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Duke Basketball

This season’s Duke Basketball team is pretty darn good

Msson Plumlee is starting to devlop after pre season injuries
Msson Plumlee is starting to develop after pre season injuries

Hey Duke fans!  Maybe it's time to notice just how good this years Duke Men's Basketball team is playing.   It wasn't that long ago when I'm pretty sure that I was the first to state Jon Scheyer would easily win ACC Player of the Year if it were voted upon today.  It seems as if everybody in the media grabbed that and ran with it, but let's face it, the numbers were easy to see if you were paying attention.  Here are some other obvious reasons Duke has been successful to date -

Mike Krzyzewski - Pull up a comfortable chair for the remainder of the season for Kryzewski is doing one of his best coaching jobs to date with this years team.  There is a fire and determination instilled in this years Duke team and one might say Krzyzewski is at his best when there are questions or concerns.  In short, he seems prepared for all of the challenges to date but he would be the first to tell you that in ACC play any weaknesses will be exposed.  So far this season, Duke has adjusted with the exception of maybe the Wisconsin game where they still had a chance to win in a tough environment had execution been a bit better down the stretch.  Duke has some solid wins on the ledger which will certainly help when the NCAA announces the parings in March.  As long as I have been watching Duke Basketball, Krzyzewski is doing as good a job to date as I have seen and yes, I was there the very day he walked onto the Duke campus for the first time.

Roles defined -I cannot remember the last team that seemed to understand their roles within the team at such an early point in the season. Krzyzewski and his staff have made each player understand what is expected of them and so far, so good.  He will no doubt tinkle a bit more as the season progresses in an attempt to push all of the right buttons. Whether it is Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek or Andre Dawkins, everyone has been doing a good job of translating what is expected of them to the court.

Defense - Krzyzewski changed up Duke's defense this season in order to fit his personnel and his schemes have been very successful.  The Blue Devils are really getting after it in half court and last evening showed some pressure full court.  If one were lucky enough to hear the players come out of the locker room at the beginning of any home game, they would hear the emphasis placed on defense.  "How are we going to win," asks one player to his of his teammates who are all gathered together and the response is "Defense," in unison followed by the hungry sounds of twelve players going "woof, woof, woof."  In short, the Blue Devils place great emphasis on defense as they always have, yet many never saw this coming.  All one needs to do is take a look at the stats to realize that to date, this years group is holding teams to fewer points than at anytime in the decade.

The Big Three - I've heard no suitable names for Duke's core of Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler to date, but I cannot remember a team having three more consistent players.  The trio are accounting for the majority of points scored for the Duke offense and they all seem to relish their roles.  Nolan Smith has been solid and he consistently scores just under twenty points per game while playing cool and under control.  Kyle Singler is taking on a new role playing on the perimeter but he is adjusting before our very eyes and the pre season ACC Player of the Year seems more intent on winning than he does fulfilling individual or post season honors.  The aforementioned Scheyer has been nothing short of first team All American with a most amazing assist to turnover ratio and his heady play.  Not many teams around the country have a trio like Duke does and if you doubt that, start scanning the rosters.  As long as these three player produce as they have, Duke will have a most successful campaign.

Plumlee's development - Mason Plumlee showed signs of adjusting to the physical nature and speed of the game in the Blue Devils win over Iowa State.  Mason is still getting his timing down after a late pre season injury kept him out of the lineup.  The Blue Devils seem determined to have him ready for the coming rigors of ACC play.  It was visibly evident that Mason can do things other front court players cannot just watching him last night.  Once Mason starts finishing on a more consistent basis near the basket, Duke will be even better.

Offensive production - Many wondered where Duke's offense would come from this season and Duke has answered that question.  The Blue Devils are among the nations leaders in points per game and this has come against pretty good competition.  Duke still hits their three point shots and the team seems to be playing together making the extra pass when needed and taking a good shot when presented.

Home Cooking - How impressive is it when a team defeats the pre season third rated team in Clemson with relative ease in Cameron?  What's that?  It's Cameron and Duke always plays well, eh?  Well, this season they nailed down a win in the all important ACC opener by whipping the Tigers without eighty five percent of the Cameron Crazies, the cheerleaders, full band and well, you get it.  Duke has been tough at home and the Cameron Crazies will prove to play an important a role with a developing team.  The team has kept up their end and if the students do the rest of the way, then Duke may well go through the regular season undefeated at home.

