Durham, N.C. - After the Blue Devils win over Tulsa,. BDN caught up with Duke senior Jon Scheyer and got his thoughts about the game and how it helped Duke get an idea of what a mid major team would look like in the NCAA's.
Just press play -
#7 Duke (20-4, 8-2 ACC) host unranked Maryland (16-6, 6-2 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm in a game which will determine first place in the ACC standings. This will be the 1,000th game at Duke for Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Duke defeated Maryland three times last season and has won the previous five meetings. Maryland last defeated Duke on February 28, 2007.
Maryland is led by senior guard Greivis Vasquez (6'6" 190) who averages 18.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. Vasquez is a crafty player who likes to push the tempo and is a very good passer in Coach Gary Williams' flex offense. Vasquez plays 32.5 minutes per game.
Senior forward Landon Milbourne (6'7" 207) is Maryland's second leading scorer at 14.5 points per game. Milbourne also averages 5.4 rebounds and plays 30.3 minutes per game.
Senior guard Eric Hayes (6'4" 184) is a deadly 3-point shooter making 46.1 percent (47 of 102) on the year. Hayes averages 11.1 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. Hayes plays 30.4 minutes per game.
Sophomore Sean Mosley (6'4" 210) contributes 11.5 points, 3 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game in 28.1 minutes of playing time.
Freshman Jordan Williams (6'9" 245) averages 8.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 22.9 minutes of playing time. Williams is touted as having great hands.
Off the bench, Maryland has four players averaging double digit minutes: Cliff Tucker (15.2), Dino Gregory (19.9), Adrian Bowie (16.5), and James Padgett (11.2). Maryland has more depth inside this season but they are a smaller team than Duke.
Duke and Maryland have had eight common opponents on the season. In out of conference games, both teams have beaten UNC-Greensboro and lost to Wisconsin. In conference, both teams have beaten UNC, Florida State, and Boston College. Maryland has beaten N.C. State who defeated Duke, while Duke has beaten Clemson and Wake Forest who both defeated the Terrapins.
The Blue Devils will be without starter and defensive specialist Lance Thomas who suffered a severe bone bruise in his right knee when he collided with Larry Drew II during the Carolina game. Replacing Thomas’ minutes will require Coach Krzyzewski to be creative with the rotation. Coach Krzyzewski has stated he expects Dawkins to play increased minutes with Kyle Singler rotating from small forward to power forward.
Another line-up which will surely see time together will be Brian Zoubek and Mason Plumlee together with Scheyer, Smith, and Singler. This is Duke’s most effective non-Thomas line-up from a +/- perspective.
The keys to the game will be:
1. Outside shooting: Duke is shooting .394 on the season from behind the 3-point arc. However, in the 13 games played in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke is averaging .442. Maryland is eighth in the league in 3-point field goal percent defense. Duke needs to knockdown the long ball in this game.
2. Rebounding: Duke leads the ACC in rebounding margin at +6.6. Maryland is 11th at +1.2. Duke is second in the ACC in offensive rebounds averaging 14.6 per game. Duke is bigger and stronger and will need to be aggressive on the glass.
3. Assists and turnovers: Both Duke and Maryland take care of the basketball with a 1.3 assists to turnover ratio. Maryland is second in the ACC with 8.4 steals per game. Neither team can afford to give the other extra possessions in a game this analyst expects to be decided in the last couple of minutes.
With the celebration for Coach Krzyzewski’s birthday, his 1,000th game as head coach at Duke, and first place in the ACC on the line, the atmosphere will be electric inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Both teams must be cautious of emotions to ensure the other team doesn’t jump out to an adrenalin fueled early lead. Once the teams settle in and commence execution of their game plans, this should be a very exciting basketball game.
#10 Duke (17-4, 5-2) hosts #21 Georgia Tech (16-5, 4-3) on Thursday February 4, 2010 as the Blue Devils and Yellow Jackets face each other for the second time this season. Georgia Tech prevailed 71-67 in the first game, which was played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, in Atlanta.
The Blue Devils will be looking to snap back strong after taking a pounding at the hands of the Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday afternoon. Duke has not lost two games in a row this season and has won previous games following a loss by an average of 14 points.
Three "keys to the game" were identified in the Blue Devil Nation preview prior to the first meeting. The same keys exist for this second meeting so let us revisit them one at a time taking a look at how they played out in Atlanta.
