North Carolina 61 Miami 59
The Tar Heels won on a buzzer beater where Kendall Marshall found Tyler Zeller wide open for an easy lay in. Oddly, that was the only time UNC led in the entire contest. The Tar Heel guards didn't score in the first half from the field, but they warmed up int he second, especially from the three point stripe. Both Leslie McDonald and Marshall hit big threes and when is the last time UNC hit 10 three pointers in a half? The Hurricanes defense stymied the Heels early in that they played a tight zone. That zone loosened up dramatically when Reggie Johnson got his fourth foul. Anytime a team wins a game like this one, it generally gives them confidence in the next contest and more importantly momentum. I feel UNC will have little problem in advancing to the title game, especially since they dominated the afternoon session crowd, making the Coliseum Dean Dome West. After shooting 30.4% in the first half and 55.6% in the second from the field. Miami got a total of two points from their bench.
Tag Archives: Duke
ACC Tournament Preview
Since the tournament expanded to include 11 teams in 2005 and then 12 teams in 2006, the #1 seed has won four times and the #3 seed has won twice. All six years the tournament has been won by either Duke or North Carolina with Duke winning four times and Carolina twice. Duke won in 2009 and 2010 so they will be seeking a three-peat in 2011.
Duke will be looking to be the first #2 seed to win the tournament since expansion. Duke and Carolina could be destined to meet for a third time in the Championship Game after having split the regular season with each team winning at home. The ACC Championship Game would be the rubber match for the season series. Duke and Carolina have not faced each other in the ACC Tournament since 2003. However, there is a lot of basketball to be played before that match-up can be realized.
Carolina (1), Duke (2), Florida State (3) and Clemson (4) have earned the first round byes and will see action on Friday in the quarterfinals. History and the odds favor one of these four teams winning the championship. One of these teams can win the championship by stringing together three good games, while seeds five through 12 must win four games.
Carolina (24-6, 14-2) has all the pieces and must be considered the favorite to win their 18th ACC Championship this week. The Tar Heels enter the tournament riding a seven game winning streak and have won 12 of 13 games since suffering an embarrassing 20 point defeat at Georgia Tech on January 16. Even though Carolina has looked vulnerable at times such as during an ugly 48-46 win over Boston College, they continue to win ball games. And in the end, winning is what matters most.
Freshman Kendall Marshall has developed into the solid point guard every team needs to distribute the basketball and earned 3rd Team All ACC honors. He leads the ACC in assists averaging 5.6 per game and is second in assists to turnover ratio at 2.5. Add in 5.9 points per game and Marshall’s statistics show that he has all the tools required to be a successful point guard in the ACC.
The second piece is inside strength and Carolina has it with Tyler Zeller and John Henson. Both Carolina big men can finish on offense and rebound the ball. Zeller averages 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, which is number 8 and number 9 in the ACC respectively. Moreover, he leads the conference in field goal percentage at .541. Henson is third in the conference in rebounding at 9.7 per game, while contributing 11.3 points per game. Additionally, Henson is an intimidating shot blocker.
The third piece is perimeter shooting. Carolina has struggled with this aspect of the game for significant parts of the season and is viewed as a team better suited to get out in transition and finish at the rim. While they remain a strong transition team, their outside shooting has been improving. Against Duke, in the regular season finale, they went 4 for 9 on 3-point attempts. They went 6 for 12 in their previous game against Florida State. By comparison, the Tar Heels were 2 for 14 in their loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium and 2 for 12 when they lost at Georgia Tech. Outside shooting remains a concern for the Tar Heels but it is an area showing improvement.
Carolina will play the winner of the Virginia (8) vs. Miami (9) game on Friday at 12 pm.
During the early part of the season, Duke (27-4, 13-3) looked like a team destined to dominate the ACC this season. However, that all changed on December 4 at the Izod Center in NJ when freshman phenom Kyrie Irving was injured late in a game against Butler. Without the elite point guard, Duke has become a jump shooting team who looks stagnant on offense and struggles to score when the 3-point field goal is not dropping.
The Blue Devils are led by seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. Smith is the ACC Player-of-the-Year and Singler is 1st Team All ACC. Smith averaged 23.4 points and 4.94 assists per game in 16 ACC contests this season, while Singler averaged 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. However, Singler shot an uncharacteristic 29.2% (26/89) on 3-point field goals in ACC action. Duke needs both players playing their best if the Blue Devils are going to challenge to win their 19th ACC Championship this week.
