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Duke Basketball

Duke vs Miami of Ohio Game Notes

Seth Curry - Rick Crank for BDN

Game 2 • O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic 
[1 AP / 1 Coaches] Duke (1-0)  vs. Miami [Ohio] (1-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010 • 7:30 p.m.
 

The Opening TipDuke faces Miami [Ohio] on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Both teams are 1-0 on the season with Duke owning a 97-60 win over Princeton on Sunday, Nov. 14 and Miami [Ohio] topping Towson, 60-57, on Nov. 12. The game will be televised on ESPNU with Mike Patrick (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst) calling the action.
Duke-Miami [Ohio] SeriesTuesday’s game marks the first meeting between the two schools.
 
Duke vs. The MACDuke is 6-1 all-time against teams currently in the Mid-American Conference. The Blue Devils have won four straight against MAC schools.
 
O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE ClassicDuke is now 4-1 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic after topping Princeton, 97-60, on Sunday. The Blue Devils went 3-1 in 2006, losing to Marquette in the championship game, 73-62. The Blue Devils also play Marquette on Nov. 22 in Kansas City, Mo., followed by a game on Nov. 23 against either Kansas State or Gonzaga.
Numbers Game
l The Blue Devils opened the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the seventh time in school history. Duke has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll in an NCAA-best 15 different season under Coach K.
l Including Tuesday's game, Duke has played more games (192) when ranked No. 1 in the AP poll than as an unranked team (141) under Coach K.l Duke has only lost two home games in the past three seasons, posting a record of 49-2 in Cameron Indoor Stadium during that span. The Blue Devils currently have a 20-game win streak at home.
l The Blue Devils have won an NCAA-best 78 consecutive non-conference home games. The last home loss against a non-conference opponent for the Blue Devils was on Feb. 26, 2000 against St. John’s, 83-82.
l Duke has won 23 consecutive games in November, dating back to a 73-62 loss to Marquette in the championship game of the 2006 CBE Classic. The Blue Devils are 103-10 all-time in the month of November under Coach K.
l Duke's backcourt players combined for 68 points, 19 assists and 11 three-point field goals in the win over Princeton. The starting guard tandem of Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving delivered 39 points and 15 assists.
l The Blue Devils recorded an assist on 72.2 percent of their made field goals (26-of-36) in the season opener against Princeton. Duke had 13 assists on 16 first half field goals. l Duke has won 32 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 Senior Nolan Smith leads the ACC with 11 straight double-figure scoring games. He has scored 10 or more points in 25 of the last 26 games for the Blue Devils.
l Nolan Smith (22), Kyrie Irving (17) and Kyle Singler (16) combined for 55 points in the season opener. Jon Scheyer, Singler and Smith comprised the highest-scoring trio in the NCAA a year ago at 53.3 points per game.
l Duke’s 97 points scored on Sunday were the most points allowed by Princeton since a 103-76 loss to North Carolina on Dec. 31, 1968.l All 10 Blue Devils that played on Sunday scored at least one basket with five players reaching double-figures in scoring for Duke.
l Duke’s reserves outscored the Princeton bench 35-16 in the season opener. Sophomore guards Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins paced the bench scoring attack with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
l The Blue Devils took four charges on Sunday against Princeton. Ryan Kelly, Miles Plumlee, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith each took a charge in Duke’s win over the Tigers.
l Senior Kyle Singler has made at least one three-point field goal in 67 of the last 77 games for the Blue Devils. He was 2-of-3 on Sunday and now has an ACC-high (among active players) 207 three-pointers.
l The Blue Devils forced 27 Princeton turnovers in the season opener, which marks the first time that Duke has forced over 25 or more turnovers in a game since Jan. 14, 2009 when they forced 28 against Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils scored 36 points off the turnovers on Sunday and had a +24 points edge that category.

Duke Football

BDN’s Boston College at Duke Football Preview

Boston College is looking to shut down the Duke recieving corps - BDN Photo, Rick Crank

The Blue Devils (3-6, 1-4 ACC) host an unfamiliar ACC opponent on Saturday in Boston College (4-5, 2-4 ACC). The game will be televised on espn3.com, but tickets are still available from the Duke Ticket Office for local fans. The festivities will begin at 9:45 AM with the Blue Devil Walk, and the game will kickoff at 12 noon in Wallace Wade Stadium. BDN breaks down the ACC matchup between two teams riding 2-game winning streaks after struggling early.

Duke in Week 10

The Blue Devils outlasted the Virginia Cavaliers, 55-48 in a thriller last Saturday in Durham. Keith Payne scored for UVA with 2:28 remaining to give the Cavaliers a 48-47 lead. Sean Renfree led the Blue Devils on an impressive comeback drive, including a clutch 4th and 18 conversion to Donovan Varner to put the Blue Devils into field goal territory with under a minute remaining. The role of hero was played by Desmond Scott, who had fumbled earlier in the 4th quarter. With 40 seconds remaining, the sophomore took the handoff for a 35-yard diving touchdown run along the Duke sideline. The Duke defense managed to hold off the Cavaliers in the final 40 seconds to seal the 55-48 victory. Defensively, Duke gave up over 600 total yards to Virginia, as QB Marc Verica, RB Keith Payne and WR Dontrelle Inman all had big days for the Cavaliers. CB Ross Cockrell hauled in two interceptions and S Walt Canty added a third, as the Blue Devils won the turnover battle 3-1. For Duke, the QB tandem of Renfree and Brandon Connette scored four touchdowns on the ground while adding 259 yards through the air. TE Cooper Helfet led the Duke receivers with a touchdown and over 100 yards receiving.

