Durham, N.C. - The Blue Devils had little trouble of disposing of a winless Pennsylvania Quaker team, routing the outmatched opponent by a score of 114-55. Duke ends the decade as the winningest team in college basketball. In fact, their 294 wins are the most in any decade which is quite a milestone.
Duke's margin of victory was the worst defeat in Penn history and the most points the Quakers have ever allowed. Duke went deep into their bench playing 12 players, but the usual suspects Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer.
Nolan Smith led the way with 23 points, Kyle Singler added 20 and Scheyer 19 to go with a monster 11 assists. One of the bright spots was the play of once injured freshman Mason Plumlee who scored 19 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
There were several other Duke players who padded their stats going into ACC play as you can see in the Official Box Score.
Duke scored 29 points off of turnovers and 22 second chance points and pretty much had their way as evidenced 43-25 rebounding advantage. In short, this game was nothing more than a tuneup for Clemson who comes into Cameron on Sunday evening.
Duke is now 11-1 for the season and the wins get tougher from here on out.
Notes - Denzel Washington got a lot of looks as he watched his son Malcolm, a freshman on the Penn team play. Stay tuned for the BDN Locker Room Report where we have one on one interviews with Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer and Mason Plumlee. Have a safe and happy new year.
[7 AP/7 Coaches] Duke (10-1) vs. Pennsylvania (0-8)
Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009 • 6:00 p.m. • espn2
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) • Durham, N.C.
The Opening Tip
Duke (10-1), ranked seventh in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Pennsylvania (0-8) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday, Dec. 31 at 6:00 p.m. Thursday’s game will air on espn2 with Jon Sciambi and Len Elmore calling the action.
The Last Time Out
Duke posted an 84-63 win over Long Beach State on Tuesday as senior Jon Scheyer netted a game-high 22 points. Scheyer knocked down six of Duke’s 15 three-point field goals and added seven assists (zero turnovers) and two steals in the game.
Junior Nolan Smith canned four three-point field goals en route to a 19-point effort. He also delivered seven assists without a turnover.
Kyle Singler (14), Brian Zoubek (10) and Lance Thomas (10) also reached double-figures in scoring for the Blue Devils. Zoubek paced the team in rebounding with 12 boards, including four offensive. Singler added nine rebounds as Duke posted a 44-36 edge on the glass.
Duke recorded 20 assists in the game for its fourth game of the year with 20 or more assists. The Blue Devils recorded an assist on 13 of its 17 first half field goals.
Duke on New Year’s Eve
Thursday’s game marks the 12th time in school history the Blue Devils have played on New Year’s Eve. Duke has won five straight and is 9-2 overall in those contests. Under Mike Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils are 3-0 on Dec. 31.
Numbers Game
l The Blue Devils have won a current NCAA-best 75 consecutive non-conference home games.
l Duke has won 35 straight home games against unranked opponents, dating back to a 68-67 loss to Florida State on Feb. 4, 2007.
l Duke has won 48 straight December home games, dating back to a 62-61 loss to Michigan on Dec. 8, 1996.
l The Blue Devils are 160-26 in the month of December under Coach K. Duke is 52-4 in December since the 1999-2000 season.
l Senior Jon Scheyer leads the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (6.6:1) while playing 35.8 minutes per game. He has led Duke in assists in all 11 games with six turnover-free games. In seven home contests, Scheyer boasts a 14.3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
l Junior Nolan Smith has scored 10 or more points in all nine games he has played. He is averaging 17.4 points per game, a 9.0 ppg. increase from a year ago for the third-highest scoring jump in the ACC.
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 11th in the league in rebounding, while also ranking third in offensive rebounds at 3.7 orpg.
l Jon Scheyer is averaging 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game during Duke’s current four-game win streak. He is shooting 51.5 percent from three-point range and averaging 4.3 three-point field goals per game in that span.
l Duke is shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range and averaging 10.6 three-pointers per game in seven games at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Jon Scheyer (3.7 3fg), Andre Dawkins (2.4), Nolan Smith (2.2) and Kyle Singler (2.1) are each averaging two or more three-pointers per game at home.
l The Blue Devils are averaging 93.1 points per game and shooting 51.6 percent from the field in seven home contests. Duke is also averaging 19.7 assists per game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
l Brian Zoubek is 16-of-18 (.889) from the field over the last four games. He has made 10 straight shots from the field, including a 5-of-5 effort in Tuesday’s win over Long Beach State.
l Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith have combined for 47 assists with just six turnovers (7.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio) in the last four games.
Durham, N.C. - The Duke Blue Devils earned their 10th victory of the season with an 84-63 win over Long Beach State. The difference in the game was the Devils first half defensive effort. That effort held Long Beach State to 29.4 percent from the field and 25 points. Duke looked a little lethargic in the second half but picked up the defense towards the end of the half assuring an easy victory.