Smith and Singler cannot carry the scoring load by themselves so it is vital for a third or fourth player to step up and provide consistent scoring for the Blue Devils. Seth Curry is the most likely candidate as he averaged 10.9 points per game in conference action. Ryan Kelly (6.8 ppg), Mason Plumlee (6.4 ppg) and Andre Dawkins (5.2 ppg) are other candidates. Dawkins is a fantastic shooter who has made 53 3-point field goals this season including eight in a game back on December 8 against Bradley. If Dawkins can reemerge as an offensive option in March, his presence will provide Duke’s offense with enormous firepower.
It will be important for Duke to control the boards to improve their opportunity to win games. Mason Plumlee is #5 in the conference with 8.7 rebounds per game. Looking at ACC games only, Mason Plumlee pulled down rebounds at a rate of 9.7 per game. Kyle Singler is Duke’s second best with 7.8 rebounds per game in conference action, while Miles Plumlee contributes 4.9 per game. The Blue Devils need to limit their opponents second chance opportunities while simultaneously capitalizing on offensive rebounds. Strong games on the glass from Mason and Miles Plumlee could be vital to the Blue Devils achieving success in March and April.
Duke will play the winner of the Maryland (7) vs. NC State (10) game on Friday at 7 pm.
Florida State (21-9, 11-5) is another team which was bitten by the injury bug this season. The Seminoles lost leading scorer Chris Singleton in February to a broken foot. He may return to action this weekend. Early in the season, Xavier Gibson broke his hand and missed nine games. The Seminoles have size and athleticism, play physical defense and, if Singleton does return to action, have the talent to win this tournament.
Florida State is number one in the nation in field goal percentage defense and in the top 25 in blocked shots and rebounding margin. Bernard James has developed into an excellent inside presence over the course of the season averaging 2.3 blocks along with 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He plays a little over 20 minutes per contest. Seven footer Jon Kreft provides inside depth by playing 10 minutes per game.
On the perimeter, Derwin Kitchen, Michael Snaer, Deividas Dulkys and Luke Loucks combine to contribute 29.5 points per game. Kitchen is the primary ball handler and averages 3.6 assists per game.
Florida State will play the winner of the Virginia Tech (6) vs. Georgia Tech (11) game on Friday at 9 pm.
First year Coach Brad Brownell has Clemson (20-10, 9-7) playing consistent basketball in March. The Tigers won three of their last four games to earn a first round bye and stay in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid. Their loss came against the Blue Devils in Durham. The Tigers play a deliberate conservative brand of basketball under Brownell, in direct contrast to the pressing high risk high reward style which was prevalent in years past.
Seniors Jerai Grant and Demontez Stitt are the leaders of this team. Grant was named to the ACC All Defensive Team, while Stitt was named 3rd Team All ACC. Talented sophomores Devin Booker and Milton Jennings along with juniors Andre Young, Tanner Smith, Bryan Narcisse and freshman Cory Stanton all average double digit minutes per game.
While Coach Brownell is in his first season at Clemson, he has post season coaching experience. He has led UNC-Wilmington and Wright State to NCAA Tournament berths.
Clemson will play the winner of the Boston College (5) vs. Wake Forest (12) game on Friday at 2 pm.
While this tournament preview will not make predictions on which teams will advance to play in Saturday’s semi-final games and Sunday’s championship, it will point out in 2010 three of the four top seeds lost on Friday, and since the league expanded in 2005, 2008 is the only year all four top seeds have advanced to the semi-finals. So when you kick back with your beverage of choice and a bowl of popcorn to enjoy the games, be ready for multiple upsets as it is the ACC Tournament and upsets are the norm.
BDN Interview – Chris Collins talks Team USA, Coach K, Durant and more
DURHAM - BDN sat down with Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins upon his return from Istanbul where the United States reclaimed the top spot in the FIBA world rankings. Collins talks a bit about his experiences, Kevin Durrant, Coach K and how the team came together as time progressed.
Well, you guys did it again! A Gold Medal, National Championship and a another Gold Medal all in consecutive fashion is pretty impressive. The team came together to beat Turkey and several other good teams along the way. It had to be a great experience.
