Duke rolls into the Greensboro Coliseum as the ACC Champions to face Binghamton University, a team that is in the NCAA's for the first time. The Blue Devils are sure to face heckling from what is sure to be a pro UNC crowd and t-shirts which let their neighbors know they won a trophy for winning last weeks tournament are guaranteed to make the blood boil even more.
Coach Krzyzewski will not allow his team to bathe in past glory and it is clear from hearing the Blue Devil players that they are on a mission to make it down the road in this season's tournament. So, put aside the venom of the rivalry, for beaming in on the job at hand is the ticket.
Okay, you might say that Binghamton has never been to an NCAA tournament and they shouldn't be all that. Before you get it in your head that this will be a cakewalk, remember Belmont. That's why as fans, you must take these games one at a time, just like the team does.
Did you know that Binghamton has the third longest winning steak in the country? Well, they do. The Bearcats are riding an 11 game winning streak, partly due to the play of their go-to guy, D.J. Rivera.
Rivera, a controversial transfer, enters the game as the Bearcats top scorer and rebounder. He is putting up numbers of 20.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg. The junior has broke pretty much every single game record and was named to the Fox Sports Mid Major All American team.
Before you get too caught up on that mid major tag, you would be wise to realize that the majority of the players who log major minutes are transfers from major college programs. In fact, the Bearcats had eight newcomers or transfers from other schools coming into the season.
That was a philosophy which second year Coach Kevin Broadus implemented right off the bat. After a sub .500 year, this year's Bearcats won the American East Conference and sport a 23-8 overall record. A side not is that the Cats are 2-0 on neutral sites and 9-6 on the road this season.
Broadus, formerly employed by Georgetown, was named Coach of the Year in his conference. Much has been made about his recruiting style, but that has nothing to do with the game at hand, so save it for another day.
Helping Rivera out will be Emauel Mayben, a member of the All America East second team. Mayben is averaging 11.5 and 4 rpg.
The middle is manned by Reggie Fuller, the only senior in the lineup. Fuller is tallying 10.2 ppg and 7.1 rpg and holds the teams single season rebounding record.
The fourth double figure scorer us Malik Allen, a third guard who has numbers of 11.7 ppg and 3.1 rpg.
So, the Bearcats are pretty much a four man show and look for Duke to show them a stingy defense designed to keep their guards from going off. In fact, I think Duke will play a lot of players in an effort to wear Binghamton down while staying fresh for the next game if all works according to plan.
Look for the Blue Devils to play a lot of perimeter and wings against a team which relies on quickness and ball movement to get their shots. Duke will likely try to smother Rivera as well, making other players step up to beat them.
Last season, Gerald Henderson put the team on his back to get past Belmont, but the Duke players say they learned from the experience and I think they have. Look for Singler and Thomas to control the paint and Henderson to pick up where he left off.
It will be interesting to watch and see how Scheyer reacts at the point in the NCAA's as well. If Duke continues to protect the ball as it has of late, Binghamton could be in for a long night. The pick here is Duke 81 Binghamton 57
Side Notes -Binghamton has far more students than Duke with 14,368. They were originally Triple Cities College of Syracuse University in 1946. Binghamton is 18-0 when leading their opponent with 5 minutes left in the game this season. They overcame a 25 point deficit to beat Boston earlier this season. Rivera has scored 20 points or more in 20 games. In 2001 Binhampon lost to North Carolina 61-60. They defeated Miami in 2006 by a score of 79-74 at Coral Gables. Greg Paulus was a teammate of Bearcats guard David Fine while at Christian Brothers.
Game 35 • NCAA Tournament First Round • East Regional 2Duke (28-6, 11-5 ACC) vs. 15Binghamton (23-8, 13-3 America East)
Thursday, March 19, 2009 • 9:40 PM ET • CBS
Greensboro Coliseum (22,404) • Greensboro, N.C.
Blue Devil Bits
Duke has won three straight games and enters the NCAA Tournament 28-6 overall. The Blue Devils earned the Atlantic Coast Conference automatic bid by claiming the program’s 17th league title on Sunday.
