Durham, N.C.- We ironed out the tech issues, so here is the audio with Mason Plumlee after Duke defeated Wake Forest 90-70.
Just press play -
And here is the audio from Nolan Smith who ended the game with 20 points after a slow start -
Gabcast! Blue Devil Nation #0 - smith wf
Game 17
Duke (14-2, 2-1 ACC)
vs. Wake Forest (12-3, 2-1 ACC)
Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 l 8:00 p.m. l FSN
Cameron Indoor Stadium l Durham, N.C.
The Opening Tip
Duke (14-2, 2-1 ACC), ranked eighth in the AP poll and seventh in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Wake Forest (12-3, 2-1 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 8:00 p.m. Sunday’s game will air on FSN with Tim Brando, Mike Gminski and Jenn Hildreth calling the action.
The Last Time Out
Duke is coming off a 79-59 win over Boston College at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. The Blue Devils broke the game open with a 16-2 run to start the second half after leading 38-35 at intermission.
Junior Nolan Smith matched a career high with 24 points to go along with four assists and three steals. He was 9-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line in the contest.
Kyle Singler recorded his 15th career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win. He also added three steals in the contest. Senior Jon Scheyer and sophomore Miles Plumlee each recorded 12 points for the Blue Devils.
Senior Brian Zoubek registered a game-high 11 rebounds as Duke posted a 40-27 edge on the glass. The Blue Devils grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, including five each by Zoubek and Singler.
Duke made just 1-of-12 three-point field goals, but finished 27-of-48 (.563) from inside the arc in the contest. The Blue Devils also shot 81.5 percent (22-of-27) from the free throw line to secure the win.
Numbers Game
After a tough road loss to Georgia Tech, Duke is looking to regroup at home against Boston College Eagles on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils are well aware at how important it is to win at home in the ACC this season and they'll surely come out with a lot of fire in an effort to avoid a second straight loss.
One of the keys will be for the Duke front court to establish themselves offensively in not only this game, but the remainder of the season.
To date, Duke has done an admirable job by committee with their front court and it is a well known fact that Krzyzewski said he will play who is playing the best of these guys from game to game.
While the Blue Devils have had solid overall production from their quartet of seniors Brian Zoubek and brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee, there is still a need for these guys to further establish their roles on the offensive end.
In short, I am talking about being more consistent scorers when opportunities are presented.
For this to happen, Duke needs further development from Mason Plumlee, a true freshman who was hampered with pre season injuries and just now getting up to game speed.
Mason grew leaps and bounds in the Georgia Tech loss and many will be watching to see if he can match that production with two ACC opponents at home this week.
It's no secret that the Duke staff feels Mason is a key cog to the Blue Devils success and as he adjusts more to the physical play and speed of the college game and he could well become the fourth go to scorer.
In a recent interview for the Blue Devil Nation Locker Room Report, Mason admitted that he needs to make simpler plays instead of the flashy ones, but he also knows his teammates have been trying to feed him for some emphatic dunks.
The youngest Plumlee gets those feeds because his teammates know what he can do.
Mason already has great chemistry with Jon Scheyer and as he adjusts to his teammates, we could see him reach his lofty potential before seasons end.
His brother Miles will play a key role as well and like Mason, Miles knows how to finish when open.
Ask any Duke player and they will tell you that Miles can jump out of the gym and that he is freaky athletic jumping over players for dunks in practice.
There is a reason Miles started as a freshman in the opener and many of this seasons games for Duke sees what he can do in practice where he seems consistently good.
In short, Miles is a very athletic big who needs to work on said consistency with his game and he has all the tools to make this happen.
If he can establish himself as more of a down low presence on the offensive where he is needed most on the scoring end for a team that is riding the play of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith; he'll become a major factor.
Another key will be when the brothers Plumlee get used to one another in the Duke system for there is no doubt they know one another well but that has yet to fully materialize on the court at the ACC level.
Seniors Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas both have the potential to score well in games.
While Zoubek isn't the most athletic big man, he is a huge presence and he has earned Krzyzewski's praise on many occasions when press members were asking about other players.
The reason being that Zoubs as he is known to his teammates, has had several games where he had or was near a double-double in scoring and rebounding in limited minutes.
As the Plumlee's develop, Zoubek and Thomas will be looked to for toughness and leadership.
There is no reason to think Zoubek cannot relish his role as a senior down the stretch and if that happens Duke will be a tough team to handle.
Zoubs senior teammate Lance Thomas is Duke's equivalent of the Energizer Bunny for the energy and hustle he brings to the court.
Thomas only knows one way to play and that is all out, but that can get him into some tough situations as was seen when he fouled out against Georgia Tech.
Granted, Thomas draws the some of the toughest defensive assignments each game, but he will need stay in contests down the stretch.
While he is not depended on the score a lot for this team, Thomas needs to continue to take his shots with confidence after working on it so hard in the off season.
Thomas is at his best when teams overlook him on the offensive end and he will likely look to exploit that in the coming games where he has proved to come up big at times in the past in ACC games.
While Ryan Kelly gets some minutes down low, I consider him to fall into the category of a "hybrid," alongside Andre Dawkins, thus they are not discussed here.
Of course for any of these guys to progress Duke's big three [Scheyer, Singler, Smith] will have to get them the ball where they need it.
The bottom line is that Duke's front court is still a work in progress and as they become accustomed to one another even more, they will surely get better.
And it'll be important that Duke gets offensive production from them when the teams shooters go cold.
It 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.
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.
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).
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