So, Duke is 13-1 headed into the grinder known as the ACC regular season and to date are ranked fifth in both polls, yet there are still some who can find faults.  I'm not talking the media here, but amazingly some of the fans.  Duke was defeating a decent Iowa State team by 21 points, yet message boards had many concerned over Andre Dawkins playing time or the worries of players getting tired.  Have we become that jaded as a fan base that many cannot recognize that people would kill to trade places with a Blue Devil fan?  What I am saying is instead of non stop worrying about recruiting or the future, wake up and check out the here and now for this Duke team cannot give you much more effort than they already have.  It's no secret anymore, this years Duke team is pretty darn good.

Duke Basketball

Duke vs Iowa State Official Game Notes

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[5 AP/5 Coaches] Duke (12-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. Iowa State (10-3, 0-0 Big 12)

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010  •  9:00 p.m.  •  espn2

United Center (20,917)  •  Chicago, Ill.

The Opening Tip

Duke (12-1, 1-0 ACC), ranked fifth in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Iowa State (10-3, 0-0 Big 12) at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 9:00 p.m. (EST). Wednesday’s game will air on espn2 with Dave O’Brien and Jay Bilas calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Duke posted a 74-53 win over Clemson on Sunday in the ACC opener for both schools. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 30-12 lead by limiting Clemson to 16.7 percent (5-of-30) shooting in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Nolan Smith posted his fifth 20-point game of the season with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Senior Jon Scheyer also had 22 points to go along with six assists and three steals. He knocked down three three-point field goals in the game and now has an ACC-best 37 threes on the year. Junior Kyle Singler added 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds as Duke outrebounded the Tigers, 33-29, for the game.

The Blue Devils forced more turnovers (17) than Clemson had field goals (16) on Sunday. Duke also shot 50 percent (24-of-48) from the field in the contest en route to its third win over a ranked opponent.

Krzyzewski Back Home in Chicago

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has led the Blue Devils to a 10-1 record in the Chicago area, including a 6-0 mark at the United Center. Duke has won six straight games in Chicago.

Numbers Game

l Duke has won 21 of its last 22 games in the month of January.  The Blue Devils are 200-55 under Mike Krzyzewski in January games.

l Duke is 20-4 against teams currently in the Big 12, including a 19-3 mark under Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have won four straight against the Big 12.

l Senior Jon Scheyer leads the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.88:1) while playing 35.1 minutes per game. He has led Duke in assists in all 13 games with six turnover-free games. Scheyer also ranks eighth in the NCAA at 6.4 assists per game.

l Nolan Smith has 23 three-point field goals and is shooting an ACC-best 51.1 percent from three-point range. Smith entered the season as a 36.2 percent (49-of-135) from behind the arc.

l Brian Zoubek is 20-of-23 (.870) from the field over the last six games. He leads the Blue Devils in field goal percentage at .679.

l Jon Scheyer is averaging 22.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game during Duke’s current six-game win streak. He is shooting 47.9 percent from three-point range and averaging 3.8 three-point field goals per game in that span.

l Junior Nolan Smith has scored 10 or more points in all 11 games he has played. He is averaging 18.4 points per game, a 10.0 ppg. increase from a year ago. Smith also has five 20-point efforts in 2009-10 after posting one 20-point game in his first two seasons at Duke.

l Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith are averaging 41.5 points combined, while shooting 51.6 percent (80-of-155) from the field and 53.5 percent (38-of-71) from three-point range during Duke’s six-game win streak.

l The trio of Jon Scheyer (22), Nolan Smith (22) and Kyle Singler combined for 81.1 percent (60 of 74 points) of Duke’s scoring output in Sunday’s win over Clemson.

l Duke has had 15 individual 20-point scoring games this season. The Blue Devils have had multiple 20-point scorers in the same game five times on the year.

l Junior Kyle Singler has led Duke in rebounding six times in 2009-10 and 42 times in his career. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in 68 of 84 career games.

l Wednesday marks the 70th birthday of Cameron Indoor Stadium. The building opened on Jan. 6, 1940 with a 36-27 Duke win over Princeton.