The Blue Devils earned the No. 2 seed in the East Regional. Duke has claimed the No. 2 seed eight times in school history, winning the 1991 NCAA title from that position.
Duke is ranked sixth in the AP poll and fifth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. The Blue Devils have now been ranked in the top 10 in 36 consecutive AP polls.
The Blue Devils are making their 14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the 33rd overall for the program. Duke is 86-29 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Jon Scheyer was named the ACC Tournament MVP after averaging 21.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in wins over Boston College, Maryland and Florida State. Scheyer was 16-of-31 (.516) from the field, including 12-of-25 (.480) from three-point range, for the tournament. He is the 16th Blue Devil to win tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson were also named to the ACC All-Tournament first team. Singler contributed 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, while Henderson added 17.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
l Duke committed just 9.0 turnovers per game in the ACC Tournament, including a season-low four in the championship game win over Florida State.
Numbers Game
Duke has 86 NCAA Tournament wins to rank fourth all-time. Mike Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history with 69 tournament wins.
The Blue Devils are 21-6 in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. Duke is 6-0 against No. 15 seeds.
Duke has won nearly 80.0 percent of its games when playing out of the East Region in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils are 53-14 out of the East with National Championship runs in 1992 and 2001.
The Blue Devils are 28-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament games played in the state of North Carolina. Duke has won eight straight tournament games in its home state.
Duke is 10-0 in NCAA Tournament games played at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Blue Devils also played NCAA Tournament opening round games in Greensboro in 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001 and 2006.
The Blue Devils enter the NCAA Tournament with the No. 1 RPI and Strength of Schedule according to CollegeRPI.com.
Duke has an NCAA record 289 wins this decade. The Blue Devils have nine more wins than the next closest team (Kansas) since the 1999-2000 season.
Mike Krzyzewski is one win shy of matching Ed Diddle for fifth place on the all-time coaching wins at one school list. He enters the NCAA Tournament with 758 wins at Duke.
Kyle Singler, Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer have each scored over 500 points this season, marking the seventh time in school history (1978, 1986, 1990, 1999, 2002, 2005 & 2009) that feat has been accomplished.
Sophomore Kyle Singler leads the Blue Devils in scoring (16.7 ppg.), rebounds (7.7 rpg.), blocks (36) and steals (53). He is looking to become the first player in Duke history to lead the team in all four categories.
Duke players have scored 20 or more points in a game 32 times this season. Kyle Singler (11), Jon Scheyer (10) and Gerald Henderson (10) have combined for 31 of the team’s 20-point efforts. Lance Thomas had Duke’s only other 20-point effort.
Jon Scheyer has scored in double figures in nine straight games. He has scored 20 or more points in four of the last nine contests.
Gerald Henderson has reached double figures in scoring in 25 of the last 26 games for the Blue Devils. The Merion, Pa., native has nine 20+ point games during that span.
Jon Scheyer is averaging 20.2 points per game and 3.3 three-point field goals made per game over the last nine contests. He also has 21 assists, 15 steals and just 10 turnovers during that stretch.
Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer are a combined 53-of-116 (.457) from three-point range over the last nine games. Duke is averaging 8.6 threes per game in that stretch.
There was no shortage of happiness as Duke won the ACC Championship yesterday. An excited Gerald Henderson was pulled aside by a Raycom announcer, but his eyes were on his teammates the whole time.
The commentator realized this and told him to go and hang out with his ecstatic teammates who were posing for pictures with the trophy held high nearby. As Duke fans gathered near court side to watch the team, some of the Blue Devils commented on the victory, including coaches.
"There's nothing like it. You play to win championships and I am just so proud of them. These guys have grown up together and it's just a great feeling to win," said Chris Collins to Duke play ny play man Bob Harris when asked of his feeling of winning Duke's 9th ACC Tournament Championship in the last 12 years.
Withthe Duke band blaring in the background and flashes from cameras all around, Nolan Smith said, "It was terrific! We played our hearts out! We've been working hard all season long and we deserve it. I'm so proud ... I'm speeclhess right now. Now I get my hat and my (championship) shirt. Hanging a banner up there in Cameron means everything to me."
