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Duke Basketball

Long Beach State at Duke – Official Game Notes

kyle-150x150Game 11

[7 AP/7 Coaches] Duke (9-1) vs. Long Beach State (6-6)

Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009  •  7:00 p.m.  •  FSS

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

The Opening Tip

Duke (9-1), ranked seventh in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Long Beach State (8-2) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday’s game will air on FSS with Mike Hogewood and Mike Gminski calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Duke posted a 76-41 win over No. 15 Gonzaga on Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden. With the victory, the Blue Devils improved to 3-0 on the year at MSG.

Junior Nolan Smith matched a career-high with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, while senior Jon Scheyer added 20 points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the win.

The Blue Devils limited Gonzaga to 27.8 percent (15-of-54) shooting from the field, including 10.0 percent (1-of-10) from three-point range. Duke forced 18 Bulldog turnovers, while allowing only 15 field goals.

Duke also outrebounded Gonzaga, 45-35, as junior Kyle Singler grabbed a game-high 11 boards. Senior Lance Thomas added nine rebounds in the win. The Blue Devils have now grabbed 40+ rebounds in a game seven times this season.

The Duke-Long Beach State Series

Fifth-ranked Duke posted a 79-78 win over the No. 15 Long Beach State 49ers on Jan. 5, 1979 in Raleigh, N.C. as part of the Holiday Doubleheader. Kenny Dennard scored 28 points to go along with nine rebounds, while Gene Banks recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. MIke Gminski added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Blue Devils.

Numbers Game

l The Blue Devils have won a current NCAA-best 74 consecutive non-conference home games.

l Duke has won 34 straight home games against unranked opponents, dating back to a 68-67 loss to Florida State on Feb. 4, 2007.

l Duke has won 47 straight December home games, dating back to a 62-61 loss to Michigan on Dec. 8, 1996.

l The Blue Devils are 159-26 in the month of December under Coach K. Duke is 51-4 in December since the 1999-2000 season.

l Duke is 3-0 all-time against teams currently in the Big West conference, including a 2-0 mark under Mike Krzyzewski.

l Junior Nolan Smith has scored 10 or more points in all eight games he has played. He is averaging 17.3 points per game, a 8.9 ppg. increase from a year ago for the third-highest scoring jump in the ACC.

l Senior Jon Scheyer leads the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.9:1) and ranks 18th in assists per game (5.9). He has led Duke in assists in all 10 games with five turnover-free games on the year.

l Senior Brian Zoubek leads the Blue Devils in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game. He is the only non-starter in the ACC to rank in the top 20 in rebounding. Zoubek is tied for for 12th in the league in rebounding, while also ranking third in offensive rebounds at 3.7 orpg.

l Duke is the only team in the ACC with more than one player ranked in the top 10 in scoring. Jon Scheyer is second at 18.2 ppg., while Nolan Smith (17.3 ppg.) and Kyle Singler (15.7 ppg.) rank fourth and tied for eighth, respectively.

l Jon Scheyer is averaging 23.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game in Duke’s last three contests. He is shooting 51.3 percent from the field, including 52.1 percent from three-point range, and 95.2 percent from the foul line in that span.

l Duke’s guard trio of Andre Dawkins, Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer is shooting a combined 44.9 percent (61-of-136) from three-point range.

l The Blue Devils rank in the top 10 of the NCAA in scoring offense (10th), scoring margin (4th), free throw percentage (9th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (10th).

l The Blue Devils are averaging 94.7 points per game and shooting 52.4 percent from the field in six home contests. Duke is also averaging 19.7 assists per game at home.

Duke Basketball

Previewing the 49ers

DukeDuke (9-1) hosts Long Beach State (6-6) on Tuesday. While the 49ers record isn't immediately impressive, they have played a tough schedule with four of their six losses coming against Top 20 competition. Long Beach State has lost at #3 Kentucky, at #2 Texas, and to #19 Clemson and #8 West Virginia in the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center. They've also lost at Notre Dame and at Loyola Marymount.

Long Beach State shouldn't be taken lightly as they are not a stereotypical 6-6 team, but rather a team who has lost six games with five of the losses against really good teams. The combined record of the teams responsible for those five losses is 66-4 with three of the five teams being undefeated.

