Tag Archives: Duke Basketball

Nolan Smith Q & A – Smith talks role change, ‘Nova and more

March 24, 2009 Mark Watson

Nolan goofs on Jon Scheyer while he is being interviewed

Nolan Smith has been a key component in the Blue Devils' attack since coming back from a concussion suffered against Maryland. Coach Krzyzewski most recently sang the praises of the sophomore guard, saying that he feels like he has found his role on this season's team.

Smith has been in the news a lot of late, including a recent feature on ESPN's Outside the Lines. There is no doubt that Duke will need Smith to be at his best in order to defeat Villanova on Thursday evening. Here are some of Nolan Smith's thoughts from a question and answer session before the Dukies headed to Boston.

Did you have a tough practice today?

Today's practice was quick but very intense and we started going over Villanova and have a good game plan going into the game.

Has the team been able to stay fresh?

We are very refreshed. The days in between those games we've managed to relax and stay off our feet. We play those forty minutes and are right back to resting. We definitely take care of our bodies at this point in the season.

How does the team feel to be going to Boston for the Sweet 16?

This team is very excited to be where we are at. When we step on that court we're going to let it all out and play as hard as we can. That's what we have done during these first two NCAA games.

Was there ever a time when you thought the team might not make it to where they have today? Like after the Clemson game?

Not at all. Even after that we realized we weren't at our best. We knew that we're still developing and growing. Right now, I feel like we are playing very good basketball. We are getting something from different players every game.

Talk about your relationship with some of the Villanova players -

I played high school basketball with Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham my freshman year at St. John's. And then Corey Fisher and Stokes were in my class and I have played against them numerous times on the AAU circuit. So, I have a good feel for all their players and have a good relationship with them off the court as well.

Many have said that Villanova and Duke are similar teams ...

They are very similar to us. Their Dante Cunningham is our Lance Thomas. They are not a real big force inside, but both teams shoot a lot of mid-range stuff. They play with three guards a lot just like we do.

Have you talked with Coach K a lot of late?

We've talked a little bit. He let's me know you have to be ready for anything. Role changes may happen and you have to be ready and do what is better for the team. Since my role change, we've been on a tear and playing great basketball. And my play has picked up, so ... He's told me to stay ready and be ready for anything.

Are you comfortable with your new role?

I feel very comfortable. Before I check into every game, Coach K looks at me and tells me to attack. So, I try to attack and make plays. If Jon is not out there, I still have the ability to run the one and set my teammates up. It's not for a long period of time like at the beginning of the year.

On Zoubek and McClure being in at crunch time versus Texas after Singler and Thomas fouled out -

Coach K lets us know that in order to win a National Championship, we are going to need a whole team. So they have to stay rested and ready. Zoubs and Dave and those guys have stayed ready.

Has the emergence of Elliot Williams helped you with your game?

Oh yeah, definitely, I tell him all the time that I'm glad he showed Coach he can really press the ball. I got tired of doing it the first 22 games by myself. (smiling while media laughing) It takes a toll on you. Now that we have two guys that can pressure the ball, Elliot and I can take turns out there.

Sweet 16 – Villanova vs Duke Game Notes

March 23, 2009 Duke Sports Information

Blue Devil Bits

Duke has won five straight games and 10 of its last 11 contests. The Blue Devils are 30-6 on the season, the program’s 10th campaign with 30 or more wins. All 10 of the 30-win seasons have been under Mike Krzyzewski.

The Blue Devils posted wins over Binghamton (86-62) and Texas (74-69) in the Greensboro pod to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the 24th time in school history.

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 the No. 2 seed in the East Regional. Duke has claimed the No. 2 seed eight times in school history and boasts a 23-6 (.793) record from that position. The Blue Devils claimed the 1991 National Championship as a No. 2 seed.

Junior Gerald Henderson averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in Duke’s wins over Binghamton and Texas. Henderson scored a game-high 24 points in the win over Texas for his 11th 20-point game of the season.

Duke was 16-of-34 (.471) from three-point range in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Jon Scheyer was 6-of-12 (.500) from behind the three-point arc, while Kyle Singler was 5-of-8 (.625) from three-point distance in the two wins.

Sophomore Nolan Smith averaged 12.0 ppg. in wins over Binghamton and Texas. He was 7-of-12 (.583) from the field and 8-of-9 (.889) from the foul line in the contests.

Numbers Game

Duke has 88 NCAA Tournament wins to rank fourth all-time. The Blue Devils are fifth all-time with 117 tournament games played.

Mike Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history with 71 tournament wins. Coach K will pass Dean Smith for the most tournament games coached on Thursday. The meeting with Villanova will be Krzyzewski’s 93rd NCAA Tournament game on the Duke bench.

The Blue Devils are 55-14 (.797) all-time, with a string of eight straight wins, when playing out of the East Regional.

Duke has failed to advance past the Sweet Sixteen just once under Mike Krzyzewski in nine NCAA Tournament East Regional appearances. The Blue Devils have reached seven Final Fours under Coach K from the East Regional.

