The Blue Devil Nation caught up with Duke senior Brian Zoubek after he helped Duke to an easy 82-50 win over North Carolina to clinch the ACC regular season title. Zoubs had 8 points and 13 rebounds in his final game.
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When ESPN's Game Day crew comes to town, it is a big event for the host school and this weekend the nation's focus is on Cameron Indoor Stadium where Duke takes on Carolina this evening in a game which will decide the ACC Champion and send off some beloved seniors in Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek,
A solid turnout of students and fans attended ESPN's Game Day morning session which was of course televised live and nationally. Jay Bilas drew some cheers as did Bobby Knight while Digger Phelps got a little love simply because he picked Duke as a number one seed recently.
Then there was Hubert Davis, a former Tar Heel who likes to take some light shots at Duke from time to time. Needless to say, he was greeted with a lot of boos. Duke radio host Bob Harris also participated in the event as did several other local types.
Fans cheered on cue and were indeed loud as they held up car board cut outs of the player's heads and other signs which pretty much said "Go to Hell Carolina." The students were treated to Game Day sweatshirts after the event and a walk around campus shows tents in every crook and cranny. Everywhere you look there was Duke Blue as music filled the air on a bright and sunny day.
The ESPN Game Day crew moves outside of Cameron for the rest of the day and festivities pretty much continue as I type. BDN will be on the scene to bring you all of the action and we will update from twitter throughout the evening. So, stay tuned and tell your friends about Blue Devil Nation.
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Durham, N.C. - Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski just addressed the media and BDN was on the scene to bring you audio in an effort to make Duke fans feel like they were a fly on the wall during the event Coach discussed the Maryland game, his seniors, the UNC game and much more as you will hear in this 25 minute Q & A.
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Duke (24-4, 11-2 ACC) vs. Virginia (14-12, 5-8 ACC)
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010 • 7:45 p.m. • FSN
John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) • Charlottesville, Va.
The Opening Tip
Duke (24-4, 11-2 ACC), ranked fifth in the AP poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, travels to Charlottesville to play Virginia (14-12, 5-8 ACC) at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 7:45 p.m. The game will air on FSN with Rich Waltz, Dan Bonner and Jenn Hildreth calling the action.
The Last Time Out
Duke posted a 70-52 win over Tulsa on Thursday for its seventh straight victory. Junior Nolan Smith scored a game-high 18 points and added four steals, while Kyle Singler finished with 17 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
The senior post tandem of Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas combined for 12 points and 21 rebounds in the win. Zoubek recorded his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Thomas grabbed 10 boards, including six offensive rebounds.
Duke posted a 47-37 edge on the glass and finished with 18 offensive rebounds. The Blue Devils have now grabbed 17 or more offensive caroms in five straight games.
Jon Scheyer reached double figures for the 27th time this season with 15 points. He went 3-of-5 from three-point distance and now has an ACC-high 79 three-point field goals. Scheyer also had four rebounds and three assists in the contest.
The Blue Devils held Tulsa to 32.8 percent (19-of-58) shooting from the field, including 1-of-10 from behind the three-point arc. Duke has now held 15 teams to under 40 percent shooting and 14 teams to less than 60 points in a game.
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 54-23 all-time when ranked fifth in the AP poll.
l The Blue Devils are holding the opposition to an ACC-low 27.0 percent (106-of-393) shooting from three-point range. Duke is allowing just 3.8 three-point field goals per game and has limited its opponents to three or fewer three-pointers in 13 games.
l Duke leads the ACC with +6.5 rebound margin as Kyle Singler, Brian Zoubek, Miles Plumlee and Lance Thomas are each averaging 5.0 rebounds per game or better for the season. The 2000-01 Blue Devils are the only team to accomplish that feat under Mike Krzyzewski.
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, 18.8 ppg.), assists (fourth, 5.4 apg.), free throw percentage (first, .887), three-point field goals (first, 2.8 3pg.), three-point field goal percentage (fourth, .403), assist-to-turnover ratio (first, 3.06:1) and minutes (first, 36.6 mpg.).
l Brian Zoubek is averaging 9.8 points and 12.3 rebounds (6.0 orpg.) since joining the starting lineup four games ago. He is second in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.5 orpg) and ranks 13th in total rebounds (7.0 rpg.), while playing 16.7 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 15.3 offensive rebounds per game for the year. The Blue Devils are averaging 16.4 second chance points per game and are 23-2 when scoring more second chance points than their opponent. Duke has grabbed at least 17 offensive rebounds in four straight games.
l Junior Kyle Singler ranks in the top 10 in eight statistical categories in conference play: scoring (fifth, 17.9 ppg.), rebounds (t-seventh, 7.4 rpg.), field goal percentage (10th, .400), three-point percentage (first, .421), three-point field goals (second, 2.5 3pg.), offensive rebounds (t-fifth, 2.8 orpg.), defensive rebounds (10th, 4.6 drpg.) and minutes (first, 38.3 mpg.).
l Nolan Smith has scored 466 points this season after recording 487 points in his first two years as a Blue Devils. He is 47 points shy of becoming the 60th player in Duke history to score 1,000 career points.