Duke Basketball

Duke Unleashes Devilish Defense to Defeat Clemson 74-53

Scheyer nets 22 vs Clemson - Photo Lance King
Scheyer nets 22 vs Clemson - Photo Lance King

Durham, N.C. - The walk up to Cameron was a cold one tonight as the temperature is in the twenties, but Dukes defense made the elements seem warm compared the the cold defensive breeze that shut the Tigers offense to a crawl.  The  Blue Devils cruised to a 74-53 win in their ACC opener using the aforementioned lock down defense which held Clemson to 32.7% from the field for the game.

Duke held the visitors to just 12 first half points and 16.7% from the field, but Clemson did manage to score the second half's first 12 points and it looked as if Duke's first half effort would evaporate, but the Devils regrouped after a Krzyzewski timeout and rode the big three to a win.

Whats that?  Who is the big three?  Well, if you don't know you haven't followed the Blue Devils.  The big 3 would be Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith.  The trio combined for 60 of the Blue Devils 74 points and their consistency has been uncanny to this point.

The backcourt of Smith and Scheyer scored 22 points apiece and combined for 9 of the Blue Devils 12 assists.  Singler added 16 and earned the praise of Krzyzewski after the game where he said he looked stronger or better than at any time this season.

He was probably referring to Singlers toughness and leadership or maybe it was that Singler jaw jacked a bit with Clemson star Trevor Booker.  Duke held Booker to just 10 points his second lowest total of the season.

Krzyzewski showed emotion tonight while trying to keep the Cameron Crazies going and they did a pretty good job with a lot of the students missing.  He leaped when Scheyer picked up a Booker turnover, turned and made a three point shot which gave Duke a commanding 39-25 lead after a Tiger run to crawl back into the game.

Duke outscored Clemson in the paint and out-rebounded their opponent and scored 19 points of Tiger turnovers.  The final 21 point margin was the largest lead of the game for Duke.

With the win, Duke goes to 12-1 on the season and 1-0 in the conference while Clemson drops to 12-3 and 0-1.  Duke will next face Iowa State in Chicago on Wednesday.

Be sure to check out the BDN Locker Room Report which is coming later.

Notes - Duke honored the great Vic Bubas and his 1960 team at half time.  Krzyzewski sang the praises of Bubas during the post game press conference.

Official Box Score Linked Here

More Lanc e King Photos

Duke Season Team Stats

Duke Basketball

Previewing the Clemson Tigers

DukeThe Tigers come a calling as Duke (11-1) hosts Clemson (12-2) on Sunday evening in each team's ACC opener. Duke is coming off a 114-55 thrashing of Penn, while Clemson escaped South Carolina State 70-67 in their last game. In post game comments, Clemson Coach Oliver Purnell stated, "In college basketball, upsets happen all the time. We avoided one tonight. Hopefully, we'll be energized to go on the road and play in the ACC."

Last year, Clemson embarrassed Duke 74-47 in the game at Littlejohn. The Tigers' press resulted in 16 Blue Devil turnovers. Duke will need to be prepared to deal with Clemson's pressure defense as Clemson is number one in the ACC in steals averaging 11.4 per game.

Duke and Clemson have had two common opponents on the season. Clemson went on the road and defeated UNC-Greensboro 89-67, while Duke defeated the Spartans 96-62 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The second common opponent is Long Beach State. Clemson defeated the 49ers, on a neutral court, at the 76 Classic in Anaheim 87-79, while Duke won 84-63 in Cameron.

Senior Trevor Booker (6'7" 240) is Clemson's best player. He averages 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in 28.5 minutes of action. Booker was named Second Team All ACC last season and is playing like a First Team candidate so far this season. Booker will challenge Duke inside with athleticism and physical play.

Sophomore Tanner Smith (6'5" 220) and Junior Demontez Stitt (6'2" 175) average 10.8 and 10.1 points respectively. Stitt leads the team with a 3.9 assists per game average.

Sophomore Andre Young (5'9" 170) and Senior David Potter (6'6" 215) provide the 3-point shooting punch for the Tigers. Potter is making 45.3 percent of his long range attempts while Young is making 39.7 percent. Clemson is 3rd in the ACC with 7.1 made 3-pointers per game. Duke is first at 8.8.