The Duke upperclassmen came to play tonight as senior captain Jon Scheyer led the way with 19 points and 7 assists and once again had no turnovers. His back court mate Nolan Smith added 19 points and 7 assists and he too did not commit a turnover.
Kyle Singler scored just three second half points, but tallied 14 for the game to go with 9 rebounds. Brian Zoubek continued to play within himself and that translated into a double double of 10 points and 12 boards. Fellow senior Lance Thomas finished the game with 10 points.
Duke played a total of eleven players but the bench saw little action in the second half in that the Devils would outscore the visitor by a single point.
The Blue Devils were tough on the offensive boards scoring 22 points on put backs and for the most part neutralized any inside games from the Beach as they are called by their own fans.
Duke also outrebounded the visitor by a 44-36 margin and the team had a season high ten blocks in the contest with freshman Mason Plumlee leading the way with four. Duke is 9-0 when they garner more boards than their opponent.
Duke extended it's non conference winning streak in Cameron to 75 straight games. Duke was on fire from the three point stripe going 15 of 26 giving them four games with 10 or more treys.
The Devils will next play the Penn Quakers on New Years Eve in a game which starts at 6:00 EST. Stay tuned for the BDN Locker Room Report with interviews from Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer.
[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.
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 (3-0), ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll and eighth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Radford (2-0) on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3:00 p.m. Saturday’s contest will be shown live on GoDuke.com Inside Access with Reese Edwards and John Roth calling the action.
The Last Time Out
Duke posted its 71st consecutive non-conference home win on Tuesday with a 101-59 decision over Charlotte at Cameron Indoor Stadium. With the win, Duke advanced to the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 25-27) at Madison Square Garden.
Junior Nolan Smith made his season debut against the 49ers, scoring a career-high 24 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jon Scheyer added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win, while Kyle Singler added 17 points.
Sophomore Miles Plumlee posted career-highs in points (15), rebounds (11), assists (2) and steals (2) on Saturday. Brian Zoubek came off the bench to score nine points and match a career-high with 13 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.
Six different Blue Devils made three-pointers against Charlotte as the team went 12-of-21 (.571) from deep in the contest.
Series History
Duke is 1-0 all-time against Radford with a 99-63 win in Lexington, Ky., on March 13, 1998 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Numbers Game
l The Blue Devils have won an NCAA-best 71 consecutive non-conference home games.
l Duke has won 31 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 14 straight games and are 27-9 all-time against Big South opponents. Duke posted a 74-49 win over Big South foe Coastal Carolina on Monday.
l Duke is 49-14 when ranked ninth in the AP poll. The Blue Devils have won eight straight games when ranked No. 9 in the country.
l The Blue Devils are 99-10 in the month of November under Coach K. Duke has won 19 straight games in the month, dating back to a Nov. 21, 2006 loss to Marquette.
l Junior Nolan Smith went 9-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, in a career-best 24-point effort against Charlotte. Smith missed the first two games of the season while serving a suspension for a violation of rules pertaining to summer league participation.
l Sophomore Miles Plumlee and senior Brian Zoubek combined for 24 points and 24 rebounds in 40 minutes of action in the win over Charlotte. The post duo is averaging 21.7 points and 17.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 64.3 percent (27-of-42) from the floor, for the season.
l Jon Scheyer has 14 assists and zero turnovers in 103 minutes of action on the year. The Northbrook, Ill., native has a 1.78:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in 107 career games.
l Sophomore Miles Plumlee is averaging 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game after recording 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game a year ago. He has scored in double figures in all three games this season and registered his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds on Tuesday against Charlotte.
l Junior Kyle Singler had 17 points on Tuesday and has now scored in double figures in 18 straight games dating back to last season. Overall, Singler has reached 10 or more points scored in 62 of 74 career games.
l The Blue Devils have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in two of three games this season. Duke is 421-30 under Coach K when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field.
l Duke has limited its last two opponents to 31.3 percent shooting (36-of-115) from the field. The Blue Devils also held Coastal Carolina and Charlotte to 11-of-38 (.290) shooting from behind the three-point arc.
l The Blue Devils are averaging 39.3 points in the paint per game and own a +17.3 points per game edge on interior scoring of the year. Duke has scored 40 or more points in the paint in two of its first three games.
l Jon Scheyer (1,397 points) and Kyle Singler (1,120 points) are the highest returning career scoring tandem in the ACC with 2,517 career points. The duo is averaging 36.0 points per game on the season.
Durham, N.C. - The Blue Devils had little trouble of disposing of a winless Pennsylvania Quaker team, routing the outmatched opponent by a score of 114-55. Duke ends the decade as the winningest team in college basketball. In fact, their 294 wins are the most in any decade which is quite a milestone.
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