Boston College in Week 10

The Eagles traveled to Winston Salem and came away with a 23-13 win over Wake Forest last Saturday. Boston College jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after an interception and a 26-yard touchdown run by RB Montel Harris. The game was dominated by the Boston College defense, which forced 5 turnovers on the day and held the Demon Deacons to just 69 yards rushing. Harris continued his All-ACC caliber year with a big day on the ground, which included 36 carries for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns. Freshman QB Chase Rettig was 12/16 for 133 yards with 2 interceptions. The Eagles finished the day just 3/12 on 3rd downs and also had an extra point blocked, but the defense was able to contain the Demon Deacons.

Analysis

The Duke offense seems to have hit its stride the past two weeks, moving the ball with relative ease both through the air and on the ground, but will face a stiff test on Saturday against the Boston College defense. The Eagles are loaded with playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, led by All-American LB Mark Herzlich. Sophomore LB Luke Kuechly leads the nation in tackles with 125, for an average of 13.9 per game. Senior Alex Albright anchors the defensive front and ranks among the ACC leaders in sacks and tackles for loss. Junior CB Donnie Fletcher and sophomore CB Jim Noel have hauled in 9 interceptions between them. Overall, the defensive unit leads the country with 17 interceptions, and ranks 3rd in the country against the run, giving up just 82 yards per game on the ground.

Offensively, the Eagles have relied heavily on junior RB Montel Harris, who leads the ACC in rushing and ranks just outside the top 10 nationally at 113 yards per game. His workload has increased of late, carrying over 35 times in each of the last two games, both Boston College victories. At QB, the Eagles are less established, with a true freshman in Chase Rettig starting under center. For the season, the freshman has thrown for 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions with a 53% completion percentage in 5 career starts. His favorite targets on the year have been fellow freshman Bobby Swigert and Johnathan Coleman. The key for the Eagles has been the play of their offensive line, and with multiple starters expected to miss Saturday’s game, they will have to piece together a unit to block for Harris and protect their freshman signal-caller. In all, Boston College ranks last in the conference in points per game and last in 3rd down conversions.

This is a matchup that pretty much features strength against strength and weakness against weakness. The Eagles rank last in the ACC in scoring offense, but Duke ranks last in the ACC in scoring defense. Duke has struggled to run the ball this season, while the Eagles are third in the country in defending the run. Boston College has given up some yards through the air, but has also pulled down 17 interceptions; interceptions have really cost the Blue Devils in their losses this season. Boston College should be able to have success running the ball against a porous Duke defense, but the Blue Devils should also be able to move the ball through the air against the Eagles.

Keys to the game for Duke:

  1. 1. Sean Renfree vs. the BC defense: Boston College will try to pressure the Blue Devils into turnovers, and the sophomore QB cannot add to the Eagles’ NCAA-leading interception total.
  2. 2. Montel Harris vs. the Duke defense: Duke will have to find a way to slow down Harris enough to force BC into passing situations, where they rank last in the ACC in 3rd down conversions. Duke will look for big plays from the likes of Abraham Kromah, Kelby Brown, Charlie Hatcher, and Matt Daniels to keep Boston College’s dynamic rusher under wraps.
  3. 3. Special teams: Duke should have an advantage on special teams, where BC ranks near the bottom of the conference in kick and punt returns. Big plays on special teams will take some pressure off the Duke offense and good kick coverage will leave the Eagles with a long field.

Prediction

Boston College will look to get out to an early lead against the Blue Devils and then rely on their stingy defense to force turnovers and keep the Blue Devils out of the end zone. Duke will have its hands full trying to contain Montel Harris, and will have to pressure Rettig to force stops on 3rd down. If Renfree and the Blue Devils can continue to roll offensively, it may be difficult for the Eagles and their young QB to keep up.

Duke 31
Boston College 30

Duke Football

A happy Coach David Cutliffe talks Duke’s big win over Virginia

Big win for Coach Cutcliffe and Duke over UVA, the third straight time he has beaten them. BDN Photo, Mark Watson

DURHAM - A very happy Coach David Cutcliffe took to the podium just a short time ago and found it hard to pin point any particular player or play for there were so many which were vital to Duke's 55-48 win over Virginia.  Here are the post game comments in their entirety courtesy of BDN Audio.

Just press play -

Duke Football

Duke & Virginia Q&A Exchange

In anticipation of this Saturday’s matchup with Virginia, BDN checked in with the Sabre to get an update on the Cavaliers’ 2010 season. Kris Wright was gracious enough to entertain our questions after UVA’s big win against Miami last week.

