Tag Archives: Coach K’s 1000th game

Blue Devil Nations Monday Musings

Duke Cheerleaders rock!

Well Duke's win over Maryland pushed the Blue Devils record to 21-4 overall and 9-2 in conference but they are still just ahead of Wake Forest in the race to be atop the ACC standings.  Next up is Miami and on the surface this game looks much easier than it will likely be.  The Hurricanes are just 3-8 in conference, but there three wins are over Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, all of which are good teams should be recognized.  Look a bit closer and all three wins came in Coral Gables which is not an easy place to play due to travel for most ACC teams.  Then one sees that of Miami's last five regular season games, all but one are at home.  In short, a win over would give them 18 wins and could propel them to take care of business at home.  When teams backs are against the wall, they are dangerous and Miami will be trying to play their way into the post season.

This weekend Duke celebrated Coach Mike Krzyzewski's 1000th game at Duke and several players returned for the event including ex coaches.  The highlight for me was to see the guys from the sixties who labored under Vic Bubas, Duke's other great coach.  Bubas set a new standard in recruiting, going after players afar and his system changed the way the rest of the ACC recruited over time.  I had a chance to talk with Bubas and Bucky Waters for a bit and finally got his autograph on a classic picture with his then players Jeff Mullins and Art Heyman, two players whose numbers hang in Cameron.

We were supposed to talk with ex Dukie Kenny Dennard, but were unable to get back with him.  FWIW, Dennard kidnapped "rubber Hurley," from me during the Coach K Academy.  What is rubber Hurley you ask?  Well, back in the day I was a memorabilia dealer on the side and I came across a gumby like figure of Bobby Hurley with a striking resemblance to the former number eleven.  Dennard being the jester that he is borrowed, er, kidnapped the rare rubber Hurley ... okay it's plastic but the rubber Hurley name just stuck ... for a few laughs.  The first thing he said when he saw me is I have your little Hurley thingie.  And I was thinking, yeah, but do you have it with you.  I had made a recording with Dennard a bit back but technical difficulties kept me from running it.  You see, Kenny thought I was holding out for my dear, rare rubber Hurley;)  Well, KD, I know you're out there so call me and we'll talk of some of your torrid tales from back in the day.  And you can keep rubber Hurley provided you take care of it for I must confess I have another one.

We went over one million visitors since we've moved to this site and we thank you for your support in making this one of the better Duke sites around.  If you go back to the days of "myblogdevils," or the first of three versions of BDN, we have had awesome support fro Blue Devil fans world wide.  In fact, we have reached no less than 33 countries.  In that time we have avoided advertising bling that hits you in the face when visiting in that we depend on memberships for support.  Keep in mind that memberships do keep us alive and if you like BDN and want to support our efforts, please give Blue Devil Nation Premium a try.  You will enjoy the inside tips, recruiting information and a message board that has rational discussion.  BDN has never taken one single dime from it's supporters without giving you something back nor have we sold out despite offers.  Help us stay ferociously independent.

Okay, getting serious again, we'll start a feature called Monday Morning Quarterback next week where we'll focus on Spring Football.  With just one practice in the fold we felt a little more information would be better.  I will be bringing you some interviews and thoughts along the way and Patrick Cacchio will be involved as well.  He has a feature coming up shortly where he breaks down the 2010 schedule.

On the recruiting front Duke offered Michael Gbinije, pronounced "ben na jay<" over the weekend.  Read more about that on BDN Premium which requires a membership.  Andrew Slater chatted with the elusive Kyrie Irving over the weekend and took in the action at the Primetime Shootout so that is on the way as well.  We've been busy around here thus a recruiting update was pushed back, but I assure you, Gbinije did not sneak up on us.  It's interesting to see the chest thumping out there saying they broke this when some knew before they even realized he was in Cameron on Saturday.  Anyhow, we'll address this and more as the week progresses.

Our former cheerleader galleries were the most popular and we will be bringing back photo galleries in the future.  But you can expect a different cheerleader each week on Monday Morning Musings.  It's our way of showing support for support and recognizing their hard work.

We have been contemplating making some changes around here and we have polled our members in the past, but we are working on a questionnaire for general readers of the site and we hope you will participate when that comes out.

Zoubek’s career game helps Duke rip Maryland by 21 on Coach K’s birthday

Coach K's Blue Devils crush Maryland on his birthday
Coach K's 1000th game was a rousing success - Lance King Images

Durham, N.C. - The Blue Devil Nation celebrated Coach K's 1000th game and birthday with a convincing 77-56 win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  All fans remained seated after the game as Krzyzewski addressed the crowd before he left for the locker room to talk with his Blue Devil team that now sports a 9-2 record in the ACC and 21-4 overall.

It's been quite a week for these Blue Devils, for they beat the two rival teams in Maryland and North Carolina on their schedule and in the process held them both in check.  In fact, both teams combined scored only 110 points for a 55 ppg average.

But then today, Brian Zoubek must not have gotten the memo saying he wasn't in the big three, for the lanky senior had career highs of 16 points and 17 rebounds, prompting several cheers from the frenetic Cameron Crazies.

"He should be getting a lot of credit with what he's done as a basketball player from when he was a freshman to where he is now.  He's a guy who has found a way to enjoy his basketball career which is a great thing.  It's nice to see that happen to people when they are doing a great job," said Krzyzewski of Zoubs, as he is called by his teammates.

Duke held Maryland in check from beyond the arc, where they allowed just two three-point baskets and for most of the game they held Greivis Vasquez in check before he reeled off several baskets in the Terps comeback effort.  Vasquez finished the game as the Terps high scorer with 17, while Cliff Tucker chipped in with 12.