Long Beach State is coached by Dan Monson who has a career win-loss record of 194-163. Monson is in his third season at LBSU and was previously the head coach at Minnesota (99-06) and Gonzaga (97-99).

The 49ers have had four different players named the Big West Conference Player of the Week this season: Casper Ware, Larry Anderson, T.J. Robinson, and Stephan Gilling.

T.J. Robinson (6'7" 210) is averaging a double-double with 16.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Robinson, who has the ability to knockdown the 15 foot jumper, is the 49ers most versatile player. He was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team last season.

Stephan Gilling (6'2" 207) averages 13 points per game and is making 45.8 percent of his 3-point attempts. His ability to stretch defenses is a valuable asset for the 49ers. Additionally, Gilling is Long Beach State’s premier perimeter defender.

Larry Anderson (6'6" 215) averages 13 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Last season, Anderson was the Big West Conference Freshman-of-the-Year.

Casper Ware (5'9" 170) averages 11.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. Ware is a speedy point guard who has the ability to penetrate and create.

Eugene Phelps (6'6" 200) averages 9.1 points and 7 rebounds per game.

The big question mark for the 49ers is their inside game as they do not start any player taller than 6’7”. In fact, the 49ers have seven players averaging double-digit minutes and none of them are taller than 6’7”. Greg Plater (6’1” 165) and Arturas Lazdauskas (6’7” 215) are players six and seven in Long Beach State’s rotation. Senior Andrew Fleming (7’0” 255) is averaging only 4.3 minutes per game and freshman Mike Vantrimpont (7’0” 225) has only appeared sparingly in four games.

The keys to the game will be:

1. Shaking off the rust. Duke hasn’t played for 10 days since their dominating victory over Gonzaga. Long Beach State has played two games during the same time period. The Blue Devils need to avoid a slow start.

2. Controlling the glass. Duke has a +7.6 rebounding advantage over their opponents this season, while Long Beach State has a -1.6 disadvantage. With Duke’s significant height advantage, the Blue Devils should be able to limit the 49ers second chance opportunities, while simultaneously converting offensive rebounds into points.

3. Taking care of the basketball. Long Beach State has more turnovers (182) than assists (177) on the season. The 49ers cannot afford to waste possessions against the Blue Devils.

This game will be a bigger challenge than casual fans realize. While the 49ers will arrive in Durham with a .500 winning percentage, they also arrive with four returning starters from last season and a coach with a proven track record. In the end, Duke should win this game by a double digit margin, but do not be surprised when the outcome is still in doubt with 10 minutes remaining on the game clock.

Duke Basketball

Duke vs Gonzaga at MSG – Official Game Notes

Duke Photo
Duke Photo

[7 AP/7 Coaches] Duke (8-1) vs. [15 AP/15 Coaches] Gonzaga (8-2)

Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009  •  4:00 p.m.  •  CBS

Madison Square Garden (19,763)  •  New York, N.Y.

The Opening Tip

Duke (8-1), ranked seventh in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Gonzaga (8-2) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 4:00 p.m. Gonzaga enters the contests ranked 15th in both polls. Saturday’s game will air on CBS with Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellogg calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Senior Jon Scheyer posted a career-high 36 points on 11-of-13 shooting to lead Duke to a 113-68 win over Gardner-Webb on Tuesday. Scheyer also knocked down a career-best seven three-pointers and added eight rebounds and nine assists.

Andre Dawkins added 16 points, while Brian Zoubek and Miles Plumlee each scored 13 points in the contest. Juniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith netted 11 points apiece to give the Blue Devils six double-figure scorers.

The Blue Devils shot 65.2 percent (43-of-66) from the floor, including 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from three-point range, in the game. Duke shot nearly 70 percent from the field after halftime, unloading for 64 second half points to match the 10th-best scoring half in school history.

Blue Devils At Madison Square Garden

Duke is 25-14 all-time, including a 20-6 mark under Mike Krzyzewski, at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils have won five straight and 12 of their last 13 games at MSG. Duke posted wins over Arizona State and Connecticut at MSG in November en route to the 2009 NIT Season Tip-Off championship.