Checking in on ...
#2 Nolan Smith - +9.5 ppg. increase from a year ago leads the ACC ... shooting a career-best 42.2 percent from three-point range ... tied for third in the ACC with 12 games with 20+ points scored ... double figures in 25 of 26 games played
#5 Mason Plumlee - Second on the team with 21 dunks ... fourth with 19 blocks ... season-high nine rebounds vs. North Carolina
#12 Kyle Singler - Five double-doubles and six games with 10+ rebounds ... averaging 19.3 points per game during current seven-game win streak ... 29 three-point field goals in that span
#20 Andre Dawkins - Fourth on the team with 29 three-point field goals ... shooting 37.7 percent from three-point range
#21 Miles Plumlee - Leads the team with 28 dunks ... shooting 57.5 percent (65-of-113) from the field
#30 Jon Scheyer - 20+ points in five of the last nine 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 ... second in the ACC with 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 nine of the last 11 games
#55 Brian Zoubek - Four or more offensive rebounds 12 times ... averaging 9.68points and 12.3 rebounds, while shooting 76.2 pct (16-of-21) from the field since joining the starting lineup four games ago.
Here is Coach K's post game comments via BDN Audio where he talks of his teams win over Florida State -
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Game 19 l ESPN College Gameday
Duke (15-3, 3-2 ACC)
vs. Clemson (15-4, 3-2 ACC)
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 l 9:00 p.m. l ESPN
Littlejohn Coliseum l Clemson, S.C.
The Opening Tip
Duke (15-3, 3-2 ACC), ranked seventh in the AP poll and sixth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Clemson (15-4, 3-2 ACC) at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 9:00 p.m. The Tigers enter the game ranked 17th in the AP poll and 16th in the Coaches’ Poll. The game will air on ESPN with Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale and Erin Andrews calling the action.
The Last Time Out
Duke fell to N.C. State, 88-74, on Wednesday for its third straight road loss of the season.
Kyle Singler (22), Jon Scheyer (21) and Nolan Smith (18) combined for 61 of the Blue Devils’ 74 points on the night.
The Wolfpack shot 58.2 percent from the field in the game, including 64.0 percent in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Duke posted a commanding 40-28 rebounding advantage in losing for the first time this season when outrebounding the opposition. Senior Lance Thomas grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, while Brian Zoubek added nine boards, including five of Duke’s 17 offensive rebounds.
The Last Time vs. Clemson
Duke posted a 74-53 win over Clemson on Jan. 3, 2010 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith each had 22 points in the win as the Blue Devil defense limited the Tigers to 12 first-half points on 5-of-30 (16.7 percent) shooting. Duke held Clemson to 32.7 percent shooting for the game and forced 17 turnovers.
Numbers Game
Big Three Pace Blue Devil Offense
Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith combine to average 53.5 points per game or 63.6 percent of Duke’s scoring.
Scheyer is second in the ACC in scoring at 19.1 ppg., while Smith (18.3 ppg.) and Singler (16.1 ppg.) rank third and eighth, respectively.
Texas Southern, Nevada, UC Davis and North Dakota State are the only other schools with three players ranked among the top 10 scorers in their respective leagues.
The trio of Scheyer, Smith and Singler is the highest scoring group in the NCAA this season and the fourth-highest at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski.
Duke Raising Awareness for Haiti Relief
Duke Athletics has joined a national fundraising effort titled “Save Haiti Saturday” to aid in the nation’s earthquake recovery efforts. Beginning with Duke’s men’s basketball contest at Clemson on Saturday night (ESPN, 9:00 PM ET), the 15 Duke teams currently in competition will display “Save Haiti Saturday” patches in the upcoming weeks to maintain high awareness for the relief effort in Haiti.
Three Duke graduates, including former Duke men’s basketball manager and current Miami Heat Vice President of Basketball Operations Nick Arison (Duke ‘03), along with Jenna Green (Duke ‘08) and Doug Rosenberg (Duke ‘07) spearheaded the “Save Haiti Saturday” initiative.
“Save Haiti Saturday” is primarily an awareness campaign that benefits Project Medishare for Haiti, Inc. That organization collaborates with Partners in Health (PIH), one of the organizations through which Duke is coordinating its Haitian fundraising relief efforts. Duke alumnus, Dr. Paul Farmer, founded PIH and currently serves as the United Nations Deputy Special Envoy to Haiti.
For more information about or donate to “Save Haiti Saturday,” access the website at: www.savehaitisaturday.com.
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