Krzyzewski made sure that his grandsons and family shared in the moment, motioning them down to the court as he smiled and enjoyed the moment. After all, Krzyzewski has encouraged the fans to live in the moment all season, and today, Duke fans all over the nation shared a smile with the living legend.
Lance Thomas said, "It (the ACC Championship) means the world to me. It feels good to actually accomplish something big like this. It's only motivation to want more. We needed everybody to contribute and this is something we are all going to share the rest of our lives."
In the background, the nets began to come down as the Blue Devils in customary fashion took turns cutting pieces of the net. Elliot Williams handed the scissors off to Gerald Henderson and a loud roar came from the Duke faithful.
Jon Scheyer then turned to Raycom and was asked if the team was playing it's best. "It's playing really well," said Scheyer who then continued, "I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves right now, but this championship is a good stepping stone going into the NCAA Tournament.
Before Scheyer could turn around, the voice of the Blue Devils was there for more comments. "It was a great day and it feels really good to get this win. We're not going to be satisfied and hopefully we can use it as a stepping stone going into the NCAA Tournament. " Sounds familiar, huh?
"It feels great. It was very important for us to get off to a good start in the first half. We shot the ball very well. We think we're playing our best basketball and winning this will give us great momentum going into the NCAA Tournament. We've just got to keep this thing going," said Duke standout Kyle Singler.
Singlers play earned him All Tournament team honors with teammates Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson.
"It's always good to be a champion and to be a part of this team now as a coach and have these guys go out there and play hard to get this championship means a lot to me just to be here and see them get it done," said Duke's newest assistant coach Nate James.
"We have such a good group of guys and they work so hard and they deserve this. It feels good to win in Atlanta," said the man known by some as Nate Dogg.
In the backdrop, Jon Scheyer who has just been named the tournaments most valuable player, stepped off the ladder after getting his cuts. Scheyer naturally was the recipient of rousing applause.
Coach K then said, "It means a lot (ACC Champions). I've been a part of some championships and a Duke player ... it's not a birthright that you get a championship. If you don't get one you will feel left out from the other guys and this group winning their first championship is huge. Especially, to win three tough games like they did."
Krzyzewksi then commented about the late season changes which proved successful. "This is a new team. We played about nine games with this lineup together. To have these three games with their pressure is like going through a month and a half of the season. So, it was really good. I don't think we'll be tired, but we will be a little more hardened."
Duke President Richard Brodhead chime in with the Duke Radio show as well, stating, "Today I was confident from beginning to end. It was still a struggle, but we had a great effort out there. There is a lot of basketball to be played and we're all 0-0 at this point going into the next phase. And you know what? Duke is going to be right in the middle of this thing. We have a great coach and a great staff and a tremendous group of young men."
The team then made their way to the Duke locker room to be among themselves. After spending some time there, it was off to the media room where the process of questions started again.
We are the Champions
On a day where Duke made history and memories, the grind that is thrust upon student athletes probably didn't seem so bad. But in the back of their minds, they knew that the moment they were living in would have to be put on the back burner in the near future.
"Our kids played really hard for three days," said Krzyzewski as the session began. Indeed they did, Coach. But give yourself a little credit too. On a day when you became the sole owner of the fourth most wins in college basketball history it was clear for all that you and your staff coached hard for three days as well.
The combination of effort from the players and staff gave Duke fans a day in heaven and added to their long list of fond memories. The bottom line is that the Duke Blue Devils are the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Champions.
A special thanks to Moore Productions for some of these quotes.
The Devils went down to Georgia and took care business
The Duke Blue Devils defeated Florida State 79-69 to win the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. In the process they helped Coach Mike Krzyzewski to his 11th Championship. Duke has now won an amazing 9 our of the last 12 ACC titles and 17 overall and have participated in 28 of 56 championship games.
With the 847th career victory, Krzyzewski is the 4th all time winningest coach in college basketball history with wins.