The Blue Devils are 104-43 all-time against teams currently in the Big East conference. Duke is 2-0 versus the Big East this season.

Duke is 9-6 in NCAA Tournament play against Big East conference teams, including a 2-1 mark versus Villanova.

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.

Since becoming Duke’s starting point guard on Feb. 19, Jon Scheyer has scored in double figures in 11 straight games. He is averaging 19.1 points per game and 3.3 three-point field goals made per game in that span. He also has 27 assists, 19 steals and just 13 turnovers during that stretch.

Junior Gerald Henderson has reached double figures in scoring in 27 of the last 28 games for the Blue Devils. The Merion, Pa., native has 10 games with 20 or more points during that span.

Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer are a combined 64-of-136 (.471) from three-point range over the last 11 games. Duke is averaging 8.5 threes per game in that stretch.

Sophomore Nolan Smith has reached double figures in scoring in three of Duke’s five games since returning from a concussion suffered on Feb. 25. Smith came off the bench to average 12.0 points per game in wins over Binghamton and Texas.

Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler combine to average 48.2 points per game for the Blue Devils. The trio accounts for 61.7 percent of Duke’s scoring output.

Duke is averaging 9.3 turnovers per game over the last 10 contests. The Blue Devils have recorded less than 10 turnovers in six of the last 10 contests and lead the ACC in turnover margin at +4.2 topg.

Duke In The NCAA Tournament -
Duke, making its 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance, has been one of the best NCAA Tournament teams in the history of college basketball. The Blue Devils’ .752 winning percentage (88-29) in NCAA Tournament play is the best all-time. Duke ranks fourth in NCAA Tournament history with 88 wins and fifth in games played with 117. The Blue Devils remain one of three programs to make five or more consecutive Final Four appearances (the Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four every year from 1988-92).

Duke As A No. 2 Seed -
Duke earned a No. 2 seed in the East Regional, marking the eighth time it has claimed a second seed in the NCAA Tournament. Duke was also seeded second in 1979, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997 and 2008. The Blue Devils have advanced to four Final Fours as a No. 2 seed, winning the National Championship in 1991.

Blue Devils Vs. The Tourney Field -
Duke has played 19 games against teams in the 2009 NCAA Tournament field. Duke has an 13-6 (.684) record vs. teams that have reached the NCAA Tournament in 2009.

Duke In The NCAA Tournament Since 2000 -
Duke has played in the second-most NCAA Tournament games (31) since 2000. The Blue Devils’ 23 wins are the second-most in that span as well.

Krzyzewski Looks To Build On NCAA Victories Record -
Mike Krzyzewski has 71 NCAA Tournament victories to his credit. On the strength of a 63-55 win over Mississippi State on March 20, 2005, Coach K passed North Carolina’s Dean Smith for the most NCAA Tournament wins by a coach in college basketball history. Here is a look at the all-time NCAA Tournament victory leaders among coaches:

Coach K In The NCAA Tournament -
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has enjoyed tremendous success in the NCAA Tournament throughout his career. His .772 winning percentage (71-21) is the highest among all active coaches with a minimum of 40 NCAA Tournament games. His 71 NCAA Tournament victories rank first all-time, while his 92 tournament games is tied for first. Coach K is one of only four coaches in history to win three or more NCAA Tournament titles. Here is a look at Krzyzewski’s standing among all coaches in the NCAA Tournament:

Duke Basketball

Brian Zoubek Interview – Zoubs talks of this team being more prepared for the NCAA’s

March 18, 2009 Mark Watson

Zoubek addresses the media - BDN Photo

How did you like going up against Soloman Alabi of Florida State?

Yeah. I really enjoy playing against guys my size.

What did you learn from the Belmont game last season?

Actually, Belmont was a good team and they played really well, but for us, it was definitely a lesson not to look forward to the next game. Everybody is hungry and a champion out there for the most part. I know Binghamton is, so they know how to win. It'll be a good game.

Has the team learned anything from going out within the first two games the last two times out?

If we haven't learned from the last two years, then it's pretty stupid of us. It's different this year obviously. Look what we have accomplished so far and we're not done and are ready to move on. We're definitely more confident this year. It's a lot harder when you come off two losses to North Carolina and Clemson. This year it is a completely different story. I think we are just happy to be playing. There is not much of a difference in what we do each day. But, I think we are in a better place mentally and physically. We're not as worn down as we were and are ready to go.

What kind of role do you see yourself playing in the tournament?

I think I can play a key role. It's a little bit harder for me to play against some of the smaller teams, like Maryland where there center goes out and shoots threes a bunch. I mean going in against Florida State - it was a huge role for me. And if we advance, there are Texas and Pitt ... there is a lot of good teams out there with big guys.

Can you talk about Lance Thomas and his contributions?

His play has been huge. He is literally our best defensive stopper from position one to five. That's a huge key for us. It allows for us to be really strong when we switch off and not have any downside.

In Atlanta, there were lots of Carolina fans cheering against you and Greensboro could be much the same, does that bother you?

