Tag Archives: BDN

Duke Basketball

Duke grinds out a 67-58 win over VCU, advance to Battle in Atlantis title game

Lance King Images for BDN

Somewhere along the way for teams hoping to play deep into March, you have to prove you can win a grinder style game against a good team and the Duke Blue Devils did that today.

While it is certainly too early to say how they'll look come March, Duke has surely showed they are up to the task against a challenging early season schedule where they continue to have success. Duke beat a solid Virginia Commonwealth team 67-58 to advance to the championship game of the Battle for Atlantis.

The Blue Devils did so and have won games to date with much improved defensive play and that side of the ball held the Rams to 32% shooting from the floor and chased them off the three point stripe after half time adjustments.

But the key adjustment was getting Mason Plumlee involved more in the post and Krzyzewski seemingly tapped the right buttons for he came out a different player scoring two early inside baskets while rebounding better. Plumlee finished the game with another double-double with a team high 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Another reason Duke will head to the championship game has been the play of Quinn Cook who entered the starting lineup three games ago.

Cook combined with Rasheed Sulaimon to fend off the Rams defense which is appropriately named "Havoc," from constant pressure and traps. Cook scored 9 points but more importantly dished out 9 assists and got his teammates the ball in the right position against a tough defense.

The aforementioned Sulaimon also helped the Blue Devils with 7 rebounds from his guard position and those were nig on a night when Duke struggled a bit on the glass. Sulaimon added 12 points and the Blue Devils ended the game with four players in double figures.

One of those players was senior Seth Curry who 15 points and knocked down 9 of 10 free throws. In fact, the prowess Duke showed from the free throw line was a difference maker where they went 24 of 27 which translates to 88.9%, a coaches dream.

Duke also benefited from 5 blocked shots produced by Ryan Kelly and one of those came at a most key momentum that killed a VCU run. Kelly finished the game with 11 points and 4 rebounds.

Another key stat for Duke was their ability to protect the ball against pressure. Few teams will commit just 8 turnovers against VCU this season and Duke was able to weather the storm.

Duke also dished out 14 assists to the Rams 4 and closed the rebounding deficit to 6 with many of those coming down the stretch.

While this might not have been the prettiest of wins, it was a solid one for Duke who goes to 5-0 on the season.

Krzyzewski and Duke made good half time adjustments and implemented their will to get to the fre throw stripe and get Plumlee going inside. They played VCU style ball in the 1st half but Duke ball in the second and that flip was the difference.

The Blue Devils will need a lot of rest before they play either Missouri or Louisville, two deep and active teams tomorrow. Duke played just seven players in their win over the Rams and the starters got the bulk of the minutes.

Duke Basketball

Blue Devils shoot lights out to defeat Minnesota

The Duke Blue Devils pushed their season record to 4-0 with an 89-72 win over Minnesota in their opening game in the Battle for Atlantis Tournament. Seth Curry led the way for Duke by scoring 25 points and Mason Plumlee added 20 points and 17 rebounds as the Blue Devils advanced to play Virginia Commonwealth tomorrow evening at 7:00 on the NBC Sports Channel.

Blue Devils shoot lights out

Duke shot a solid 54.5% from the field but a whopping 80% from beyond the three point arc, where they went 8 for 10. Duke also made a very acceptable 21 of 26 from the free throw stripe. If Duke continues to shoot like this, they'll be tough to beat.

Starters played like starters

Duke got all but two of its points from its starters.  Three bench players saw significant action, but only Amile Jefferson scored late in the contest. Alex Murphy played the final mop-up minute. The Blue Devils will surely need more production from the bench to advance to the championship game in the stacked Battle for Atlantis field.

Quinn Cook starts and plays well

Sophomore PG Quinn Cook looked really comfortable on the court today, and his play was key to the Blue Devils win. Cook seems to play better when he starts and today he tossed in a career-high 17 points to go with 4 assists and 3 rebounds.  But it was his defense, including 5 steals, which most impressed. His off-balance three-pointer at the end of the first half gave Duke solid momentum as well.

Mason Plumlee dominated the paint

Huge numbers once again from the increasingly efficient Mason Plumlee, who was robbed of ACC Player of the Week honors in the opinions of many. Plumlee went 8 for 10 from the free throw stripe and finished with 20 points and a whopping 17 rebounds. Mason has established himself as a clear ACC POY candidate early on, and he is earning early consideration for national honors.