The Seminoles came into the game off an upset of North Carolina and many thought Duke would be in for a tough contest. While the Noles refused to fold, the Blue Devils controlled the game from the opening tip in route to their 28th win of the season.
Once again, Duke used the three point shot to their advantage going 12 for 25 for 48%. In fact they shot better from three than overall.
Duke went on a 20-3 first half run while holding Florida State without a field goal for a long, long time. How long? Douglass ended hit their first field goal early in the second half since the *;04 mark of the first half.
The Blue Devils defense also held the Seminoles to just 21.7% from the field to take a 35-21 lead into the locker room.
"You win by getting stops on defense and that's what we did all weekend," said Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins shortly after the eventual win.
Florida State warmed up in the second half and went on a 11-0 run of their own, cutting the lead to 42-36, but that's as close as they would get.
A Jon Scheyer three ended the drought and while the Seminoles scored just after that on the other end, Scheyer got fouled on the next possession and calmly hit 3 of 3 free throws which stretched the lead back to 48-38.
Then it was Gerald Henderson turn. The junior standout drained a three point shot, had a dunk the next time down and hit 2 free throws again in succession for 7 quick points.
By that time, Duke had gone on a 23-7 run and led 62-43 with the Blue Devil faithful feeling a celebration coming on.
To Florida State's credit, they wouldn't say die and fought until the last minute of regulation. Still, Duke for the most part coasted to the ACC Championship.
As the buzzer sounded, Duke owned Atlanta and they started the off by wearing championship hats and T-Shirts while posing for pictures and talking to various media members. They then cut down the nets with Krzyzewski getting the last clip as he blew a kiss to the faithful.
Duke fought through a bit of adversity during the season and gained the coveted trophy.
Jon Scheyer was named the tournaments MVP and finished the game with 29 points. Gerald Henderson picked the right time for his offense to come full circle and tallied 27 points. Kyle Singler, who for the most part got them to the title game with his play in the first two games added 14 points.
All three were named to the All ACC Tournament team, along with Toney Douglass and Tyler Hansbrough of UNC.
The Blue Devils now await today's tournament pairings and will go into March Madness as the proud ACC Champions.
We'll have many player quotes and more later. So, please check back in.
Courtesy of Duke Sports Information -
ACC Championships
• Duke won its 17th ACC Championship on Sunday with a win over Florida State. The 17 ACC Championships are tied for the most in league history with North Carolina.
• Coach Krzyzewski claimed his 11th ACC Championship at Duke. He is second only to Dean Smith (13) of North Carolina for most by a coach in ACC history.
• The Blue Devils have won eight of the last 11 ACC Championships.
• Duke played in its 28th league championship game. Only North Carolina (29) has played in more ACC Finals.
Tournament Honors
• Junior Jon Scheyer was named ACC Tournament MVP, becoming the 16th Duke player to garner tournament MVP honors.
• Scheyer, Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler were all named to the ACC All-Tournament first team. The Blue Devils now have 66 first team All-Tournament selections.
• The three first team selections give Duke three first team picks for the 10th time in school history. It is the 25th time they have had two or more first team selections.
A Winning Tradition
• Duke has now won 1,875 games all-time, the fourth-highest victory total in NCAA history. The Blue Devils have an all-time record of 1,875-814, including 758-213 under Coach K.
• The Blue Devils have won a NCAA record 289 games this decade, the most wins in a decade by the program. The previous NCAA record for wins in a decade was 286 by Kansas (286-60 from 1990-99).
• Duke is now 934-237 all-time as a ranked team, including 792-180 as a Top 10 team.
• The Blue Devils have won 25 or more games 22 times in school history with 18 of those coming under Coach K. Duke has won 20 or more games 44 times.
• Duke improved to 84-39 all-time in the ACC Tournament, tying them with North Carolina for the most wins in ACC Tournament history.
Duke In The ACC Tournament
• Duke is now 84-39 all-time in the ACC Tournament, making their 56th appearance. The Blue Devils are 29-4 in the ACC Tournament since 1998 with eighth of the last 11 tournament championships.
