Tag Archives: Jon Scheyer

Duke Basketball

Duke vs. Wake Forest Official Game Notes

Courtesy: Lance King Nolan Smith matched a career high with 24 points to go along with four assists and three steals in Wednesday’s win over Boston College.
Courtesy: Lance King
Nolan Smith matched a career high with 24 points to go along with four assists and three steals in Wednesday’s win over Boston College.

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

  • Duke is the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 in both the AP Poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll as well as the College Basketball News Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and Strength of Schedule (SOS). The Blue Devils, eighth in the AP Poll and seventh in the Coaches’ Poll, rank second in the RPI with the 10th-best SOS.

  • Sunday’s game is the 300th consecutive sellout at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The last time Duke did not have a sellout at home was on Nov. 16, 1990, against Boston College.

  • The Blue Devils have won 12 straight and 42 of the last 44 games at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

  • Duke has won 23 of its last 25 games in the month of January. The Blue Devils are 202-56 under Mike Krzyzewski in January games.

  • The Blue Devils have won 37 consecutive home games against unranked opponents.

  • Senior Jon Scheyer leads the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.62:1) while playing 35.6 minutes per game. He has led Duke in assists in all 16 games with six turnover-free games. Scheyer is tied for ninth in the NCAA at 6.1 assists per game.

  • Nolan Smith is shooting 48.9 percent (93-of-190) from the field, including 50.0 percent (26-of-52) from three-point range, to rank ninth in the ACC in field goal percentage. He is the only guard to rank in the top 10 of the league in that category.

  • Duke has had 19 individual 20-point scoring games this season, including seven each by Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith. The Blue Devils have had multiple 20-point scorers in the same game six times on the year.

  • Junior Nolan Smith is averaging 20.1 points per game, while shooting 59.1 percent (52-of-88) from the field and 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from three-point range, in the last seven games. He has topped the 20-point mark in five of those games.

  • Miles and Mason Plumlee are averaging 16.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game combined over the last five contests. The duo is shooting 56.1 percent (32-of-57) from the field during that span.

  • Jon Scheyer is the only player in the country averaging better than 19.0 points and 6.0 assists per game.

  • Duke has a +31.3 scoring margin in 10 home games this season. Nine of Duke’s 10 wins have been by 20+ points.
Duke Basketball

Second half spurt helps Duke roll past Boston College 79-59

Nol;an Smith throws one down during Duke's 20 point win over Boston College - Lance King Photo
Nol;an Smith throws one down during Duke's 20 point win over Boston College - Lance King Photo

Durham, N.C. - On a night when Duke 14-2, 2-1 in the ACC] hit a single three point shot one would think they may have lost the game, but that was far from the case in 79-59 win over Boston College.

After the two teams played an almost identical first half in statistics and score, Duke outscored the visiting Eagles 15-2 to start the half.

The Blue Devils defense simply held the Eagles in check and if it were not for Krzyzewski clearing his bench, they would have scored a lot less than the 24 points they put up.

Nolan Smith led the way for Duke with a team high 24 points [tied his career high] to go with his 4 assists.  Smith made several key buckets to keep runs alive on a night when Scheyer was off by his standards.

"Beginning of the second half, we started with defense.  We were able to execute the play that we drew up at halftime.  Miles got a dunk right off the bat that keyed our defense," said Smith after the win.

Scheyer still ended the contest with 12 points, but he was just 1 of 6 from the three point stripe.  But considering he had Duke's only three, the Blue Devils won the old fashioned way on two point buckets.

The aforementioned Miles Plumlee played his best half of the season and he ended the game with 12 points total, ten in the first half.  After his 5 of 6 shooting from the field, he leads the team in field goal percentage.

When asked of his thunderous dunk to open the half, Plumlee said, "I felt great after the shot.  I know I can make those plays all the time and I can make other plays that I haven't made yet.  I just need to keep doing it in practice and it will show up in games for me.

Singler had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and interestingly, he got it going after his fourth foul which was a technical.

The game was heated at times and the refs let the two teams play for most of the game and there is a bit of a chippy history between the two teams.

Flying under the radar were Brian Zoubeks 11 rebounds to go with his 6 points.

Duke benefited from points off defense outscoring Boston College 15-4 on the fast break and held a 17-10 edge on points off turnovers.  The royal blue also outrebounded the Eagles by a 40-27 margin.