The recap

Duke started slow but as the game went on they looked poised against what Tubby Smith has termed his best team at Minnesota. The Blue Devils offense was amazingly proficient, but they also continued to show signs of playing much better defense than a season ago. There is no doubt that Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski is treating the tournament in the Bahamas as a business trip, and several media members noticed, as they mentioned his focus and intensity this week. Duke will play two more teams on Paradise Island, and they'll both play much different styles than the Gophers.  No matter the opponent in this loaded Battle for Atlantis field, the experience gained will help big time when the Blue Devils begin ACC play.  Duke played very well today and Coach Krzyzewski is surely pleased to see that his three seniors continue to lead.  There is no word as to the status of Seth Curry's nagging leg injury or whether he is likely to recover in time to play significant minutes tomorrow against VCU.

Duke Basketball

BDN Post Game Interview with Mason Plumlee who scores a Career High 28 points

Mason Plumlee was praised by Coach Krzyzewski in the post game in that he scored a career high 28 points in a most efficient manner in the Blue Devils 88-67 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday evening.  Plumlee went 9 of 11 from the field and 10 of 11 from the free throw stripe in one of his better games in Durham.  Blue Devil Nation Video caught up to the star Blue Devil after the game, so check out what he had to say -

Duke Football

Duke Football Still Has Plenty to Play For

There is plenty yet to play for Duke Football despite it's loss to Georgia Tech in a game which cost them any hope of winning the Coastal Division in the ACC.

Coming into the season, few thought the Blue Devils would be bowl eligible and those few that did projected nothing more than a .500 mark and or a 6-6 record.

Miami travels to Durham next week in the home finale for the Blue Devils and while the ACC only recognizes head to head tie breakers for the division title, a win would guarantee Duke a 3rd place finish with the same concept.

If Virginia Tech were to stumble against Virginia, then Duke would finish in 2nd place. Either scenario is a show of extreme progress for a bowl starved program and one the staff can point to on the recruiting trail.

A win over the Hurricanes would also give Duke a 7-5 mark, a winning season and the most wins for the program since 1994 and considering Duke was unlucky enough to draw Florida State and Clemson from the other division on their schedule, this would be quite an accomplishment.

Let's not forget how a win might possibly help with a bowl scenario as well. Duke for all intents and purposes probably out of the running for the Chic Fil A Bowl but a win still makes them a much more attractive invite.

And depending on other results, Duke still has an outside chance for the slot in Atlanta.

With a victory, Duke may well secure a berth in the Music City Bowl in New Years Eve in Nashville against a tough Vanderbilt team from the SEC. or perhaps Missouri.

That is more attractive to the fan side of me than say, the Belk Bowl in Charlotte which would be the likely destination if they were to finish with a loss and go 6-6.

While the Sun Bowl is El Paso, Texas is still a possibility, my feeling is that playing to be closer to home for the overall fan base is something worth playing for as well.

And then there is still the a chance for Orlando but a win on Saturday against Miami guarantees more varied opportunities

If that weren't enough incentive for Duke Football and the fan base which will need to turn out on a Thanksgiving Holliday weekend where the students are for the most part gone for the break, then maybe setting a few more records in Wallace Wade are in order.

Sean Renfree and Conner Vernon are still setting school and ACC marks and there is a chance for records to fall. I am sure their teammates want to reward these two seniors.

Speaking of seniors, this will be the last game for a bevy of them in Wallace Wade, so a send off with a win is in order for the class that brought Duke Football back to relevance.

Another thing Duke will be playing for is a break through win. The last time Duke beat Miami was in the year 1976. To put that into perspective, I was starting high school and many of you reading this were not even born.

The Duke program could use a win over what is still considered a storied program in Miami, a former football power that is still significant today and one playing for the division crown.

I had the chance to visit Coach David Cutcliffes office a couple of times over the years and when there I always look at those breakthrough commemorative footballs he has displayed.

I have covered Duke Football in each of those wins starting with his first over James Madison when the program was starved for anything positive.

There is also one for his first ACC win over Virginia in that Duke was not even competitive in conference when Cutcliffe arrived in Durham. Then there is one for a road win over N.C. State, a rare thing for a program until recently.

I am pretty certain without another visit to Cutcliffes' digs that a Wake Forest game ball was added in that the victory this season broke a long streak.

And surely there is a game ball for the win over rival North Carolina where Duke fans were elated that their team ended a long streak and brought the Victory Bell back to Durham for a year.

So, yes, Duke has plenty left to play for  when Miami comes to town and there is no short-changing how important a victory would be for the seniors who turned the programs fortunes around.

Duke Basketball

BDN’s Duke Basketball Notebook – A look back at Kentucky win and a look ahead

In this week's BDN Duke Basketball Notebook,, we take a look back at the Blue Devils' huge win over Kentucky and look ahead to what's up next. Duke pushed their record to 2-0 on the young season with a 75-68 win over the defending national champs and while of course it's still very early, some trends seem to be developing.