1. Defensive rebounding. Duke must keep Georgia Tech off the offensive glass and prevent second chance points.
Duke did an excellent job on the glass, during the first half, with 20 rebounds to the Yellow Jackets 12. Georgia Tech was limited to two offensive rebounds and two second chance points. Not surprisingly, Duke held a six point advantage, 35-29, at the half. In the second half, Georgia Tech dominated Duke on the boards 26-12, pulled in 11 offensive rebounds, and scored eight second chance points as they outscored the Blue Devils by ten points. The Yellow Jackets performance on the glass in the second half was the significant factor in securing the four point victory.
In the rematch at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke must do a better job of blocking out and beat Georgia Tech on the glass for a full 40 minutes. Staying out of foul trouble should be another objective for the Blue Devils as Lance Thomas fouled out of the first game with more than 10 minutes remaining.
2. Turnovers. With Georgia Tech’s suspect ball handling, look for Nolan Smith to apply pressure on the Yellow Jackets main ball handler. This is a game where Duke may look to trap the ball as it is brought across the half court line. Lance Thomas could be a key player if Duke opts to run a half court trap defense. The best way to neutralize Lawal and Favors down low is to prevent them from getting it down low.
Georgia Tech has suspect ball handling but in Atlanta they scored more points off turnovers (18) than Duke (15). While this key was not as significant to the Georgia Tech victory as their rebounding performance, it is important for Duke to do a better job in Durham if they expect to win the ball game.
3. Outside shooting. Georgia Tech’s strength is their inside play so look for Duke to try and open up the inside by knocking down the long ball. Duke is leading the ACC in 3 point field goal percentage at 42.6 percent and second in the league in 3 point field goals made with 8.6 per game.
Duke shot poorly in Atlanta going 6-28 on 3-point field goal attempts. In fact, Duke has shot poorly since ACC play began and they’ve fallen to third in the ACC in 3 point field goal percentage at 38.2 percent. Over the first seven ACC games, the Blue Devils are 34-119 or 28.6 percent on 3 point attempts.
The Blue Devils must rediscover their perimeter stroke in February and getting off to a great start against the Yellow Jackets tough defense would be timely. In Atlanta, Jon Scheyer scored 25 points; Mason Plumlee scored 10, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith contributed nine each, while Miles Plumlee added eight. This Thursday, Duke will need a similar strong performance from Scheyer and more scoring from Singler and Smith.
Additionally, Duke will need “points in the paint” so another 18 points and 11 rebounds performance from the Plumlee Brothers or similar numbers from seniors Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek will be necessary to balance the offense.
Andre Dawkins is another offensive weapon Duke hopes to get back on track. Dawkins was providing 10 points a game off the bench in the early part of the season but has been in a shooting slump so far in 2010. Reviving Dawkins could not only assist Duke in winning the Georgia Tech game but could be a key to the remainder of the 2010 season.
Here is a look at Georgia Tech’s main players and their statistics:
Junior Gani Lawal (6′9″ 235) averages 14.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He is 13th in the ACC is scoring and 3rd in rebounds. Lawal has the 5th best field goal percentage at 55.2 percent. He scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first game against Duke and proved to be the difference down the stretch.
Freshman Derrick Favors (6′10″ 245) averages 11.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Favors is 5th in the ACC in rebounds. In the first game, he contributed seven points and eight rebounds.
Sophomore Iman Shumpert (6′5″ 205) is back after missing six games with a knee injury. He averages 10.3 points and 4.1 assists per game, but also turns the ball over 3.3 times per contest. In the first game, Shumpert recorded eight points, three assists, and seven turnovers.
Freshman Mfon Udofia (6′2″ 185) and Senior D’Andre Bell (6’6” 220) are Georgia Tech’s fourth and fifth starters. Udofia averages 9 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.3 turnovers per game. Udofia scored 13 points and shot 50 percent (3-6) on 3 point field goal attempts in the first game. Bell averages 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 turnovers per game.
Senior Zachery Peacock (6′8″ 235) averages 9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds off the bench for the Yellow Jackets. Peacock has the ability to step out to the perimeter and knock down jump shots. He is making 44.8 percent of his 3-point attempts on the season. Peacock contributed 11 points and four rebounds in the first game.
This is an important game for both teams. For Duke, it is imperative the Blue Devils secure a win to cement their position as the top team in the ACC. A second loss to the Yellow Jackets could result in a team with shaken confidence during the middle of the ACC season, which is not a good situation. A win over the Yellow Jackets would keep the Blue Devils on top of the ACC standings and allow the team to put the Georgetown loss behind them and focus on moving on toward tough road games at Boston College and North Carolina.