Jon Scheyer led all scorers with 22 points and Smith, who was cold from the field, still tallied 14 points to go with a team high 6 assists.  Kyle Singler added 10, Mason 7, Thomas 4 and 2 each for Miles and Kelly to round out the Blue Devils' scoring.

Duke scored 18 points off 14 Maryland turnovers and 20 points on second chance buckets.  Duke led by 24 at one time but let off the gas in the final couple of minutes, winning by 21 over their assigned rival.  Another huge stat for Duke was their 18 of 22 free throws.

Duke has won six consecutive games against Maryland in the series and Duke has won 13 games by 20 or more points this season.  Duke held 44-37 advantage in rebounding and four players scored in double figures for the 14th time this season.

The Blue Devils will travel to Miami on Wednesday for a game televised on ESPN.  Stay tuned for the BDN Duke Locker Room Report.

Maryland at Duke Game Notes

Game 25  •  Coach K’s 1,000th game at Duke

[8 AP/7 Coaches] Duke (20-4, 8-2 ACC) vs. Maryland (16-6, 6-2 ACC)

Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010  •  1:00 p.m.  •  CBS

Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)  •  Durham, N.C.

The Opening Tip

Duke (20-4, 8-2 ACC), ranked eighth in the AP poll and seventh in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces unranked Maryland (16-6, 6-2 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1:00 p.m. The game will air on CBS with Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellogg calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Duke registered a 64-54 road win over North Carolina on Wednesday to secure the program’s 14th straight 20-win season.

Senior Jon Scheyer went 5-of-9 from three-point range en route to a game-high 24 points. He also added five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win.

Kyle Singler added 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Blue Devils. The junior forward finished 4-of-5 from three-point distance and grabbed seven of his nine rebounds in the second half of play. Junior Nolan Smith also scored in double figures with 10 points to go along with six rebounds and a steal.

Freshman Mason Plumlee came off the bench to collect seven points, a season-high nine rebounds and two assists. Duke outrebounded the Tar Heels, 51-42, including a 23-14 edge on the offensive glass. Six Blue Devils grabbed five or more rebounds in the contest.

Duke held North Carolina to just 34.5 percent (20-of-58) shooting from the field, including 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from three-point range. The Blue Devils are now 12-0 on the year when holding the opposition below 40 percent shooting.

Numbers Game

l Saturday’s game marks the 1,000th career game on the sidelines at Duke for Mike Krzyzewski. He is just the eighth coach in NCAA Division I history to coach 1,000 games at a school.

l Duke is ranked eighth in the AP poll, marking the 50th consecutive week ranked in the top 10. The Blue Devils are 67-16 all-time when ranked eighth in the AP poll.

l The Blue Devils have won 15 consecutive games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, including their last seven ACC home contests.

l Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are the top scoring trio in the NCAA at a combined 53.5 points per game. The threesome has accounted for 30 of Duke’s 31 individual games with 20 or more points scored.

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, 19.1 ppg.), assists (fourth, 5.5 apg.), free throw percentage (first, .891), three-point field goals (first, 2.8 3pg.), three-point percentage (fifth, .404), assist-to-turnover ratio (first, 3.16:1) and minutes (first, 36.6 mpg.).

l Kyle Singler is averaging a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game and is attempting to become just the third Blue Devil to lead the team in rebounding as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

l Jon Scheyer (19.1 ppg.) and Nolan Smith (17.7 ppg.) are averaging a combined 36.8 points per game. The duo ranks fifth among the top scoring backcourts in Duke history and tied for ninth in ACC history.

l Jon Scheyer has scored 20+ points in five of the last seven games. He is tied for first in the ACC with 12 games with 20 or more points.

l Brian Zoubek ranks sixth in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.0 orpg) and 18th in total rebounds (6.2 rpg.). He is averaging 7.9 offensive boards and 16.3 total rebounds per 40 minutes of action. Zoubek is the only non-starter in the ACC to rank among the league leaders in total rebounds and offensive rebounds.

l Jon Scheyer is averaging 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game over the last five games. He is shooting 50.0 percent (17-of-34) from three-point range in that span.

l Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer are a combined 23-of-40 (.575) from three-point range in the last three games.

Checking in on ...

#2 Nolan Smith - +9.3 ppg. increase from a year ago leads the ACC ... shooting a career-best 42.5 percent from three-point range ... second on the team with 10 games with 20+ points scored ... double figures in 21 of 22 games played

#5 Mason Plumlee - Second on the team with 17 dunks ... tied for third with 16 blocks ... season-high nine rebounds vs. North Carolina

#12 Kyle Singler - 21 double-figure scoring games this season ... attempting to lead the Blue Devils in rebounding for the third straight year ... averaging 19.8 points per game in the last five contests

#20 Andre Dawkins - Fourth on the team with 28 three-point field goals ... shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range

#21 Miles Plumlee - Leads the team with 27 dunks ... shooting 57.0 percent (61-of-107) from the field

#30 Jon Scheyer - 20+ points in four of the last five games ... ranks in the top 10 of the ACC in nine statistical categories ... leads the league in minutes, free throw percentage, three-point field goals and assist-to-turnover ratio

#34 Ryan Kelly - 14 blocked shots ... one of five Blue Devils with 10+ blocks

#42 Lance Thomas - Five or more rebounds in seven straight games ... leads the Blue Devils with 11 charges taken ... suffered a severe bone bruise to his right knee and is doubtful for Saturday’s contest

#55 Brian Zoubek - Five or more rebounds in 16 of 24 games ... four or more offensive rebounds nine times