BDN: With a new coaching staff, there are always some growing pains. What have been the biggest changes you have seen, on and/or off the field?

Kris: There is a long, long list of things that have changed over the past 11 months since Coach London was hired in December 2009. On the field, UVa has switched from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 scheme and reverted back to a pro-style offense after an experiment with the spread in recent seasons. Off the field, Coach London is much more accessible beyond his media obligations, much more forthcoming with information on things like injuries, and much more enthusiastic as a coach than we have seen in the past few seasons here at Virginia. Beyond that, the team had its highest team GPA in a decade this past spring. That’s the ‘in a nutshell’ version, but rest assured, UVa fans and the administration are very happy with how things have gone with this coaching change.

BDN: Virginia is just 3 wins away from bowl eligibility, after a total of 3 wins last year. What were your expectations for Mike London in his first year, and how would the fan base evaluate the season so far?

Kris: I wouldn’t say there were many expectations in terms of total wins, bowl chances, and the like. I think most people wanted to see progress on and off the field, but not necessarily in win totals. If you looked at the schedule before the season started, you could pick three wins out of there easily (Richmond, VMI, and Eastern Michigan) and other possible wins if things go well that week (Duke, Maryland, Boston College). Beyond that, no one was expecting anything other than improving week to week, which this team has been doing during the back half of October en route to that big win against Miami last week.

BDN: The Virginia offensive line gave up 15 sacks over the first 5 games, but just 2 sacks in the past 3 games. What has caused the improvement that has opened things up for QB Marc Verica and RB Keith Payne?

Kris: It is hard to pinpoint any specific thing other than added experience together. There was a shuffle on the line due to an injury to Landon Bradley, who was the starting left tackle but missed the past couple of games with a hand injury (he is expected to be available this week). That moved right tackle Oday Aboushi to the left side and true freshman Morgan Moses into the starter’s spot at right tackle. Overall, however, I think it’s just a gelling and growing process unfolding with the players and their new coaches.

BDN: The Cavaliers' defense has several NFL-caliber players, led by junior CB Chase Minnifield. How has this group handled the transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3? Do you think the new scheme is a better fit for the personnel?

Kris: The defense has been up and down throughout the season. It had two really good outings against Southern California and Miami, but really struggled against Florida State, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech. There have been other in-between games too. The transition issues have been turning up in the form of big plays as everyone on the schedule (except VMI) has put up a handful of big gainers and nearly everyone has put up long scoring plays too. I think that’s a sign of being over aggressive within the attacking 4-3 defense - losing pursuit angles, breaking down with rushing lanes, missing tackles, and things like that. With that said, I think the new scheme is a good fit for the personnel that UVa will be able to recruit.

BDN: Under Coach Cutcliffe, Duke has had Virginia's number, winning both of the last 2 matchups, though UVA had won the previous 8 meetings. What do you expect to see on Saturday when the Blue Devils' passing attack faces the physical Cavaliers' secondary?

Kris: Every game is about match-ups and you picked out the big one, Duke’s passing offense vs. UVa’s pass defense. I think the key there will be open field tackles, though. The Blue Devils spread it out horizontally and throw quick passes a lot so Virginia will need to be sound with one-on-one tackling duties in open space. If the Cavaliers can do that, I think they will win the match-up and I don’t think the Blue Devils’ defense is consistent enough to contain the Virginia offense on the other side.

Duke Basketball

BDN Post Game Report – Coach K comments and stat facts

Irving drives during Duke's exhibition win - Photo courtesy of Duke Photo and GoDuke.com

DURHAM - Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski was quick to praise a pesky Cal Poly Pomona team that played competitively against his number one ranked team but ultimately lost 81-60.  Krzyzewski will use the exhibition win over the defending NCAA Division II Champ as a learning tool in the young season and he's quick to point out that these Devils are not and will not play perfect baszketball.  In short, the nations top ranked team is a work in progress and Coach does not want them to peak early but instead learn one another.

Duke went on a 19-2 second half run which helped them pull away only to let the Bronco's back in the contest.  Duke who depends on the three point shot hit but 2 of 15 from behind the arc.  Duke faced a very tough and unusual match up defense and it's likely true that Krzyzewski did not allow his team to prepare for it but instead let them learn on the run.

After a 26-26 count in the paint in the first half, Duke dominated that area in the seconf half and ended up winning the battle 52-32.  In fact, the Duke defense was much better in the seond half until late in the contest.

Duke was led in scoring by Kyle Singler and Miles Plumlee with 14 points each.  Singler, the All American, scored all of his points after the break.  Kryrie Irving was in double figures with 13, while Nolan Smith added 12 and Mason Plumlee had a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Blue Devils outscored the visitors by a 30-13 margin on points off turnovers.  Duke struggled a bit from the free throw stripe going 17 out of 28.

Link to official box score

We'll have more on the game shortly but until then here is Coach Mike Krzyzewski's post game comments -

Just press play -

Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski Interview – Part III

Coach K instructs during the recent Coachs Clinic - BDN Photo

Today we present part III of our round table  interview with Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski who shares his thoughts on all things Duke Basketball. 

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