Numbers Game

l The Blue Devils are 158-26 in the month of December under Coach K. Duke is 50-4 in December since the 1999-2000 season.

l Duke is 8-1 all-time against teams currently in the West Coast Conference, including a 6-0 mark under Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have won six straight against the WCC.

l The Blue Devils are 2-0 at Madison Square Garden this season with wins over Arizona State and Connecticut in the NIT Season Tip-Off. Duke has won its last five games at MSG.

l Senior Jon Scheyer leads the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (6.4:1), while playing over 35 minutes per game. He has led Duke in assists in all nine games with five turnover-free games on the year.

l Senior Brian Zoubek leads the Blue Devils in rebounding at 7.8 boards per game. He is the only non-starter in the ACC to rank in the top 20 in rebounding. Zoubek is tied for for 12th in the league in rebounding, while also ranking third in offensive rebounds at 4.0 orpg.

l Jon Scheyer is averaging 25.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game in Duke’s last two contests. He is shooting 55.6 percent from the field, including 52.9 percent from three-point range, in that span.

l Freshman Andre Dawkins and senior Jon Scheyer are tied for second in the ACC  with 2.6 three-point field goals per game. Both players also rank in the top 10 in three-point percentage, shooting a combined 46.5 percent (46-of-99) from deep.

l Duke’s post tandem of Miles Plumlee and Brian Zoubek is combining to average 15.2 points and 14.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 61.3 percent (57-of-93) from the field.

l Junior Nolan Smith has scored 10 or more points in a career-best seven straight games. He is averaging 16.3 points per game, a 7.9 ppg. increase from a year ago for the third-highest scoring jump in the ACC.

l Duke is the only team in the ACC with more than one player ranked in the top 10 in scoring. Jon Scheyer is tied for second at 18.0 ppg., while Kyle Singler (16.4 ppg.) and Nolan Smith (16.3 ppg.) rank seventh and eighth respectively.

l The Blue Devils are 2-0 this season against teams ranked in the top 10 of the RPI.

Duke Basketball

Gardner Webb at Duke – Official Game Notes

Miles and Zoubs face one another in practice - BDN Photo
Miles and Zoubs face one another in practice - BDN Photo

Game 9

[8 AP/8 Coaches] Duke (7-1) vs. Gardner-Webb (3-4)

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009  •  7:00 p.m.  •  espn2

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

The Opening Tip

Duke (7-1), ranked eighth in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces unranked Gardner-Webb (3-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday’s contest will be aired by espn2 with Mike Patrick and Len Elmore calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Duke posted an 80-71 win over St. John’s on Saturday, Dec. 5 in their last outing. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 40-24 lead at the half and finished the game with five double-figure scorers.

Junior Kyle Singler led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four steals.

The starting guard tandem of Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith combined for 31 points, nine assists and zero turnovers in 70 minutes of action. Smith had 16 points for his sixth straight game with 10 or more points, while Scheyer had 15 points and a team-high six assists. Scheyer has now played turnover free basketball in five games this season.

Seniors Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek provided punch off the bench with 11 points each. Thomas also matched a game-high with eight rebounds, while Zoubek added seven boards. The duo finished the game 9-of-12 (.750) from the field and 4-of-5 (.800) from the foul line.

The Blue Devils outrebounded the Red Storm, 41-31, including a 17-8 edge on the offensive glass. Duke converted its 17 offensive rebounds into 17 second chance points. Thomas led the way with four offensive rebounds, while Zoubek and Scheyer each grabbed three.

Numbers Game

l Duke has won 33 straight home games against unranked opponents, dating back to a 68-67 loss to Florida State on Feb. 4, 2007.

l The Blue Devils have won a current NCAA-best 73 consecutive non-conference home games.

l Duke has won 46 straight December home games, dating back to a 62-61 loss to Michigan on Dec. 8, 1996.

l The Blue Devils are 157-26 in the month of December under Coach K. Duke is 49-4 since the 1999-2000 season in December contests.

l The Blue Devils have won 12 straight games against teams currently in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Duke is 15-4 all-time against the Atlantic Sun.

l Duke is ranked No. 1 in the latest RPI (ratings percentage index), according to CollegeRPI.com and Sagarin. The Blue Devils’ strength of schedule is also ranked first overall by CollegeRPI.com.

l Duke leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in free throw percentage at .798 (134-of-168). Five Blue Devil regulars (Andre Dawkins, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler & Lance Thomas) are shooting 80.0 percent or better from the charity stripe.