• Coach K has an all-time record of 46-17 in the ACC Tournament.
• Duke has played 28 championship games in the ACC Tournament with a 17-11 record in the finals.
• The Blue Devils are 15-6 all-time as a No. 3 seed in the tournament and 7-5 when playing a No. 4 seed.
• Duke is now 1-0 against Florida State in the ACC Tournament.
• The Blue Devils are 8-1 all-time when playing in the Georgia Dome, including a 6-0 record in the ACC Tournament. Duke has won both the 2001 and 2009 ACC Tournaments at the Georgia Dome. Duke is 9-3 all-time when playing ACC Tournament games in Atlanta.
Duke vs. Florida State Series
• Duke now leads the all-time series with Florida State, 29-6. The two schools met for the 35th time on Sunday since the Seminoles joined the ACC in the 1991-92 season.
• The Blue Devils and Seminoles met for the first time ever in ACC Tournament play on Sunday. Florida State was the only team in the league that Duke had not faced in the conference tournament.
• Coach K now owns a 28-5 career record against the Seminoles, including a 3-1 record in the month of March.
• Duke has a 26-5 record when ranked while playing Florida State, including a 25-5 mark as a top 10 team. The Blue Devils have been ranked in the top 10 the past 23 times they have faced Florida State dating back to the 1996-97 season.
Duke In March
• Duke improved to 4-1 in the month of March during the 2008-09 season. They now have a 131-54 all-time record in the month of March under Coach K.
• When playing on March 15, Duke is now 8-3 all-time, including a 7-2 record under Coach K.
Krzyzewski Climbs Victory Ladder
• Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski earned his 831st victory as a head coach on Sunday. With the victory he passes Jim Phelan for fourth all-time in NCAA Division I history for career victories. He is first among active coaches.
• Krzyzewski is now 45 victories shy of Adolph Rupp for third all-time.
• Coach K now has 758 wins as the head coach at Duke, ranking him sixth in NCAA Division I history for victories at one school and second among active coaches (Jim Boeheim, Syracuse – 797). Krzyzewski is one win shy of Western Kentucky’s Ed Diddle for fifth all-time.
• Krzyzewski’s 831 victories are the most by a head coach through 34 years of coaching. Krzyzewski passes Dean Smith of North Carolina who won 830 games in his first 34 seasons.
1,000 Career Points
• There have been 59 players in Duke history to score over 1,000 career points. The total for the Blue Devils is tied for the second most in Division I with Louisville. The only school with more 1,000-point scorers is North Carolina (62).
• Duke now has four current players with over 1,000 career points. It is only the second time in school history the Blue Devils have had four active players with 1,000 career points. The only previous team with four players over 1,000 career points was in 1985-86 with Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie, David Henderson and Jay Bilas. The four current players who have scored at least 1,000 points in their career are Jon Scheyer (34th, 1,308), Gerald Henderson 40th (1,218), Greg Paulus (41st, 1,185) and Kyle Singler (57th, 1,018).
Offensive Notes
• Duke scored 79 points and is now 24-4 this year with scoring at least 70 points. They are 667-133 all-time under Coach K when scoring at least 70 points.
• Duke has had two players score 20 or more points in 11 games this season. The Blue Devils have had a player score 20 or more 30 times on the year. The 11 games is tied for ninth most in a single season at Duke.
• The Blue Devils matched a season high with 12 three-point field goals made. They also made 12 treys in the first meeting with Maryland and against Miami. They have 10 or more made treys six times this season.
• Duke committed a season-low four turnovers in the game. The previous low was six turnovers against Wake Forest on Feb. 22. The Blue Devils have had less than 10 turnovers in nine games this season. It is the lowest turnover total since Duke had three turnovers against North Carolina in the 2002 quarterfinals.
• The Blue Devils only committed one turnover in the first half. It is the lowest amount of turnovers committed in the first half this season by Duke. The previous low was three against Georgia Southern in the second game of the year. The Blue Devils also only committed one turnover in the second half against Florida State on March 3 for a total of two turnovers in a span of 40 minutes against the Seminoles.