Duke defense much improved

Duke's defense last season was perhaps the worst its been in a decade or so. There was little doubt that a program which has taken great pride in this area would make adjustments in the off-season. Each year, Coach Mike Krzyzewski gets together with his staff to assess the roster and implement a plan for the season to come. Whatever strategic or tactical tweaks they made on the defensive end, as well as the motivational tools they chose, have worked well to date. The Blue Devils held Kentucky to 68 points, and they scored 18 critical points off turnovers in the high-profile win. Going into the game, Nerlens Noel was billed as a Shot Blocker Supreme and, having seen him play 20 or more time on the AAU circuit, I can tell you he is one of the best swat masters I've ever seen. Noel had 3 of Kentuckky's four blocks in the game. But the Blue Devils had six rejections of their own; three of those were from Ryan Kelly and two by Mason Plumlee. Kelly played his position well, and looks to have really imnproved on the defensive end. Each of the senior co-captain's swats came at a key moment in the game, and made the Wildcats re-think going at him. And for the record, Kelly also led Duke in steals with three of the team's six. Plumlee was mired in foul trouble in the 2nd half, yet still established himself as an anchor in the post. It's a safe bet that he'd have had even more impressive numbers were it not for having to sit for some key stretches.

Great minutes from Josh Hairston

The Blue Devils got 14 very efficient minutes from junior forward Josh Hairston, as he scored 5 points to go with 5 rebounds. His put-backs on a couple of misses in the paint were crucial in the Blue Devils' ability to hold off a big second-half Wildcats run. But what may have gone unnoticed is the solid defensive postioning he used against the much taller and longer Nerlens Noel that kept the Kentucky big man away from the basket.

Sulaimon struggled with his shot but little else

True freshman Rasheed Sulaimon went just 3 of 14 from the floor, finishing with 10 points, but nine of those came on three-pointers. Rasheed's defensive presence is much evident, as he is generally checking the opponent's best guard. Sulaimon also dished a team-high 5 assists, and his quickness helped him grab 6 rebounds from the guard spot. None of this surprises me, having followed Sulaimon and his high school and AAU career, and many media members I chatted with agree that he will only get better as time goes on. Sulaimon is an unselfish player, perhaps even too much so, which prompted Coach Krzyzewski to say in our post-game interview after the season opener that Rasheed needed to look for his shot more.

High profile wins are good wins

Any time you win a game like the Duke-Kentucky battle on the big stage, it's an accomplishment to be cherished. For the fans, it means bragging rights, and in reality these games are designed for them as much as they are for the coaches, though the coaches do get an early season barometer of what kind of team they really have. This win will look good in March, and let's face it, on the recruiting trail as well. Kentucky has pushed the NCAA rules to the limit in creating a factory to provide players a one-year pit stop to the NBA while Duke is still very much about education and basketball. So showing your style of doing things -- and still getting the wins -- is a big deal, and a statement to prospects around the country. The Wildcats are unapologetic for the way they do things these days, and fans turn a blind eye because they're winning, but Duke proved its staying power as well, and that one should never count out this program out.

Speaking of recruiting

Matt Jones, a 6-4 shooting specialist from DeSoto, Texas and Semi Ojeleye, a solid prospect from Kansas will soon be Blue Devils when the ink dries from signing day. The Blue Devils other target is the much heralded Jabari Parker who will likely make his decision this December which of course is right around the corner. So crank up the rumor mill and try to cipher through the muck or join Blue Devil Nation Premium where we will tell you just the facts. The aforementioned Jones can flat out shoot the rock and has length at 6-4 and his game has improved each of the many times I have seen him play. He'll be in the Triangle later this year, but more on that later. Semi Ojeleye has a college ready body already and he provides many options for Krzyzeski in that they do not really have a player like him on the roster. Both young men have very high character, a Duke trait and they will both be welcomed additions in Cameron.

Florida Gulf Coast up next

While fans want to hang onto the win over Kentucky, it is early in the season and all must move forward. My bet is Krzyzewski and company have already made the player aware of this and turned their attention to Sunday for the Florida Gulf Coast game in a game which has a brutal 8:00 start. I say brutal because, Sunday games are notoriously the roughest on the student athletes and Kyrzewski has lobbied for no later than 7:00 starts. Anyhow, the opponent comes in 1-1 and they beat Miami handily in their last outing, so attention is warranted. The Canes of course were picked in the ACC's upper tier on media day, so the opponent is capable of pulling off a win on the road under the right circumstances. But my bet is that Duke will be energized and players will step up for a solid win going into the incredibly challenging Battle for Atlantis I'm generally not he type to look ahead but Duke will open in the Bahamas with a veteran Minnesota team just outside the rankings and then face the winner of Virginia Commonwealth and Memphis. They may then run directly into the other highly ranked team from Kentucky, Louisville. But first things fist for Duke and they've rarely been caught looking ahead during Coach K's tenure.