BDN caught up to Duke All American Kyle Singler after Duke defeated St. Louis on Saturday. Singler talks of stepping up in the absence of Kyrie Irving, the season to date and more ...
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The Kyrie Irving-less Duke Blue Devils coasted past St. Louis with a lockdown defensive effort and walked away with a 84-47 victory pushing their season record to 10-0. Duke was led by their senior duo of Kyle Singlerand Nolan Smith who combined for 43 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals.
Nolan Smith findng his comfort zone at the PG position
Nolan Smith played his second full game at the point guard position and he told BDN he was much more comfortable in the role in the lockerroom which you can hear via BDN audio shortly. Smith tallied 22 points and a team high 5 assists to go withhis 2 steals. The senior Smith took it upon himself to rise to the occasion today with his play.
Kyle is Kyle
Singler played like a senior as well grabbing a board or nailing a jumper when Duke needed one. Singler told BDN he was really enjoying his senior season and that he looked forward to finishing it up with a bang. We have some good audio with Singler coming as well. Singler has now started 78 consecutive games at Duke and his 120 career starts ties him at 11th on the all time list. Klyle passed Shelden Williams and Grant Hill on Duke's All Time Leading Scorers list in today's win. His 3 steals were a season high.
31-4
Duke scored 31 points off turnovers and they continue withtheir emphasis on defense in the four December games. Remember, we told you not one single Duke opponent would score in the 60's this month and thanks to the Blue Devils, they're making me a prophet. Duke held the Billikens to 1 made three point field goal.
Great game for Josh Hairston
Duke freshman Josh Hairston scored his first career double figure scoring game at Duke with 12 points off the bench. Add 4 rebounds and 2 steals and he had his best game in a Duke uniform statistically. Interestingly, Josh was the program cover boy today and we'll have a nice one on one interview coming from the Virginia native tomorrow. Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins praised his effort in the post game press conference.
Speaking of Collins ...
Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins filled in for Coach K today who had family matters to attend to and he was a natural. Collins is never short for an answer and he bounces them back with little pondering. It is plain to see that he will one day be at the podium as a head coach.
On Kyrie ...
It's wait and see according to Collins and the powers that be will access his condition when the cast is removed. No firm timelines have been set as of yet. I still feel good about his return, call it a somewhat educated hunch, but it is nothing more than that. Irving cheered from the sideline on his crutches and laughed it up with teammates as the game became out of reach for the visitors.
Miles Plumlee just short of a double-double
Miles dropped 9 points and snagged 9 rebounds which was just shy of a double-double. We told you that Duke would take December to get Seth Curry and Miles going and so far, it is working out wonderfully for Miles. Let's not forget Miles 2 steals either. Meanwhile, his brother Mason got just 11 minutes of play and we look for him to get back in the groove when Duke takes on Elon nine days from now.
Next up, exams and Christmas break
Many students were studying for exams this week and it showed in the crowd, but the Crazies who were there did a good job of cheering. The Duke players will now concentrate fully on exams before they get back to action on December the 20th in a game which even fewer students will be in the stands. With the win over Elon, Coach K ties Dean Smith atop the All Time NCAA win list and that means he breaks Smith's record in Greensboro on December 29th which is quite a milestone. Have you got your tickets yet? They're still available.
Additional Notes - Today was the 200thtime Duke played as a number one ranked team. Duke now has 83 straight home wins over non conference opponents in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the longest such streak in the country. Duke has won 52 straight games int he month of December. Duke has scored 80 or more points in 8 straight games now. Without further ado, here are Coach Chris Collins post game comments vis BDN Audio -
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Game 8 l Carquest Auto Parts Classic [1 AP / 1 Coaches] Duke (7-0) vs. Butler (4-2)
Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010 • 3:15 p.m.
The Opening Tip• Duke faces Butler on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 3:15 p.m. (EST) in the Carquest Auto Parts Classic at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
• The game is being televised by ESPN with Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Doris Burke (sideline) calling the action.
• Duke is ranked No. 1 in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, while Butler is unranked in both polls.
• The Blue Devils enter the contest 7-0 on the year, while the Bulldogs are 4-2 overall.
• Duke has won 17 consecutive games entering Saturday’s contest.
• The Blue Devils are looking to open the season 8-0 for the 16th time under Coach K.
• Saturday’s game marks a rematch of the 2010 NCAA Championship game. Duke earned its fourth NCAA title with a 61-59 win over Butler.
Duke at the Meadowlands (Izod Center)• Duke and head coach Mike Krzyzewski are 18-1 all-time at the Meadowlands.
• The Blue Devils have won 11 consecutive games at the Meadowlands dating back to a 77-75 loss to Arizona on Feb. 26, 1989.
• Duke is 10-0 in NCAA Tournament games and 8-1 in regular season games in East Rutherford, N.J.
Duke vs. the Horizon League• Duke is 9-1 all-time against teams currently in the Horizon League.
• The Blue Devils have won seven straight games against Horizon League opposition.
• Mike Krzyzewski is 7-0 at Duke against Horizon League opponents.