For Georgia Tech, a loss to the Blue Devils would drop their conference record to 4-4 and place them solidly amongst the muddy middle of the ACC standings. A second win over the Blue Devils would keep the Yellow Jackets competitive for a slot in the upper tier of the ACC standings and a Thursday bye in the ACC Tournament come March.
Game 21
[8 AP/7 Coaches] Duke (17-3, 5-2 ACC) vs.
[7 AP/11 Coaches] Georgetown (15-4, 6-3 Big East)
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 • 1:00 p.m.
CBS Verizon Center (20,600) • Washington, D.C.
The Opening Tip
Duke (17-3, 5-2 ACC), ranked eighth in the AP poll and seventh in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Georgetown (15-4, 6-3 Big East) at the Verizon Center on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 1:00 p.m. The Hoyas enter the contest ranked seventh in the AP poll and 11th in the Coaches’ Poll. The game will air on CBS with Verne Lundquist and Clark Kellogg calling the action.
The Last Time Out
Duke posted a hard-fought 70-56 win over Florida State on Wednesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils forced 22 turnovers in the game and limited the Seminoles to 34.5 percent shooting in the second half of play.
Senior Jon Scheyer paced the offensive attack with 22 points for his ninth 20-point game of the year. He went 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the foul line in the game. Scheyer also had four rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win.
Kyle Singler added 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action. Junior Nolan Smith added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in the contest.
Duke’s five upperclassmen (Scheyer, Singler, Smith, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek) combined to score 65 of the teams 70 points on Wednesday. The group also recorded 25 of the team’s 30 rebounds as the Blue Devils were outrebounded for just the fourth time this season.
Numbers Game
Big Three Pace Blue Devil Offense
Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith combine to average 53.0 points per game or 64.5 percent of Duke’s scoring.
Scheyer is second in the ACC in scoring at 18.8 ppg., while Smith (18.1 ppg.) and Singler (16.1 ppg.) rank third and eighth, respectively.
Texas Southern, Nevada, UC Davis, Fairfield, TCU, Kentucky and North Dakota State are the only other schools with three players ranked among the top 10 scorers in their respective leagues.
The trio of Scheyer, Smith and Singler is the highest scoring threesome in the NCAA this season and the fourth-highest at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski.
Checking in on ...
#2 Nolan Smith - +9.7 ppg. increase from a year ago leads the ACC ... averaging 18.6 ppg. with three 20+ point games against ranked opponents
#3 Seth Curry - Sitting out the 2009-10 season due to NCAA transfer rules
#5 Mason Plumlee - Averaging 1.0 blocks per game
#12 Kyle Singler - Has led the team in rebounding nine times and in scoring six times ... tied for the team lead with 25 steals
#20 Andre Dawkins - Fourth on the team with 27 three-point field goals ... shooting 41.5 percent from three-point range
#21 Miles Plumlee - Leads the team with 25 dunks ... has tripled his scoring and rebounding averages from a year ago
#30 Jon Scheyer - Has scored in double figures in 19 of 20 games with nine 20-point games ... has led the team in assists in all 20 games
#34 Ryan Kelly - 14 blocked shots ... one of five Blue Devils with 10+ blocks
#42 Lance Thomas - Shooting 81.6 percent (31-of-38) from the foul line ... leads the Blue Devils with nine charges taken
#55 Brian Zoubek - Five or more rebounds in 14 of 20 games ... averaging 16.7 rebounds per 40 minutes played
#8 Duke (17-3) travels to our nation’s capital to take on #7 Georgetown (15-4) at the Verizon Center Saturday afternoon at 1 pm eastern standard time.
Georgetown ripped off 14 unanswered points to open their game against Syracuse on Monday evening. In the process, the Hoyas knocked down four 3-pointers from well beyond the arc. It looked as if the Orange had a long night in front of them.
Syracuse responded by stepping up their defensive pressure, forcing 10 Georgetown turnovers, and outscoring the Hoyas 34-15 to take a 34-29 halftime lead into the locker room. Syracuse forced nine more Georgetown turnovers during the second half. On offense, Syracuse pushed the pace and punished Georgetown in transition.
The game ended with Syracuse winning 73-56. That is a 31 point differential for the Orange after they committed themselves to applying perimeter pressure, forcing turnovers, and scoring in transition. Hopefully, the Duke coaching staff studied this game film as Coach Krzyzewski’s good friend Coach Boeheim laid out a blue print for taking it to the Hoyas.
