Almost. Curry heaves a late three that rolls out and Duke heads back to Durham. Lance King Photo
The Duke Blue Devils fell to Florida State 62-59 in the ACC Tournament semi finals in Atlanta, Georgia and fell to 27-6 on the season. The team will now await the NCAA selection show on Sunday to see which region they'll play in but it is pretty much a lock they'll be in Greensboro for their first one or two games.
Duke had a hard time with their bread and butter three point shots in the tournament and today they went 5 of 20 from beyond the arc. Duke almost tied the ball game on a shot at the buzzer after a defensive play, but the ball rimmed in and out for Curry. The Blue Devils managed to stay in the game with its free throw shooting where they went 16 of 18 but the Seminoles dominated the boards for most of the second half until late in the game and all the loose balls seemed to go their way in key stretches.
Luke Loucks nailed a three pointer over Josh Hairston with 12 seconds left and Duke failed to score on two possessions with the aforementioned Curry miss and another failed three from Rivers. The ACC Freshman of the Year led Duke in scoring with 17 points and Curry added 13 as the Blue Devils only two double figure scorers.
It was obvious that the Blue Devils missed Ryan Kelly and that they were at times out of synch on offense without him. Kelly can stretch the floor pulling big men out as a true three point threat. Kelly is day to day but will likely see limited action in this weeks tournament.
With Mason Plumlee saddled with foul trouble, the Seminoles took advantage in the paint outscoring Duke 34-24. That forced Miles to take on much of the load and he did grab 11 rebounds and scored 9 points. Mason ended the game with 8 points and 4 rebounds. Duke got just 9 points from their bench, 4 for Josh Hairston and 5 from Quinn Cook while Andre Dawkins continued his struggles going scoreless.
Both teams played hard with maybe the Seminoles making a bit more effort. Duke was sluggish in the 1st half and a look at the stats would make one think they had trailed by more than 2 points.
Coach Krzyzewski has done a great job with this team to date but the Blue Devils may have to tweak their offense a bit without Kelly seeing significant minutes. When Duke needed a stop tonight it just didn't come and sometimes that's just the way the ball bounces. We'll discuss that a bit later as it's now time to look forward where all teams are 0-0.
The Blue Devils survived the pesky Hokies 60-56 to advance to the semi finals where they'll take on a talented Florida State team this afternoon. In the process Duke tied the second longest streak of ACC Tournament victories at 10 consecutive wins. The Blue Devils defense was the key against the Hokies, holding their opponent to 30.2% from the field.
Duke doubled the production of the Hokies in the paint by a 24-12 margin and their fast break worked as well to a 8 to 3 rate. But Duke was just 5 of 26 from the three point stripe and that number must improve against Florida State. The Blue Devils also benefited from going 15 of 18 from the free throw line and that was a huge factor in winning their 27th game of the season.
Tyler Thornton was a vital part of the win as well, despite missing several three pointers. But the ones he did make were at key moments and he seemed to be there every time their was a loose ball, garnering 3 steals. Austin Rivers led Duke in scoring wih 17 points and Mason Plumlee played very well scoring 12 points to go with 10 rebounds.
As I hinted to earlier, Duke went small just minutes into the game, rotating the the borthers Plumlee with Ryan Kelly sidelined for the tournament. You can expect more of that today against the Semionoles winners over Miami. This will be the rubber match between these two clubs and trust me when I say the Florida State fans travelled well here and they've let their presence be known. Of course, Duke will have all the UNC fans pulling against them as well in that the Heels face rival N.C. State in t he opening game.
There is no doubt that the Duke-Florida State game is likely to go to the wire and it'll be a tense affair throughout. The Blue Devils must keep a body on the Seminoles and hold their on in the paint while hitting a better percentage from beyond the three point arc. So, pull up a chair if you think you can actually sit down during this game and root your Blue Devils on for they'll need the collective support from the fan base today.
Duke fans were a bit quiet in the arena yesterday and they'll need to pick up the support as well. We'll continue to have post game wrap ups with exclusive video and photo galleries from Lance King, so bookmark Blue Devil Nation now and go up close and personal behind the scenes. As for our prediction today, we'll take the Duke Blue Devils 66-64.
We've settled into Atlanta for the Atlantic Cost Conference Tournament andthe atmosphere is as expected. I'm currently watching the Clemson - Virginia Tech game which is tied and of course Duke will play the winner tomorrow at 7:00. Until then, here is an exclusive one on one interview with Duke Assistant Head Coach Chris Collins -
What is it like to have a week off before playing again and how does the team handle their time?
The good thing about it is it gives you an opportunity to concentrate on yourselves because a lot of times when you get into the meat of your ACC schedule, you always are thinking about the next game or scouting reports and how we're going to defend this. We've had now Monday and Tuesday and a really hard day on Wednesday, so three really good days to worry about ourselves and get back to fundamentals. Sometimes when you are playing a lot of games you don't get a chance to practice as long, so you can lose a little bit of conditioning. So it is like going back and having a mini training camp because there is no school with spring break and we can really concentrate on basketball and get physically and mentally ready.
Duke generally handles the tournament different than most schools. Can you elaborate on that and share how that works?
We always kind of break the season up in parts. You have your non conference schedule to lead and then the ACC schedule and then you put that to bed and you have the ACC tournament. We view the ACC Tournament as it's own entity. An then there is the NCAA Tournament which we treat as it's own entity as well and once the selections are made we break it up into little 4 game tournaments which is our philosophy. We feel like we're fresh and some guys are playing really well while some are struggling and we needed to start new on Monday giving them Sunday off. Everybody now has a fresh new attitude and realize we're 0-0, we throw away all the stats and everything starts new and we kind of go from there.
As a staff do you depend on the upperclassmen to share the rigors of one and done tournament basketball with the younger players?