• Duke outrebounded Florida State 35-34. They have outrebounded the opposition 18 times this year and are 474-55 all-time under Coach K when outrebounding the opposition.
Defensive Notes
• Duke limited Florida State to 69 points and held all three ACC Tournament opponents under 70 points. They have held 20 opponents to 60 or less on the season.
• The Blue Devils held Florida State to 21 points in the first half on 5-of-23 (.217) shooting. It is the second lowest shooting percentage by an opponent in the first half this year. The Seminoles shot .206 (7-of-34) in the first half during the first meeting this season between the two schools.
• Florida State did not make a field goal in the final 8:09 of the first half. The only points for the Seminoles in the final eight minutes were seven made free throws. The next made field goal came at the 18:18 mark of the second half, a span of 9:51 minutes.
Duke Player Notes:
Gerald Henderson
• Junior Gerald Henderson tallied 27 points to give him nine 20-point games on the season and 13 in his career. He has scored in double figures in 29 games on the year.
• Henderson tallied at least one point, rebound, assist, blocked shot and steal in a game for the 12th game this season.
• Henderson made 4-of-7 from behind the three-point line. It is the fourth time this season Henderson has made three or more from beyond the arc.
• With four assists Henderson has recorded three or more assists in 18 games this season.
David McClure
• Senior David McClure grabbed five rebounds and now has five or more rebounds in seven games this year.
• McClure added two steals to give him eight games with two or more steals.
Greg Paulus
• Senior Greg Paulus played in his 136h career game, moving him into a tie for 13h all-time at Duke for career games played.
Jon Scheyer
• Junior Jon Scheyer scored 29 points to give him nine 20-point games this season and 15 in his career. The 29 points is tied for the 10th highest single game total by a Duke player in the ACC Tournament. He has nine straight games with at least 10 points and has reached double figures in scoring 27 times this season.
• Scheyer finished the tournament with 65 points, ranking him eighth at Duke for points in an ACC Tournament.
• Scheyer made four three-point field goals to give him six straight games with three or more made treys and 14 overall contests. He has made 30 three-point field goals in his nine games as starting point guard. He made 12 three-point field goals in the tournament, which ranks him tied for second most by a Duke player with J.J. Redick.
• At the free throw line, Scheyer matched a career-high going 13-of-15. He was 13-of-13 earlier this year against Rhode Island. The 13 made free throws are tied for the second most in a single game by a Duke player with Art Heyman who had 13 against Clemson in 1962.
• Scheyer finished the tournament going 21-of-25 (.840) from the free throw line. The 21 made free throws is tied for fifth most in a game by a Duke player.
Kyle Singler
• Sophomore Kyle Singler reached double figures in scoring for the 12th straight game with 14 points against Florida State. He now has a team-high 31 games with 10 or more points this season.
• Singler tallied at least one point, rebound, assist, blocked shot and steal in a game for the eighth straight contest and 20th game this season. The 20 games are tied for the third most in a single season at Duke. The most is 26 games by Shane Battier in 2001.
• Singler made four three-point field goals to give him three or more made treys in nine games this season.
• His two steals give Singler 15 games with two or more steals on the year.
• Singler had one blocked shot to give him nine blocks in the tournament His nine blocks ranks fourth all-time by a Duke player in the tournament.
• Singler played all 40 minutes for the third consecutive game. He is only the second Duke player to play three consecutive complete games. The only other player to play three straight complete games in the ACC Tournament was Doug Kistler in 1960. It is the third time it has been done in postseason play.
Nolan Smith
• Sophomore Nolan Smith dished out three assists to give him eight games with three or more assists this season.
Lance Thomas
• Junior Lance Thomas match a season-high with eight rebounds. All eight rebounds came in the first half with six of the eight coming on the offensive end of the floor.
Brian Zoubek
• Junior Brian Zoubek grabbed six rebounds in the game and now has 14 games with five or more rebounds on the year.
• Zoubek blocked one shot to give him a blocked shot in 19 games on the year.