To go over there and win in an international competition, one we haven't in a number years was a great accomplishment. This was a different challenge than the Olympics where as a lot of guys decided not to play. And we had some injuries early on as well. We lost a number of the big men we expected to have and picked a group of guys who we thought would gel together. They were hungry and anxious to represent our country and what was cool is how you saw us continue to get batter as the tournament went on. Guys got more familiar with each other, they got better, roles were developed and to win those last couple of games and have the Gold Medal game against Turkey in Istanbul was awesome. I was just amazed at the job Coach K did, he was at his best again.
I noticed he was up off the bench coaching a lot.
Well, he had to. We had a young group so he needed to have that fire and passion and that's what is great about him in that he knows what this team needs. He needed to be animated and emotional and he did a good job getting these guys to come together for the gold.
Does it insult you a bit when some refer to this as the "B" team?
Yeah, I mean, I understand where it's coming from because we would have loved to have had some of the guys from the Olympics. But when you talk about a "B" team they were still pretty good and we used that to our advantage. Those guys, they had a chip on their shoulder. They knew they were good players and they went out and showed it. Any naysayers or people predicting other teams to win, well, we talked about it and used it to our advantage.
Can you talk a bit about the play of Kevin Durant?
He's a special player, but he's as good a person. There is no baggage with him there is no hoopla, he's just a young guy who wants to get better and win. Late at night even after games he would go to the gym and just work on his shot. To see what he can do at such a young age is knowing he can go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
From afar, Coach K seemed to really bond with him [Durant], as if he told him you cannot be stopped.
Yeah. As we put the team together everybody knew from day one he had to be the man. Especially offensively but early on he wanted to share the ball and get it to others. But a combination of Coach K and the older guys on the team like Lamar Odom and Chancey Billups told him you need to be the guy and that we are going to go to you and go through you. That allowed him the confidence to just be himself and stay lose and what he did was amazing.
How about the play of Andre Igoudala? That had to please your Dad.
Yeah. It was fun to watch him play and he will of course play for my Dad in Philadelphia. He's a guy on the Sixers who will take a lot of shots and score. But on this team he was the defensive stopper and he relished the role and sacrificed for the team. He was a glue guy with rebounds and steals. He made a lot of little plays which helped us win.
If you follow Duke, Team USA looked like Duke in the end.
A lot of our defensive principles were the things we teach here at Duke. It took a lot of practice because in the NBA they have different rules with illegal defenses. It took a lot of practice and reps to gain the habits defensively. We knew we would be smaller so we had to win with our quickness and so we really pressured the ball and those are staples of how we play here at Duke. So, yes, I would say it is was similar in how we play at Duke.
When you guys returned to Durham did the current Duke players want to talk about your experience and what happened?
Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. All young players aspire and want to be pros. I think we've created a situation, Coach K and Mr. Conlangelo have created a situation where the excitement to play for your country again is at an all time high. It wasn't as cool to play for the USA a few years ago but you are now seeing pride in all age groups and they want to play for their country. That is what is important here in that the pros and younger kids want to play for Team USA and represent their country.
At one time there was a ridiculous notion that Krzyzewski coaching Team USA would hurt Duke and basketball recruiting. Can you talk about how silly that notion was, especially in hindsight?
[laughs] Well, we don't pay any attention to that. I mean we didn't miss anything. You may miss a little of the open period in July but all the guys know what he is doing. He is coaching the pro guys. He's coaching Kevin Durant, he's coaching LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. We learn so much from those guys so when we talk to recruits or our own players we say this is what we learned from a Kevin Durrant sharing that with them. Young players see just what kind and how good of a coach -- Coach K is.
Duke’s Coach K drops in on 2011 prospect Tyler Adams
Make no mistake that Duke is working the recruiting trail hard and they are in no way resting on their laurels. Of course, when you are coming off a national championship, everybody takes notice when you walk through the doors. And that was the case when Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his assistant Nate James took in an open gym in Mississippi where one of their top targets, Tyler Adams, [6-9 PF, C, Brandon, MS] was on display.
"There were a lot of people from the school trying to come in the gym and get his autograph and get a picture of him. Every coach has been by, but it was different when Coach K came.," said Adams when questioned about Krzyzewski's visit.
"Duke came to watch me yesterday and everything went Recruiting is red hot on BDN Premium. Join now and don't miss a beat. [private] real well and my family was able to see Coach K for the first time, so that was good," said Adams
The Blue Devils staff could not talk with the Adams family per NCAA rules, nor Tyler for that matter but it was obvious by his answers that he appreciated the visit.