Well, I think your players have to help. It's like anything in that you can tell somebody something but until you've experienced it (smiles) it's a whole different animal so I know our guys are going to be excited and the good thing about it when you do get a bye, the guys do get a chance to see some of the games on Thursday and kind of get a feel for the venue and how it's going to be in post season play. The same thing with being able to watch some of the conference tournaments over the last few days and you see some of these games and overtimes and the level of intensity and how much more it goes up than in the regular season. So, until the young guys go through it you don;t really know and that's when you have to rely on your veterans and having older guys who have been in big games, we hope that we can help with that.
Coach Krzyzewski finishes one vote shy of ACC Coach of the Year yet this has obviously been one of his better efforts. Do you give that any thoiught or wonder what he has to do wo win that elusive award?
You have to take that stuff with a grain of salt and that's what we tell out players and the same thing goes for coaches. You can never be concerned by things where people vote and worry about things you can control. Considering all the players we lost to the league, he's done one of his finest coaching jobs especially with the mix in this years team and guys stepping into new role ... I think he did a fantastic job, especially with our strength of schedule.
Duke freshman Austin Rivers was fresh off being named ACC Rookie of the Year when he addressed the media about the upcoming ACC Tournament, yet he credited his teammates and made it clear, winning games is the important thing. Here is another BDN Video for your viewing pleasure -
Northern Nash ATH Quay Mann could see himself playing at Duke
When Coach Cutcliffe first arrived at Duke, he placed an emphasis on speed in recruiting. Speed continues to be an emphasis on the recruiting trail, as Duke looks to add to its current crop of speedy playmakers in Durham. The Blue Devils have hosted dozens of top 2013 prospects on campus already this spring, and are in the process of extending offers to the very best student-athletes available. Dequavais Mann is a 5'9" 185 pound athlete from Northern Nash High School in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. During his junior season, Mann showed off his playmaking ability on both sides of the ball, lining up at running back, wide receiver, and cornerback. After a recent visit to Durham, Mann is hopeful that he will be one of the select prospects to receive a Duke scholarship offer. [private]
BDN: How would you describe your strengths as a player?
First, I’d have to say that I think I can give a team more at the cornerback position. I just started playing cornerback my sophomore year. I was playing running back and this year we had a young line with mostly sophomores and freshmen. Next year, I think I’ll have more of an impact on the offensive side of the ball now that we have experience. I actually got in contact with Ohio State earlier and they want me to come down to one of their one-day camps, but being that they already have a couple of cornerbacks committed, they want me to compete at the wide receiver position, so we’ll see how that goes.
BDN: Do you have a preference for a position to play in college?
I’m actually kind of open to playing anywhere. I think that having a variety of positions that I can play will make my recruiting process better, more teams can look at me. Some might need me on the defensive side of the ball, some might need me on the offensive side of the ball, so I train equally on both sides of the ball.
BDN: What are you working on this offseason as you prepare for your senior year?
Mostly I’ve been doing resistance training, like running with a parachute, having training bands, working on my first two steps, my backpedal, trying to get more explosive. I plan on attending the Nike Combine next weekend in Charlotte and I also got invited to the Rivals Elite 100 Camp, that’s April 1st, so I’ll definitely be there. That’s what I’m working on right now, my 40s, my shuttle, my vertical – trying to get all of my measurements up.
BDN: As you approach your college decision, what are the most important things you are looking for in a school?
First off, hands down, academics. I’m using my athletic ability basically to get a free education, that’s the main thing because you never know what’s going to happen to you, so you’ve got to have a good education. The second thing I would say are the coaches and the environment. You know, I want to be somewhere that’s basically my second home, somewhere where I feel like I fit in and is the best place for me. When I went down to Duke, actually, the way that Coach Cut and his staff greeted me, it felt great. I wasn’t just a statistic there, they knew me, they were like “Hey Quay, how are you doing, we’re glad to have you down here.” Everyone that saw me, having that feeling, that felt great.
BDN: You mentioned Duke and Ohio State as two of the schools you have been in contact with. What other schools have you been in contact with and who are you considering at this time?
I’ve been in contact with Coach Charlie Wiles from Virginia Tech, he’s the one recruiting our area. He’s a great guy, I love them too, hopefully I’ll be down for a visit soon. I’ve had light contact with UNC, not as much as the other schools. I’d like to get to know their coaching staff better. The main two right now are Duke and Virginia Tech. Ohio State, today was the first day I was in contact with Ohio State, so maybe that will pick up.
BDN: Is Duke the only school you have had a chance to visit so far?
Yes sir, that’s the only school, that was the first visit.
BDN: Can you talk a little bit more about your visit to Duke? What are your thoughts on the Duke program?
Like I said earlier, the way they just greeted me, the coaching staff, it feels good knowing that you’re there among other players and they recognize you out of everyone else. They were so excited to see me. I actually was with one of the other cornerbacks from Duke and I had a long talk with him about how he likes the campus and the stuff he told me was just great. Overall, I can see myself playing at Duke. It’s not too far from home, for one thing, and I just love the environment they have there. I would like to go back and visit. They asked me to come down for their spring game March 31 so I plan to take that trip to see them again.
BDN: Do you have any other visits scheduled at this time?
I’ve been talking to – the only coach I’ve been talking to from Virginia Tech is Coach Wiles, he said he was going to talk to the rest of his staff to see if they could get me down there, but I’m not sure when that will be yet.
BDN: Are there any other schools you definitely plan to visit this spring or summer?
Other than Ohio State and Duke, those are the main two camps that I know for sure I’m going to be at. I would like to take a lot of instate one-day camp visits and a couple of out of state. I would like to go to LSU, though, for their one-day camp, once I find out more information on that.
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