in games following a loss and have not lost back-to-back games since the 2008-09 season. They are 17-2 when following a loss over the last four years.
- Over the last three seasons the Blue Devils have collected 93 overall victories to tie for the fifth most over a three-year span in school history.
- The 87 points were the most by Duke since Jan. 19 when they scored 92 in a win over N.C. State. The Blue Devils are 18-0 this season when scoring 80 or more.
- The 31 made field goals gives Duke 13 games with 30 or more made shots. It is the first since the last time the Blue Devils faced Maryland that they have made at least 30 shots.
- The Blue Devils continued their struggles from beyond the arc, making just 3-of-15 (.200). They have shot under 25 percent from deep in three of the last four games.
- Five Duke players scored in double figures. The last time the Blue Devils had five players score at least 10 points was the last time they were in the Greensboro Coliseum on Dec. 29 against UNC Greensboro.
- Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee and Kyle Singler combined for 29 of Duke’s 41 rebounds. Miles Plumlee and Singler each were one rebound shy of a double-double. It was the 22nd time Duke has outrebounded its opponent with a 21-1 record in those games.
- Duke’s Ryan Kelly and Kyle Singler combined to go 10-for-10 in the first half. The two players bounced back from a poor shooting performance at North Carolina where they combined to go 4-for-21. Kelly was 1-of-7 and Singler was 3-of-14.
Player Notes:
Seth Curry
- Sophomore Seth Curry played in his first career ACC Tournament game as he sat out last season’s championship run due to NCAA transfer rules.
- Curry finished with 11 points to give him 14 games this season with 10 or more.
- He had three steals to extend his team-high total to 46 on the year. He has six games this season with three or more steals.
Andre Dawkins
- Sophomore Andre Dawkins came off the bench to make two three-point field goals. He has made two or more treys in 16 games this season. His nine points were the most he has scored since he had 11 at Maryland in the two school’s last meeting.
Ryan Kelly
- Sophomore Ryan Kelly scored 11 points for his eighth double-figure scoring game of the year.
- Kelly made all five of his field goal attempts. It is the second time this season he has had five or more field goal attempts without a miss. The other was a 6-for-6 performance at Wake Forest on Jan. 22.
Mason Plumlee
- Sophomore Mason Plumlee recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. It was the second straight season Duke had a player post a double-double in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals as Kyle Singler had 18 points and 11 rebounds against Virginia last year.
- It was his ninth game this season with at least 10 points and 12th career game.
- He has posted 10 or more rebounds in 14 games this season.
- Plumlee also set a career high with five assists. His previous high was four assists earlier this season against Princeton.
- He played a career-high 38 minutes in the win. His previous best was 36 minutes at Maryland.
Miles Plumlee
- Junior Miles Plumlee earned his 10th start of the season and 36th career start. It was his first start since the first time Duke played Maryland on Jan. 9.
- Plumlee reached double figures in scoring for the fourth time this season and 11th time in his career.
- He finished with eight offensive rebounds, one shy of the ACC Tournament single game record. It was the most by a Duke player since Kyle Singler had nine against Princeton on Nov. 19, 2007.
Kyle Singler
- Senior Kyle Singler made his 100th consecutive start and extended his school record to 142 career starts. His 143 career games played ranks tied for sixth most at Duke with Danny Ferry.
- He tallied his 12th game this season with 20 or more points and 44th career game. It was his fourth 20-point game in nine career ACC Tournament games.
- With his 29 points he climbs three spots on the ACC career scoring list and now ranks eighth all-time. He passed N.C. State’s David Thompson, Virginia’s Jeff Lamp and Duke’s Mike Gminski. He now ranks fourth on the Duke career list.
- Singler made his first six field goal attempts of the game, including 5-of-5 in the first half. It was the fifth game this season he has made 10 field goal attempts.
- He was 9-of-9 from the free throw line and has made 40-of-44 (.909) from the foul stripe in the last six games.
- The victory gives him 121 for his career, moving him into a tie for fifth most in ACC history with North Carolina’s Deon Thompson.
- Senior Nolan Smith had his streak of 22 straight games with at least 10 points snapped. He had scored in double figures in 30 of the 31 games this season.
- The victory gives him 117 for his career, moving him into a tie for eighth most in ACC history and tied for fifth in school history with Danny Ferry and Nate James.
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