Duke will next take on Wake Forest at 8:00 on Sunday evening.

Stay tuned for the Blue Devil Nation Locker Room Report where you will hear from Scheyer, Singler, Smith and Miles Plumlee.

Link to Official Box Score

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Duke Basketball

Duke at Georgia Tech Official Game Notes

Duke practicing for Tech - BDN Photo
Duke practicing for Tech - BDN Photo

Game 15

[5 AP/5 Coaches] Duke (13-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. [20 AP/17 Coaches] Georgia Tech (11-3, 0-1 ACC)

Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010  •  2:00 p.m.  •  ESPN

Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191)  •  Atlanta, Ga.

The Opening Tip

Duke (13-1, 1-0 ACC), ranked fifth in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Georgia Tech (11-3, 0-1 ACC) at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 2:00 p.m. The Yellow Jackets enter the game ranked 20th in the AP poll and 17th in the Coaches’ Poll. Saturday’s game will air on ESPN with Brad Nessler and Jay Bilas calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Duke is coming off an 86-65 win over Iowa State at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Wednesday. Senior Jon Scheyer netted a game-high 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor. He knocked down four three-point field goals for his fourth straight game with three or more treys.

Nolan Smith recorded his fourth 20-point game in the last five outings with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. He knocked down both three-point attempts and is now shooting an ACC-best 53.2 percent from behind the arc. Smith also matched a career high with three steals in the contest.

Junior Kyle Singler continued his all-around solid play with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Lance Thomas added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, while limiting Iowa State’s high-scoring forward Craig Brackens to 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Duke shot 56.0 percent (14-of-25) from the field and made all 12 free throws en route to outscoring Iowa State, 45-32, in the second half of play.

Numbers Game

l Duke has won 22 of its last 23 games in the month of January. The Blue Devils are 201-55 under Mike Krzyzewski in January games.

l Senior Jon Scheyer leads the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.58:1) while playing 35.3 minutes per game. He has led Duke in assists in all 14 games with six turnover-free games. Scheyer also ranks eighth in the NCAA at 6.2 assists per game.

l Nolan Smith has 25 three-point field goals and is shooting an ACC-best 53.2 percent from three-point range. In the last five games, he is 15-of-21 (.714) from behind the arc.

l Jon Scheyer is averaging 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game during Duke’s current seven-game win streak. He is shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range and averaging 3.9 three-point field goals per game in that span.

l Junior Nolan Smith has scored 10 or more points in all 12 games he has played. He is averaging 18.5 points per game, a 10.1 ppg. increase from a year ago. Smith also has six 20-point efforts in 2009-10 after posting one 20-point game in his first two seasons at Duke.

l Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith are averaging 42.9 points combined, while shooting 52.7 percent (97-of-184) from the field and 53.7 percent (44-of-82) from three-point range during Duke’s seven-game win streak.

l Duke has had 17 individual 20-point scoring games this season. The Blue Devils have had multiple 20-point scorers in the same game six times on the year.

l Junior Kyle Singler has led Duke in rebounding seven times in 2009-10 and 43 times in his career. He has grabbed eight or more rebounds in four of the last five games.

l The Blue Devils are 3-0 against ranked opponents this season and 168-116 under Coach K against ranked foes.

l Duke limited its three previous ranked opponents (Connecticut, Gonzaga, Clemson) to 51.0 points per game. The Blue Devils held those three teams to 32.7 percent (53-of-162) shooting from the field, including 13.3 percent (4-of-30) shooting from three-point distance.

l Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler were two of the 30 players recently named to the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List.

l Duke has won 11 of the last 12 meetings  at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

Duke Basketball

Duke vs Iowa State Official Game Notes

ZNUUFTXGSVJDNBK.20091118014022Game 14

[5 AP/5 Coaches] Duke (12-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. Iowa State (10-3, 0-0 Big 12)

Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010  •  9:00 p.m.  •  espn2

United Center (20,917)  •  Chicago, Ill.

The Opening Tip

Duke (12-1, 1-0 ACC), ranked fifth in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces Iowa State (10-3, 0-0 Big 12) at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 9:00 p.m. (EST). Wednesday’s game will air on espn2 with Dave O’Brien and Jay Bilas calling the action.