Duke will go for another ACC Championship against FSU
In the movie Scarface, Al Pacino (Tony Montana) said, "Say hello to my little friend," as he whipped out his machine gun to take care of business. Duke introduced Maryland to their old friend, the three point shot, going 9 of 22 helping them take care of business.
The Blue Devils 67-61 victory over the Terrapins wasn't always pretty, but the end result has to be beautiful for Mike Krzyzewski who will vie for his 11th ACC Championship tomorrow afternoon.
But Duke had some other familiar friends show up in their victory which pushed their season record to 27-6. Duke managed to get to the free throw stripe 21 times, canning 18 of them. Then there was their staple defense which is allowing 64 ppg in their first two contests.
Duke didn't shoot the ball well. In fact, one of their key stars, Gerald Henderson went 3 of 14 from the field. That combined with 36% from the field made for a game where Maryland remained within striking distance for most of the game. Henderson ended the game with 8 points, but his streak of 24 straight double figure scoring games went down.
Henderson finally hit a three to give Duke a 47-41 lead at the 8:44 mark in the second half. Maryland quickly scored of a Vazquez drive, but that's when the player of the game, Jon Scheyer took over.
Scheyer nailed a three point shot and then stole the ball just beyond half court, driving the ball for a lay in all in the same motion. Scheyer also hit key free throws down the stretch and led all scorers with 22 points.
Another key factor was Nolan Smith logging 30 minutes. Smith shook off some early game rust and finished with 10 points, 3 assists and 0 turnovers.
But the player who kept them into the game in the first half, was Kyle Singler. The sophomore star was the only double figure scorer for either team at the half and while he cooled off in the second half, he put up numbers of 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots. Singler became the 50th player in Duke Basketball history to score 1000 points with his effort.
Let's not forget Dave McClure who made consecutive baskets during a key second half spurt. McClure was 3 of 3 from the field for six points. McClure had several key boards and timely blocks which gave Duke a spark.
"As a group, it would be a great way to help us in the latter part of March. Personally, it would be great just to get back there. We won a couple championships early in my career, but I really wasn’t much of a factor. I was young and coming off a couple injuries. There would be no better way to end with these guys than to go out and get one. Everybody on our team feels like they are a part of it. Everybody will take ownership of it," said McClure in the post game interview session.
That spark was important, for the Blue Devils came out looking lethargic. It was as if they were waiting for one another to make a play. That's why Singlers play was vital today for he put the team on his back in the early going.
The Duke defense held Greivas Vasquez to 14 points on 17 shots. Eric Hayes picked up the slack late for the Terps scoring 20 points, but it was too little too late.
Duke defeated Maryland for the third time this season. Duke will now against a more talented Florida State team that defeated #1 rated North Carolina to advance to their first championship game under Coach Leonard Hamilton. The ACC Coach of the Year, will attempt to keep his team from losing their third game to the Blue Devils.
Duke has played in 28 of the 56 ACC Tournament Championship games, a stat that speaks for itself. Duke now has a 7-1 all time record in the Georgia Dome.
Duke started the game by holding Boston College to just two points in the first eight and a half minutes of the game. But then the Eagles stormed back to take a 29-22 half time lead and Duke was clearly struggling.
Perhaps the fact that Duke was unable to hold a shoot-around in the Georgia Dome was the culprit, but once they warmed up and doubled their first half scoring to finish the game with a hard earned 66-65 win.
The Blue Devils were led by what could have been Kyle Singler's career best game. The sophomore forward led the Devils in scoring with 26 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and had 6 very timely blocked shots.
Singler put the team on his back in the first half and the second, playing iron man minutes and missing just 5 shots from the field. His 2 steals ended up in baskets on the offensive end and every time Duke needed a big shot, he seemed to be there.
The Blue Devils rallied for a 9-0 run to pull ahead by a single point after the break, but Boston College refuse to fold. Tyrese Rice found his shooting touch, ending the game with 17 points. But it was a solid defensive effort which pushed him out of the final two offensive possessions.