Off the bench, Devon Booker (6'8" 235) and Jerai Grant (6'8" 220) chip in 5.8 and 5.5 points per game. Freshmen Noel Johnson and Milton Jennings also average double digit minutes to give the Tigers a solid nine man rotation.

The keys to the game will be:

1. Taking care of the basketball. Duke must neutralize Clemson's fullcourt press by passing over it and quickly advancing the ball into the frontcourt. Duke's big men's passing skills and ability to run the court will be critical to the outcome.

2. Physical inside play. Trevor Booker and company are going to challenge Duke inside with physical play. Duke's five man frontcourt rotation is going to have to play the Tigers tough. Foul trouble could be an issue for both team's big men.

3. Backcourt dominance. Scheyer, Smith, and Singler have an advantage over Clemson's backcourt and they need to press that advantage for 40 minutes. Clemson will look to run their offense through Trevor Booker so Duke must harass Clemson’s backcourt and prevent them from feeding the ball inside. Clemson turns the ball over 15 times a game.

This game is the beginning of a three game litmus test for Duke's frontcourt. Iowa State and Georgia Tech are also tough inside teams. We will all know a lot more about our inside players’ strengths and weaknesses once these three games are in the books.

Trevor Booker is a beast inside and Miles and Mason Plumlee need to respond to the challenge. In the backcourt, Duke has a huge advantage in both talent and experience. This is a game where both teams are going to attempt to dictate the style of play. For Duke to come away with the win, they must handle Clemson's press and match Clemson's physical play.

Duke Basketball

Five Questions for Duke Basketball Heading into 2010

Scheyer Singler ThomasIt is New Years Day and Duke fans are asking, “How far can this team go in 2010?” Thus far Duke has looked like a solid team capable of competing to win the ACC regular season and defending the ACC Championship they won in Atlanta last March. Advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament is a realistic possibility.

The ACC regular season is set to start as Duke (11-1) hosts Clemson (12-2) on Sunday evening in a 7:45 pm contest. Duke is simultaneously a very experienced team and a young team still developing. Five upper classmen on the roster have a combined 280 starts, while three freshmen and a sophomore are all playing significant minutes in the rotation. How these two opposite elements meld is an important factor to how good the Blue Devils can become.

So the jury is still out on how good Duke can be in 2010. There are many questions remaining to be answered before it is known whether this squad can become the 11th Mike Krzyzewski coached Duke team to compete in the Final Four. The five questions discussed below are a good start for analyzing the 2009-10 Blue Devils’ chances of advancing to Indianapolis.

How dominant can S Cubed be during the ACC season?

Kyle Singler started the season as a legitimate candidate to earn All America honors. Jon Scheyer has been playing like an ACC Player-of-the-Year Candidate. And Nolan Smith appears to have made the performance jump everyone expected him to make last season. These three players, S Cubed, form the core of the 2009-10 Duke Blue Devils and in order for the Blue Devils to win the ACC and develop into a legitimate Final Four contender all three must bring their strengths onto the court.

Singler, at 6’8”, is a match-up nightmare at small forward for most teams. He is bigger and more athletic than the typical small forward in the college game. Singler has the ability to place the team on his back and carry them. His 28 points in the loss to Wisconsin is a good example even though the end result came up short. In 2010, the requirement to step-up and carry Duke to victory is going to present itself to Singler more than once and the Blue Devils will need him to respond in order to achieve their potential.

Scheyer values the basketball. With an assists to turnover ratio of 5.5, and an 18.6 points per game scoring average, he is a tremendous asset at point guard. After Scheyer scored 36 points against his team, Gardner-Webb Head Coach Rick Scruggs stated, “He was unbelievable. Anybody that says there’s any weakness is out of their minds. He shot it, he controlled the game, he doesn’t turn the ball over. He does everything you could ask of him at his position.”

Smith is the player Duke will rely upon to contain an opponent’s speedy guard. Smith is currently the team’s second leading scorer at 18 points per game so he is obviously an important offensive player. However, defense is where Duke needs Smith to standout. Limiting dribble penetration, pressuring the ball, and creating perimeter turnovers that lead to transition opportunities will be key to Duke winning big in 2010.