• Duke has a +18.3 scoring margin versus the Horizon League with six wins by 20 or more points.
Numbers Game
l Mike Krzyzewski is one win shy of matching Adolph Rupp for third place on the all-time coaching wins list. Coach K enters Saturday’s game with 875 career wins.l The Blue Devils have won 17 consecutive games dating back to a 79-72 loss at Maryland on March 3, 2010. Duke has won 25 of its last 26 games overall.
l Duke has won 34 consecutive games against teams outside the traditional power conferences (Big Ten, Big East, SEC, ACC, PAC 10, Big 12). Virginia Commonwealth’s 79-77 win over Duke in the 2007 NCAA Tournament was the Blue Devils’ last loss to a team from a non-power conference.
l The Blue Devils have won 16 straight neutral site games dating back to a 77-54 loss to Villanova in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
l Duke has trailed a total of 3:00 this season. The Blue Devils have not trailed in the final 30 minutes of any game and have not trailed by more than two points this season.l Senior Nolan Smith leads the ACC with 18 straight double-figure scoring games. He has scored 10 or more points in 31 of the last 32 games for the Blue Devils.
l Duke’s starting backcourt of Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving combines to average 33.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game. The tandem is also shooting 53.0 percent (79-of-149) from the floor. Smith and Irving have both reached double-figures in scoring in all seven games this season.
l Duke has scored 80 or more points in six games this season. The Blue Devils have won 21 consecutive games when scoring 80+ points. Duke is 488-46 under Coach K when scoring 80 or more points in a game.
l Sophomore Mason Plumlee has three double-doubles and has grabbed 10 or more rebounds four times this season. Plumlee is averaging 13.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 steals per game in the last four contests.
l Senior Kyle Singler is expected to make his 118th career start on Saturday. Duke is 99-18 with Singler in the starting lineup. Singler’s .846 winning percentage as a starter at Duke is the fourth-best in school history.
l Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are combining to average 53.8 points per game over the last four contests. l Duke is the only team in the ACC with more than one player ranked in the top 10 in scoring. Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving are tied for fourth at 16.9 points per game, while Kyle Singler ranks seventh at 16.0 ppg.
l Freshman Kyrie Irving ranks in the top 10 of the ACC in six statistical categories (scoring, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio).
l Duke has forced 20 or more turnovers four times this season. The Blue Devils are averaging 25.3 points per game off turnovers.
l The Blue Devils are averaging 49.0 points per game in the second half of play this season. Duke is shooting 55.5 percent (111-of-200) from the field, including 56.5 percent (39-of-69) from three-point range, over the final 20 minutes of action.
l Senior Kyle Singler is averaging 18.3 points per game while shooting 48.6 percent (18-of-37) from the field and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three-point range in neutral site games this season.
DURHAM - Fresh off his trip home to Oregon, Duke's Kyle Singler took time to address the media before tomorrow's heavyweight match up with Michigan State. BDN was on the scene and here are Singler's comments -
The Duke Blue Devils football team closed out the season with a 24-19 loss to North Carolina while the men's basketball team headed to Singler-ville bringing home a win over Oregon this past week. This week the football staff starts concentrating on recruiting while the men's team prepares for Michigan State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge and we discuss all of this and more in our latest Monday Musings offering.
Good homecoming for Kyle Singler
Duke took care of business in Portland after spending time with Team Singler, aka, his family. Singler dropped 30 points, his career high in the win over Oregon but the feeling here is that he will break that tally again. Unless you've been sleeping under a rock you know that Singlers family is very athletic and competitive and Kyle who grew up watching film on Celtic great Larry Bird could be at the top of the list.
Another test awaits the Blue Devils
Okay, it's no secret that this years edition of the Duke Men's Basketball team is loaded with talent and each game is a lesson for the long season to come. On Wednesday evening Michigan State the consensus pre season #2 rated team comes into Cameron in a game that will have the place rocking. The fact that the Spartan's dropped an early season game will only make them tougher and they're getting healthy after some nagging injuries. Duke will face a team deep enough to challenge their depth and present some pressure on the defensive end. The bottom line is that Michigan State is the best team Duke will have played to date andwill be one of the best teams they play all season long. Many feel the two will eventually run into each other for a second time come March Madness.
As I said, it's a long season ahead
The media will continue to build Duke up after every win eventually claiming them to be unbeatable should they continue their winning ways. I feel Duke is the nations best team in November but the season has four solid months to go and lots of things can happen along the way. We are also hearing chirping of the team going undefeated and all I can say to that is temper your expectations for it will not happen. Still, Duke should develop along the way and it is frightening to think of what they'll look like come seasons end should their chemistry be intact.
Meanwhile Coach K keeps knocking down wins
Count from one to eight hundred and one and tell me how ridiculous that is when you think each number that rolls off your tongue is a victory for Mike Krzyzewski. We'll drop you a hint that the UNC-Greensboro game could be one for the record books for if all goes as planned that will be the one where a huge milestone is set. Can you figure out what that milestone will be? And for what it's worth Coach K is so far ahead of other active coaches in weeks he's spent as the nations top ranked team that it's not even worth mentioning how far Roy Williams is behind him and the Heels coach is in 2nd.