Biko Paris tried to pick up the slack going 5 of 5 from the field, all three pointers. The Duke defense effectively slowed down Rakim Sanders.
Gerald Henderson, saddled with two fouls in the first 30 seconds of the game, came alive to score points and Scheyer chipped in with
Lance Thomas played an effective game as well, and Dave McClure did many things defensively that only show up on the teams "true (hustle) blue" stats.
This was the kind of close win that teams generally grow from and all of today's ACC Tournament contests were decided by 3 or fewer points.
Duke was shooting just 32% at the half but ended the game at a respectable 46.8%. Duke moved to 26-6 on the season and will take on Maryland for the third time this season tomorrow at 3:30.
Duke is sure to take the best shot Maryland has to offer in that they are close to an NCAA bid after defeating #9 Wake Forest. A win over Duke would certainly put them in the NCAA field. Maryland will go all out for they just need a win over Duke and do not necessarily have to win the tournament to accomplish their goal.
“It was a man’s game out there tonight and I’m proud of our guys to make that one stop we needed to win the game. It was going to be a one possession game and our kids executed real well. Gerald Henderson delivered to give us the lead and then we played really good defense. It’s survive and advance so to speak.“I thought Kyle was sensational for us. Gerald got into the foul trouble with two quick ones in 30 seconds and that screws anybody up, especially the coach. I thought Kyle kept us in there. In the second half, we just flowed so much better offensively with Gerald [Henderson], Jon and Kyle playing so well. [David] McClure and Lance Thomas were very, very good for us and obviously Elliot has been such a key guy for us.“We’re proud of the win and congratulate Boston College for a good game against us and for what I would think would be a good seed in the NCAA Tournament.”
On the second-half turnaround for the Duke offense
“I think a lot of it has to do with we had 20 minutes to warm-up. This is our first time shooting in this place. They played very well but I do think part of it was not being able to get accustomed to your environment. Hopefully we are accustomed to it now and we get to play a very good Maryland team. I think that had something to do with it with the fact that Gerald [Henderson’s] foul trouble and their defense was probably a concoction there that leads to 22 points.”
On the play to give Duke the winning basket
“We tried to get him and Jon [Scheyer] in an action where Jon was screening for him to get into the low post. Set a screen for the screener. He was open the first time we did it and we were going back to it either if he was open to hit him or for Jon to take a three. They executed well and Gerald delivered. It was not an easy shot but at least he was one-on-one in the post. It was a big time play by Gerald.”
Quotes / Players -
On what he saw over the final sequence of plays
“On my shot, I knew I needed to make a strong move whether to score the bucket or to get a foul. With Rakim [Sanders] shot, I just wanted to push as far away from the basket as I could and then make him shoot the longer shot and just not foul.” - Gerald Henderson
On tonight’s game
“We are happy with the win. It was a very tough game. Boston College is a very good team. We didn’t play our best basketball in the first half but when it counted in the second half we made the plays we needed to make.” -Kyle Singler
On playing Maryland tomorrow
“We need to play 40 minutes to win this tournament, so we are moving on and Maryland is on our mind now.” - Singler
On tonight’s win
“It was a great win and we had to fight it out to the end. We did whatever we needed to do to make sure we were the ones standing at the end, now we just look forward to the next game.” - Lance Thomas
Duke rolls into the Greensboro Coliseum as the ACC Champions to face Binghamton University, a team that is in the NCAA's for the first time. The Blue Devils are sure to face heckling from what is sure to be a pro UNC crowd and t-shirts which let their neighbors know they won a trophy for winning last weeks tournament are guaranteed to make the blood boil even more.
Game 35 • NCAA Tournament First Round • East Regional
Krzyzewski made sure that his grandsons and family shared in the moment, motioning them down to the court as he smiled and enjoyed the moment. After all, Krzyzewski has encouraged the fans to live in the moment all season, and today, Duke fans all over the nation shared a smile with the living legend.
"It's always good to be a champion and to be a part of this team now as a coach and have these guys go out there and play hard to get this championship means a lot to me just to be here and see them get it done," said Duke's newest assistant coach Nate James.
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