"I've talked to Coach K three or four times on the phone and I've got a pretty good relationship with him," said Adams who has yet to talk to Krzyzewski in person. It's an honor to be offered by Duke and I'm pretty interested in them," said Adams.
The Mississippi native continued the conversation stating he had visitors today as well. "Michigan State came to visit me today and Alabama and Memphis. I'm being recruited by a lot of people but basically those are the schools coming hard with Mississippi State."
Adams also confirmed to the Blue Devil Nation that Duke is the leader at this time for his services. Adams also said that he would be visiting Duke soon and that is the only visit he has set up. "I am going to take a visit to Duke in first part of June. That's the only visit I have set so far."
When asked how Krzyzewski would use him at Duke, Adams stated, "He basically told me that they don't have a back to the basket player on their team who likes to bang. He said he would use me with my back to the basket and let me bang. I am not a guy that floats out on the perimeter, I just like to stay in the blocks."
Adams also praised his relationship with Nate James by saying, "I got a real good relationship with Coach James. We've talked several times about things other than basketball too."
After three consecutive weeks of AAU play, Adams has the next three weeks off and he plans to workout a lot during that time. His Jackson Tigers team will next attend the Nike EYBL Session II which is held in Houston, Texas. [/private]
NCAA Final Four – Duke in Indy – Friday Afternoon Notes
INDIANAPOLIS - Well, we final got settled in to Indianapolis after switching motels at the last minute. One stop at the photo booth and then the media pass later and we are now in Lucas Oil Arena, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.
Coming in the area surrounding the stadium is packed and parking lots are full everywhere. Once inside the arena, the Butler Bulldogs are practicing to a packed house. The Blue Devils take to the floor at 3:10 and the interviews with the team start at 2:30 just before they take to the hardwood.
Of course, BDN will be on the scene all weekend long and it's sure to be a grand time around here, especially if Duke advances. We'll have some pics, interviews, reports and of course we will tweet live during the game provided the option is available.
The Butler Bulldog, a live canine mascot just made its way through the media room and the usual suspects of members who cover Duke are in the house as is my pal Bob Harris. As for the facility itself, it's wonderful and made for a Final Four.
The locals are friendly and team colors abound pretty much everywhere within 30 miles of the arena. The NABC All Star game will take place later this afternoon but with no ACC players in the game, we'll use the time to work.
Coming through West Virginia, we stopped at a local eatery and needless to say we kept it to ourselves that we were Duke beat writers. That is, until one of our entourage felt the need to blurt it out [TMI] just before we ordered and you could see the change in attitudes if you know what I mean.
Interestingly, the morning edition of the Indianapolis Star has a huge headline saying, "Boo Devils," which is yet another article on Duke hatred. However, if one looks beneath the surface or does their research you will find that Duke is quite popular.
We also found out that India Pacer Josh McRoberts is putting up a lot of Dukies at his house this weekend. McRoberts said he stayed in touch with Jordan Davidson and that NBA scheduling conflicts prevented him from getting back to Cameron but the day is coming when he will return.
And fellow Pacer Mike Dunleavy said, "It's cool that the tournament is here in Indy and that Duke is a part of it." Dahntay Jones is also a Pacer and all three will make an effort to make an appearance.
There has already been a Jerry West spotting. The Los Angeles Lakers great was, of course, a star while he was at West Virginia as well. As for other celebs, well, they all turn out for the Final Four.
Finally, if anyone out there thinks Duke doesn't remember their loss to the Mountaineers, think again. You will not see it in their comments, but the memories loom large in many ways which we may share if Duke advances but not until then.
Tom Izzo is on the podium in the background now as West Virginia is having their open practice for fans. Duke Assistant Coach Steve Wojciechowski [Wojo] is taking in the practice for some last minute scouting. The entire lower level has been opened to fans for free and it is packed.
During practices, the schools bands and cheerleaders look on as two huge screens in the corners of Lucas Oil Stadium carry the action.
Duke is about fifteen minutes from holding their open media, so we'll wrap it up for now, but be sure to check in often with BDN all weekend long.
Andre Dawkins talks of his play off the bench
Greensboro, N.C. - One of the things Duke has been looking to do is get players other than the big three going. Andre Dawkins came off the bench to score 7 points including a three point bomb and a timely dunk in the Blue Devils' 65-61 win over Georgia Tech. BDN caught up with Dawkins and got his comments on his performance -
Just press play -
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