l Senior Jon Scheyer has led Duke in assists in all eight games this season. He ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (8.4:1) and has played five turnover-free games on the year.

l Junior Nolan Smith has scored 10 or more points in six straight games to match a career-best string of double figure scoring games. He is averaging a team-high 17.2 points per game, an +8.8 ppg. scoring jump from a year ago.

l Duke is the only team in the ACC with more than two players ranked in the top 10 in scoring. Nolan Smith (third, 17.2), Kyle Singler (fourth, 17.1) and Jon Scheyer (eighth, 15.8) combine to score 50.1 of Duke's 82.0 points per game (61.1 percent).

l Jon Scheyer has reached double figures in scoring in 20 straight games. He has scored 10 or more points in 84 of 112 career games.

l Junior Kyle Singler has made at least one three-point ifeld goal in 23 consecutive games. He currenlty ranks 14th at Duke with 134 three-point field goals in 79 career games.

l Andre Dawkins is second in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (.513) and tied for second in threes per game (2.5).

Duke Basketball

The Runnin’ Bulldogs are Headed to Town

DukeGardner-Webb (3-4) has dropped four straight games leading up to their arrival at Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke (7-1). The Runnin’ Bulldogs have been plagued by turnovers as they average 22 per game. An inability to take care of the basketball does not bode well for a team playing against the Blue Devils. Duke has forced their opponents to turnover the ball an average of 13.8 times per game this season, which equates to a +2.88 turnover margin for the Blue Devils.

Duke and Gardner-Webb have one common opponent this season the University of Charlotte. On November 17, Duke defeated Charlotte 101 – 59, while on December 12, Charlotte defeated Gardner-Webb 95 - 66.

Gardner-Webb’s leading scorer is Grayson Flittner (6’0” 200) at 12.3 points per game. Flittner is a dangerous 3-point shooter. While he is averaging only 37.3 percent from behind the arc, the senior tied a Dean E. Smith Center record with nine made 3-pointers earlier this season, while scoring 32 points, during a 93 – 72 loss to the Tar Heels. Duke does not desire for Flittner to tie any Cameron Indoor Stadium records in this game.

Auryn MacMillan (6’8” 235), another senior, is the Runnin’ Bulldogs center and averages 9.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. MacMillan had a season high 14 rebounds against UNC-Asheville on December 4th.

At forward, sophomore Joshua Henley (6’3” 215) averages double-digit rebounds with 10.3 per game. It would be easy to dismiss Henley as too short to make a difference on the glass against the tall Blue Devils; however, he pulled down 10 rebounds in the game against Carolina’s big and talented frontcourt.

A pair of six foot guards complete Gardner-Webb’s starting lineup. Senior C.J. Hailey averages 9.3 points per game but he also turns the ball over an average of 2.7 times per contest. Freshman Brian McNair averages 5.8 points and 3 turnovers per game.

Gardner-Webb plays a deep rotation with eleven players averaging double digit minutes. Stefon Johnson (6’6” 215) and Jonathan Moore (6’4” 190) average 17 and 13.5 minutes per game respectively, off the bench. Moore is the team’s fourth leading scorer at 7.8 points per game. Senior Anton Silver (6’3 175) averages 5.8 points per game in just 10 minutes of playing time.

The keys to the game will be:

1. Duke must turn up the defensive heat on Gardner-Webb. As previously stated, the Runnin’ Bulldogs are turnover prone and Duke must facilitate Gardner-Webb’s generosity by pressing the ball and converting turnovers into points. While this edition of the Blue Devils does not pressure the ball to the degree past Blue Devil squads have, Gardner-Webb is a team Duke should pressure hard and often.

2. In the half court, the Blue Devils should look to pound the ball into the post. Duke has a significant size and strength advantage and they need to exploit that advantage. This is a contest in which Duke’s big guys should dominate the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

3. Finally, Duke must avoid overconfidence. Gardner-Webb has neither the size nor talent to beat the Blue Devils. However, this game is the type of game that sets up the opponent to shock the World, such as when Gardner-Webb defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in former coach Billy Gillispie’s second game in Lexington.

Gardner-Webb will bring a deep and experienced team into Cameron Indoor Stadium and I’m confident they will play with grit and determination. However, in the end, the Blue Devils are a much superior team and will send the Runnin’ Bulldogs back to Boiling Springs with a fifth straight loss.