I think it's tough. There are so many Carolina fans around here. But I think that we feed off of that and we like it. We play like environments like that a lot and we hear it, whether it is during the day or outside of basketball. We are just looking forward to taking care of business and that's how we are going to make our statement. It's nice not to have to wait on a plane to get ready because it takes a toll on you. Just to be able to go on the bus spend some time with the team and get ready to play. So, being close is huge.

Concerning Coach K's adjustments and playing close games -

I think it's been really important in that a couple of the games we had against BC and Maryland. We might have lost them last year and having that experience and not panicking when they hit a few shots or come back and make it close. We were down against BC but came back and we were ready to move on and move past them. So, that shows some maturity.

Is the team looser going into the NCAA's?

The team is not as uptight. Like, I said against BC it's easy to panic and worry about your shots or every little thing that goes on and it can effect your game. What we do is try to concentrate on what we know we can do well and that's play defense and rebound and if we do that the offense is going to come around.

Duke Basketball

Kyle Singler helps lead Duke past Boston College 66-65

March 14, 2009 Mark Watson

Kyle Singler 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks and 2 steals

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.

Official Game Notes Link

Quotes / Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski -

“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 Basketball

ACC Tournament Preview – Duke vs Boston College (Quarterfinal)

March 13, 2009 Mark Watson

Duke will take to the court for the first time in the 2009 ACC Tournament where they will face Boston College in the nightcap. The Blue Devils will try to avenge a loss in Chestnut Hill when they take on Boston College. The Eagles had little problem defeating Virginia 76-63 to make it into the quarter final match up.

The Eagles shot lights out from the free throw line going 31 of 36 for 86% in their first round win. They also saved their legs playing nine players, but part of that was due to foul trouble. Tyrese Rice exploded on the Blue Devils in the second half in the teams last outing and with him going just 1 of 7 from the field against Virginia, you can bet he will wake up against the Devils. It's worth noting that Rice did go 7 of 8 from the free throw stripe.

One of the players who led the Boston College comeback win in the first meeting was Rakim Sanders. The athletic swing player must be contained. He killed the Wahoo's on several occasions and his ability to get to the rim and get his shot off can cause problems.

Jon Scheyer looks to lead the Blue Devils into the semi finals of the ACC Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia

Duke will likely counter Sanders with Gerald Henderson. "G" was as good as any player in the conference down the stretch, but he struggled in his last game out against North Carolina. Duke will need Henderson to return to form on the offensive end.

Joe Trapani had one of his best games of the season versus Duke in Chestnut Hill. He's versatile and has to be watched inside and out. Kyle Singler will be counted on to slow him down, but we all know that the Duke defense switches at will and while he will start out on Trapani, help defense is the key.

Much has been made of Singler tiring down the stretch, but his last outing showed no signs of fatigue. Singler, along with Scheyer and Henderson are Dukes most consistent players and Duke fares well when all of them play well on the same night.

The return of Nolan Smith will certainly help with depth, but he will likely be a bit rusty. Duke got little production from the bench in the UNC game, so all eyes will be on Paulus, Zoubek and company.

Zoubek could play a big role, especially when Josh Southern is in the game for BC. Duke will also have to keep an eye on Corey Radji, a streaky player which bolsters their front line.

The Eagles are assured of an NCAA berth win or lose and come into the game 10-7 versus ACC competition and 22-10 overall. They have a win over #1 rated UNC in Chapel Hill to their credit which shows what they are capable of doing.

Al Skinner has a team that never gives up. In other words, they'll keep playing hard no matter how many points they are down. In short, Duke will have to match their toughness with just that and intensity.

Two bright spots for Duke coming in is the play of Jon Scheyer and freshman Elliot Williams. Williams didn't get off the bench in the first game and he will add a new dimensions to the game.

Scheyer has handled the point guard duties masterfully. Since he took over the point and Williams was inserted, the Blue Devils have had much fewer turnovers. It will be important to protect the ball and keep the Eagles off the line. It would also help to get to the line.

Coach K and his staff has had time to prepare and while many are making this game out to be a revenge game, the Dukies will likely treat it differently than the fans might. Look for the Blue Devils to try and get many players involved early on and implement their will of how they want the game played.

Duke doesn't have a luxury of having a game under their belt, but then again the Eagles didn't get an extra day of rest. Duke may struggle early in the cavernous dome setting for they have spent little time on the court. Duke had a slightly longer lay off than they are accustomed to as well.

I think Boston College will give Duke their best shot, but that the Devils will find a way to advance and should get better production from their bench in this game. The pick here is Duke 79 Boston College 71

Duke Basketball

Nolan Smith upgraded to probable

March 12, 2009 Mark Watson

Here is the official word from Duke Sports Information -
"Sophomore guard Nolan Smith is probable for Duke's opening round game of the ACC Tournament on Friday. Smith has missed the Blue Devils last three games after suffering a mild concussion on Feb. 25 at Maryland. He is averaging 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 28 contests this season."

We fully expect him to play in that he has been practicing close to full speed.