Singler, Scheyer, and Smith are the core of this year’s Duke Blue Devils and all three must be consistent throughout the season in order for Duke to achieve their maximum potential. In most games, Duke will be okay as long as two of the three show up with their “A” game, but against the crème de la crème all three will need to be clicking.

How good is the defense?

Duke held Gonzaga to 41 points on December 19th. Gonzaga entered the game as the #15 ranked team in the nation averaging 79 points per game. Back on November 27th, Duke held #13 Connecticut to a season low 59 points. In the other nine games they’ve played, Connecticut has averaged 75 points. Were these performances an aberration or is Duke capable of consistently shutting down Top 25 offenses?

Duke is a big, physical team inside. Gonzaga Coach Mark Few stated, “Their physical play bothered us as far as finishing shots around the rim.” Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun stated, “Duke physically handled us.” Duke is averaging 5.7 blocked shots per game with sophomore Miles Plumlee leading the way with 1.3 blocks per game.

Versatility is another defensive characteristic this season. Senior forward Lance Thomas has the ability to defend every position and Coach Krzyzewski relies upon him to tackle the tough assignments. Coach Krzyzewski’s comments after the Gonzaga game included, “Lance played a great game today. The kid Harris, I think he is a really good player, and Lance did a great job on him.”

Through the first 12 games of the season, Duke has a +8.5 rebounding advantage. Basketball is a game where every possession is important and this Duke team denies opponents second chance points by aggressively controlling the boards.

Can Brian Zoubek continue to be a legitimate center during the ACC season?

Zoubek has been playing very solid basketball over Duke’s first 12 games. He is a rebounding machine averaging 7.7 rebounds per game in only 16.7 minutes of playing time. That equates to 18.4 rebounds per 40 minutes of playing time. With the start of the ACC season, the level of competition is going to increase and Zoubek must step up his game and continue to dominate the glass when on the court.

Duke is deep in the frontcourt with four players 6’10” or taller but three of the four are underclassmen. Senior Zoubek must be play up to the level of his experience and be a steady influence upon young big men Miles and Mason Plumlee. If Duke is to develop into a team capable of advancing to Indianapolis, Zoubek must remain solid as the competition stiffens because the Blue Devils need his leadership.

Coach Krzyzewski recently commented, when discussing the defense, “The kid who really hasn’t gotten much attention for us, is Zoubek. Brian has had a hell of a year so far.” Blue Devil fans desire to hear the coach make similar statements after big ACC conference games.

Can the bench players remain viable options?

All nine scholarship players, on Duke’s roster are averaging double digit minutes of playing time. The issue is Duke has only nine scholarship players so all nine must continue to improve and perform as the season advances. This Duke team is vulnerable to injury and can be hurt by a single player suffering a lapse of confidence. Duke needs all nine players contributing in order to ensure maximum team performance from now until late March.

How high is Andre Dawkins’ ceiling as a freshman?

We already talked about the bench players, but this question is a bit different. Duke needs an explosive fourth offensive option against top notch opponents. Is Andre Dawkins the guy? Or has Dawkins already played the best games of his freshman season? Once again, this is about tougher competition. Dawkins has shined in early season games averaging 9.8 points with double digit performances in five games including 11 points against Connecticut and 12 against Wisconsin with a season high of 20 points against Radford. The question is will Dawkins continue to be a consistent scorer in games against Clemson, Maryland, Florida State, North Carolina, and into the post season?

Duke is known for being a prolific 3-point shooting team and Dawkins is a guy who has the ability to stretch defenses past their comfort zone. Combining big, physical inside play with accurate outside shooting is a lethal formula so Duke needs Dawkins knocking down 3-pointers in 2010 like he did over the first 12 games of the schedule.

The 2009-10 Duke Blue Devils can become a legitimate Final Four contender with continued development as a team, and if the ball bounces their way a couple of times in key situations that are sure to arise. The factor promoting the most optimism in Durham this season is that this Duke team appears to be a squad, which will be much stronger and talented in March than in it was during November and December, and that is very bad news for the teams seeded in the same regional as Duke come March.