The Last Time Out

Duke posted a 74-53 win over Clemson on Sunday in the ACC opener for both schools. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 30-12 lead by limiting Clemson to 16.7 percent (5-of-30) shooting in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Nolan Smith posted his fifth 20-point game of the season with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Senior Jon Scheyer also had 22 points to go along with six assists and three steals. He knocked down three three-point field goals in the game and now has an ACC-best 37 threes on the year. Junior Kyle Singler added 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds as Duke outrebounded the Tigers, 33-29, for the game.

The Blue Devils forced more turnovers (17) than Clemson had field goals (16) on Sunday. Duke also shot 50 percent (24-of-48) from the field in the contest en route to its third win over a ranked opponent.

Krzyzewski Back Home in Chicago

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has led the Blue Devils to a 10-1 record in the Chicago area, including a 6-0 mark at the United Center. Duke has won six straight games in Chicago.

Numbers Game

l Duke has won 21 of its last 22 games in the month of January.  The Blue Devils are 200-55 under Mike Krzyzewski in January games.

l Duke is 20-4 against teams currently in the Big 12, including a 19-3 mark under Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have won four straight against the Big 12.

l Senior Jon Scheyer leads the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.88:1) while playing 35.1 minutes per game. He has led Duke in assists in all 13 games with six turnover-free games. Scheyer also ranks eighth in the NCAA at 6.4 assists per game.

l Nolan Smith has 23 three-point field goals and is shooting an ACC-best 51.1 percent from three-point range. Smith entered the season as a 36.2 percent (49-of-135) from behind the arc.

l Brian Zoubek is 20-of-23 (.870) from the field over the last six games. He leads the Blue Devils in field goal percentage at .679.

l Jon Scheyer is averaging 22.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game during Duke’s current six-game win streak. He is shooting 47.9 percent from three-point range and averaging 3.8 three-point field goals per game in that span.

l Junior Nolan Smith has scored 10 or more points in all 11 games he has played. He is averaging 18.4 points per game, a 10.0 ppg. increase from a year ago. Smith also has five 20-point efforts in 2009-10 after posting one 20-point game in his first two seasons at Duke.

l Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith are averaging 41.5 points combined, while shooting 51.6 percent (80-of-155) from the field and 53.5 percent (38-of-71) from three-point range during Duke’s six-game win streak.

l The trio of Jon Scheyer (22), Nolan Smith (22) and Kyle Singler combined for 81.1 percent (60 of 74 points) of Duke’s scoring output in Sunday’s win over Clemson.

l Duke has had 15 individual 20-point scoring games this season. The Blue Devils have had multiple 20-point scorers in the same game five times on the year.

l Junior Kyle Singler has led Duke in rebounding six times in 2009-10 and 42 times in his career. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in 68 of 84 career games.

l Wednesday marks the 70th birthday of Cameron Indoor Stadium. The building opened on Jan. 6, 1940 with a 36-27 Duke win over Princeton.

Duke Basketball

Duke Unleashes Devilish Defense to Defeat Clemson 74-53

Scheyer nets 22 vs Clemson - Photo Lance King
Scheyer nets 22 vs Clemson - Photo Lance King

Durham, N.C. - The walk up to Cameron was a cold one tonight as the temperature is in the twenties, but Dukes defense made the elements seem warm compared the the cold defensive breeze that shut the Tigers offense to a crawl.  The  Blue Devils cruised to a 74-53 win in their ACC opener using the aforementioned lock down defense which held Clemson to 32.7% from the field for the game.

Duke held the visitors to just 12 first half points and 16.7% from the field, but Clemson did manage to score the second half's first 12 points and it looked as if Duke's first half effort would evaporate, but the Devils regrouped after a Krzyzewski timeout and rode the big three to a win.

Whats that?  Who is the big three?  Well, if you don't know you haven't followed the Blue Devils.  The big 3 would be Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith.  The trio combined for 60 of the Blue Devils 74 points and their consistency has been uncanny to this point.

The backcourt of Smith and Scheyer scored 22 points apiece and combined for 9 of the Blue Devils 12 assists.  Singler added 16 and earned the praise of Krzyzewski after the game where he said he looked stronger or better than at any time this season.

He was probably referring to Singlers toughness and leadership or maybe it was that Singler jaw jacked a bit with Clemson star Trevor Booker.  Duke held Booker to just 10 points his second lowest total of the season.