Georgetown has three perimeter players with consistent 3-point range: Austin Freeman (.473), Jason Clark (.440), and Chris Wright (.379). Georgetown’s perimeter players do not pound the ball into the court they achieve open looks at the basket by moving the ball around via the pass. In order to contain a potential 3-point barrage, Duke will need to pressure the ball on the perimeter just like Syracuse.
Austin Freeman (6’4” 235) is the most potent perimeter player. A solid shooter, Freeman also has the strength and speed to penetrate and finish above the rim.
Frontcourt activity centers around Greg Monroe (6’11” 250) last season’s Big East Rookie of the Year and a player all Duke Fans are intimately familiar with as Duke recruited Monroe for over two years. Monroe is a talented passer out of the high post, who has the ability to make perimeter jump shots, and drive to the basket. He averages a double-double of 14.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
On January 26, 2010 Monroe was named to the Big East Conference’s Weekly Honor Roll for the fourth time this season. Monroe averaged a double-double in conference wins over Pittsburgh and Rutgers. In the loss to Syracuse, Monroe was held to eight points and four rebounds.
Georgetown’s fifth starter is Julian Vaughn (6’9” 245). Vaughn averages 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. At 24.1 minutes per game, Vaughn is the only starter averaging less than 30 minutes of playing time per game. Coach John Thompson III favors a thin rotation.
Hollis Thompson (6’6” 180) comes off the bench to the tune of 20.1 minutes per game and contributes 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest.
Georgetown and Duke have had two common opponents on the year: Connecticut and St. John’s. Duke defeated Connecticut 69-59 and St. John’s 80-71. Georgetown defeated Connecticut 72-69 and St. John’s 66-59.
The keys to the game will be:
1. Defensive intensity on the perimeter: Duke must pressure the ball for 40 minutes in order to prevent Georgetown from achieving good looks at the basket. Additionally, the best way to contain Greg Monroe is to deny him the basketball.
2. Scoring points in transition: Duke needs to push the pace and score in transition off of turnovers.
3. Execute in the half court: Duke must execute ball screens and back cuts to achieve easy inside looks at the basket.
This game is a solid preview of the type match-up Duke can expect to see in March. While most folks are focused on the intense conference games being played across the country, this game provides a look at two Top 10 teams going head-to-head in late January. Both teams possess star players in their line-ups, however, do not be surprised if a role player steps up and provides the difference in securing his team a victory.
It's almost hard to believe that there are just twelve regular season games left for the 2010 Duke Blue Devils Men's Basketball team. When the Blue Devils take to the hardwood against Florida State tonight in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the outcome is of dire importance. But, then again, they are all important for the team is entering the stretch run, one that will sort out the standings before the tournaments begin in a mere 42 days.
Duke will have five more home games after tonight's clash with the Seminoles and it's no secret that teams must protect the home court in the balanced ACC this season. The lone non-conference home game left is with Tulsa in a contest likely scheduled to simulate a first round type match up against a mid-major. After that, four conference foes in Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech and North Carolina come to Durham.
But despite the importance of tonight's home game, the picture will likely shake out for the Blue Devils on the road. After a stunning loss to N.C. State on a night when the Wolfpack shot lights out, Duke righted the ship by defeating Clemson on the road in one of their grittier efforts of the season.
Greg Monroe and Georgetown are on the schedule for this Saturday and that will be a war in D.C. This game could have seeding implications, but then again so could any of them. Still, one must admit that the Hoyas and Blue Devils are a marquee match-up smacking of an NCAA atmosphere.
The Blue Devils will later have two consecutive ACC road games twice and Miami sandwiched in between. The first of the two are early February match-ups at Boston College and arch rival North Carolina. Later, in late February and early March, Duke travels to Virginia and Maryland before the Senior Day finale against the Tar Heels in a game that will see Brian Zoubek, Lance Thomas and Jon Scheyer's farewell to Cameron Indoor Stadium and home fans.
So, it's time to beam in and pay attention folks for this is the thick of the college basketball season, one which fans point to year round and there are just 12 regular season games to go. It should be fun to watch and see how this team develops as each game becomes a war.
While looking ahead can be fun, taking them one at a time is the way this Duke team will approach these games. That's fine by me for sometimes you can blink and it seems like the season is twenty games old and after tonight's key home game against Florida State, the season is indeed twenty games old.
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