Football season comes to an end
Duke finishes the season at 3-9 but they lost four ACC games by a touchdown or less. I don't think Cutcliffe and company will worry with that more than getting the team physically stronger. The goal is to realy hit the weight room hard at certain positions, reevaluate team personnel and acclimate newcomers into a solid group of returning players. Next season will be the first year Cutcliffe has all of his players on the roster for the first time.
Sean Renfree
After a season of learning, look for Duke quarterback Sean Renfree to come back with a vengeance. Renfree is the kind of kid that'll work his butt off in the off season and don't look now, but he will be one of the most experienced signal callers in the league as other schools break in new players at his position.
Let's take a peek at next seasons schedule
The crowd was enthusiastic and cheered on both the Blue Devils and the Ducks; however, when Kyle Singler was introduced the arena exploded with roaring applause from everyone in attendance, which was only upstaged by the standing ovation Singler received when Coach Krzyzewski removed him from the game with five minutes left to play. Obviously, this was Kyle’s game. And he did not disappoint.
Singler is smooth as silk. When he curls off a screen, catches a pass, and knocks down a 3-point basket, it appears to be one continuous fluid action. The running, catching, and shooting the ball are not three separate events they are a single entity connected by Singler's smoothness of effort. He is an artist and the basketball court is his canvass.
Kyrie Irving seems to be unstoppable when he decides to attack the rim. He is quick, splits defenders with ease, and takes the ball to the basket in multiple ways. Moreover, his accuracy from the perimeter makes it impossible for defenders to back off and focus on cutting off his opportunity to drive. Irving is a special talent.
One of Coach John Wooden’s famous sayings is, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” This saying describes Irving’s on court performance perfectly.
The improvement in Andre Dawkins’ game really stands out when you are watching from courtside. His comfort level is obvious as you can see he is not pressing but allowing the game to come to him. Yesterday he scored 14 points with ease on 4-7 shooting on 3-point baskets. On defense, he was in control of his assignments with solid positioning, fighting through screens, or seamless switches.
Dawkins is always prepared to shoot before the ball is passed to him. He caught a pass, in the second half, on the right wing in front of my seat, and let the ball fly with perfect spin. Watching Dawkins’ sweet stroke up close was worth the three hour drive to Portland.
On court communication between the Duke players really stood out. The guys were constantly talking and pointing, directing each other into position on defense or encouraging a shot on offense. The difference between the levels of communication by Duke compared to Oregon cannot be overstated. Television coverage does not pick up this aspect of the game (though I must admit for full disclosure I often times mute the TV as certain broadcasters who will not be named talk too much while saying too little).
Duke fans were driven into frenzy last season and early this season by seemingly endless unnecessary fouls committed by Mason Plumlee. The last three games his silly fouls have vanished. Yesterday Mason played 29 minutes with two fouls; over two games in Kansas City, he played 65 minutes with five fouls. To utilize the oft heard description, I believe the game has slowed down for Mason Plumlee.
Mason Plumlee still has much to improve on, free throw shooting for starters, but he appears to have taken a major step in the right direction. Duke is a much better team with Mason on the court as he is both a legitimate scoring option in the post and Duke’s leading rebounder averaging 8.5 per game, which is a full three more per game than Kyle Singler’s 5.2 per game.
Yesterday, Mason, along with his older brother Miles, dominated the glass pulling in 12 and 10 rebounds respectively as Duke out rebounded Oregon 48-33. Moreover, the brothers are an intimidating force in the low post as evidenced by Mason blocking four shots with Miles adding a fifth block.
Turning to an area which caused me a slight frown from time to time, Oregon’s press bothered Duke, especially at the start of the second half, resulting in an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers by the Blue Devils. While Duke obviously struggled due to some poor passes, and the decision making which led to those passes, credit must be given to the Ducks for playing hard and beating the Blue Devils to the ball with speed.
The speed at which the game is played isn’t clearly evident when one is kicked back in a recliner with a beer in his hand taking advantage of perfect angles on a big screen television. Watching courtside you can see how fast the players must make decisions and execute those decisions.
Nolan Smith had a bit of an off game with six turnovers. It is really a testament to how great of a player Smith is when in a game where he scores 18 points, grabs six rebounds and dishes out five assists, us sideline pundits choose to talk about his six turnovers. I’m confident yesterday’s turnovers will prove to be a statistical outlier.
Oregon’s press allowed Ryan Kelly the opportunity to display his ball handling skills. It is quite impressive to see the 6’ 11” Kelly dribbling and passing the ball up the court against a high tempo defense. Kelly only attempted one field goal yesterday, but it was a beautiful 3-point basket from the top of the key. Kelly is going to bring lots of smiles to the faces of Duke fans before his career in Durham is over.
This was the first time I had watched Duke live since the Pfeiffer exhibition game last season in Cameron Indoor Stadium and overall it was a wonderful day. The Rose Garden is a wonderful venue and I hope the Blue Devils schedule another game there at some point in the future. The opportunity to watch this extremely talented team in person made this Duke fan’s season.
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