Krzyzewski showed emotion tonight while trying to keep the Cameron Crazies going and they did a pretty good job with a lot of the students missing.  He leaped when Scheyer picked up a Booker turnover, turned and made a three point shot which gave Duke a commanding 39-25 lead after a Tiger run to crawl back into the game.

Duke outscored Clemson in the paint and out-rebounded their opponent and scored 19 points of Tiger turnovers.  The final 21 point margin was the largest lead of the game for Duke.

With the win, Duke goes to 12-1 on the season and 1-0 in the conference while Clemson drops to 12-3 and 0-1.  Duke will next face Iowa State in Chicago on Wednesday.

Be sure to check out the BDN Locker Room Report which is coming later.

Notes - Duke honored the great Vic Bubas and his 1960 team at half time.  Krzyzewski sang the praises of Bubas during the post game press conference.

Official Box Score Linked Here

More Lanc e King Photos

Duke Season Team Stats

Duke Basketball

Previewing the Clemson Tigers

DukeThe Tigers come a calling as Duke (11-1) hosts Clemson (12-2) on Sunday evening in each team's ACC opener. Duke is coming off a 114-55 thrashing of Penn, while Clemson escaped South Carolina State 70-67 in their last game. In post game comments, Clemson Coach Oliver Purnell stated, "In college basketball, upsets happen all the time. We avoided one tonight. Hopefully, we'll be energized to go on the road and play in the ACC."

Last year, Clemson embarrassed Duke 74-47 in the game at Littlejohn. The Tigers' press resulted in 16 Blue Devil turnovers. Duke will need to be prepared to deal with Clemson's pressure defense as Clemson is number one in the ACC in steals averaging 11.4 per game.

Duke and Clemson have had two common opponents on the season. Clemson went on the road and defeated UNC-Greensboro 89-67, while Duke defeated the Spartans 96-62 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The second common opponent is Long Beach State. Clemson defeated the 49ers, on a neutral court, at the 76 Classic in Anaheim 87-79, while Duke won 84-63 in Cameron.

Senior Trevor Booker (6'7" 240) is Clemson's best player. He averages 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in 28.5 minutes of action. Booker was named Second Team All ACC last season and is playing like a First Team candidate so far this season. Booker will challenge Duke inside with athleticism and physical play.

Sophomore Tanner Smith (6'5" 220) and Junior Demontez Stitt (6'2" 175) average 10.8 and 10.1 points respectively. Stitt leads the team with a 3.9 assists per game average.

Sophomore Andre Young (5'9" 170) and Senior David Potter (6'6" 215) provide the 3-point shooting punch for the Tigers. Potter is making 45.3 percent of his long range attempts while Young is making 39.7 percent. Clemson is 3rd in the ACC with 7.1 made 3-pointers per game. Duke is first at 8.8.

Off the bench, Devon Booker (6'8" 235) and Jerai Grant (6'8" 220) chip in 5.8 and 5.5 points per game. Freshmen Noel Johnson and Milton Jennings also average double digit minutes to give the Tigers a solid nine man rotation.

The keys to the game will be:

1. Taking care of the basketball. Duke must neutralize Clemson's fullcourt press by passing over it and quickly advancing the ball into the frontcourt. Duke's big men's passing skills and ability to run the court will be critical to the outcome.

2. Physical inside play. Trevor Booker and company are going to challenge Duke inside with physical play. Duke's five man frontcourt rotation is going to have to play the Tigers tough. Foul trouble could be an issue for both team's big men.

3. Backcourt dominance. Scheyer, Smith, and Singler have an advantage over Clemson's backcourt and they need to press that advantage for 40 minutes. Clemson will look to run their offense through Trevor Booker so Duke must harass Clemson’s backcourt and prevent them from feeding the ball inside. Clemson turns the ball over 15 times a game.

This game is the beginning of a three game litmus test for Duke's frontcourt. Iowa State and Georgia Tech are also tough inside teams. We will all know a lot more about our inside players’ strengths and weaknesses once these three games are in the books.

Trevor Booker is a beast inside and Miles and Mason Plumlee need to respond to the challenge. In the backcourt, Duke has a huge advantage in both talent and experience. This is a game where both teams are going to attempt to dictate the style of play. For Duke to come away with the win, they must handle Clemson's press and match Clemson's physical play.