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Duke 26-2, 12-1, travel to Va. Tech 18-8, 8-5

 

 

   Duke returns to conference play on Saturday when they travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokie who are 18-8, 8-5 and are searching a signature win and what better opportunity than the number one Blue Devils. The Hokies lost two key players early in the season, but still start an experienced line up with 3 seniors, a junior and a sophomore. Seth Greenberg is in his 8th year leads the Hokies.

Here are the key starters and reserves.

6-3 Sr. Malcolm Delaney  19.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists

6-7 Sr. Jeff Allen 13.8 pts, 10.3 rebs.

6-4 Soph. Erick Green 11.1 pts, 2.3 rebs.

6-8 Jr.  Victor Davila  7.8 pts, 5.3 rebs.

6-7 Sr. Terrell Bell 7.0 pts, 5.4 rebs.

 

6-7 Soph.  Manny Atkins 4.1 pts.

6-7 Fr. Jarrell Eddie 4.1 pts.

 

  The Hokies are averaging 70.2 points per game and are allowing 62.5. They are shooting 46.7% from the field and hold their opponents to 40.9%. They are shooting 34.6% from three on 5.7 made and are giving up 31.9% on 6.2 made per game. They out rebound their opponents by 2.9 per game and commit 12.9 turnovers and force 14.7 per game.

Notes: ESPN's College Game Day will be in Blacksburg on Saturday. The game is scheduled for 9pm on ESPN.

 

 

Singler leads Duke over Temple 78-61

 

 

 

 

 

URHAM, N.C. -- Things are getting back to normal at Duke: The Blue Devils are ranked No. 1 again, and points came in bunches for Kyle Singler. Singler broke out of a slump by scoring 28 points, and Duke marked its return to the top spot in the national rankings by beating No. 24 Temple 78-61 on Wednesday night. "He was just not to be denied," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said of Singler. Nolan Smith finished with 15 points and Mason Plumlee added 13 rebounds to help the ACC-leading Blue Devils (26-2) dodge a late-season nonconference letdown and pick up a significant victory in their return to the top spot in the polls. Duke used a huge run that bridged the halves to win its eighth straight overall and extend a pair of notable winning streaks at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Singler equaled a career high for field goals while going 10 of 19 in his most productive game since matching a career high with 30 points at Oregon on Nov. 27. This time, he helped Duke win its 35th straight game at Cameron and its 86th in a row there against nonconference teams -- both NCAA bests. The senior had labored through a few recent pedestrian performances -- at least by the lofty standards that come with being the Most Outstanding Player at last year's Final Four. Singler, a 16-point scorer for his career, was held to 3-of-17 shooting two weeks ago by rival North Carolina. Most recently, he had a career-worst 2-point outing last week against Virginia, and was just 5 of 14 last time out against Georgia Tech. "You've just got to not focus on not shooting the ball well, because if you just focus on that, it does hinder other parts of your game," Singler said. That certainly didn't happen this time: He held Ramone Moore to eight points, nearly half his average. "It was obvious on offense what (Singler) was doing," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Kyle's just been doing that (on defense) all year. He's been an amazing player. ... He has the determination and the stick-to-it-iveness to defend and work through screens while still doing his offensive game." The noted 3-point sharpshooter didn't feel the need to test his touch from long range; he missed his only attempt from that distance. Instead, he did most of his work inside, attacking the rim repeatedly and aggressively. "I just felt like I could get good position on my defender," Singler said. "The bigs were actually passing the ball to me, so I got good post entries and ... just kept getting the ball and putting it back up." And by the time he checked out of this one in the final 2 minutes, the Cameron Crazies were chanting his name. Lavoy Allen finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, but Temple (21-6) had its eight-game winning streak snapped. "Two things happened. Our offense wasn't as good as we needed to be," Dunphy said. "Then, when we did have bad shot selection, they ran it down our throats sometimes on some easy run-outs. And then Singler, we obviously did not do a great job on Singler today." Singler's big night came at quite the opportune time, in the next-to-last home game of his storied career and with the Blue Devils playing for the first time since reclaiming the No. 1 ranking they relinquished in mid-January. For about a half, their nearly 11-year winning streak against non-ACC teams at Cameron was put to the test by a Temple team that frustrated Duke with tough team defense that in particular seemed to bother Smith, the ACC's leading scorer who was held to 5-of-17 shooting. Seth Curry's 3 with 1 second left before the halftime buzzer started the 23-11 run that gave the Blue Devils their first double-figure lead, then put them in total control. Curry connected from long range 1 1/2 minutes into the second half to make it a 10-point game, Smith followed with five consecutive points and Plumlee finished the burst with a dunk in the post and an alley-oop from Curry to stretch the lead to 51-35 with 12 1/2 minutes remaining. Temple didn't get closer than 12 after that. "They got a lot of run-outs and things like that, and when they run out the ball, they get 3-pointers," Allen said. "A couple of times, we stopped their run, but our run wasn't as big as theirs, and the lead just continued to grow." Rahlir Jefferson added 11 points for the Owls, who once again played without forward Scootie Randall -- who Dunphy said remains day to day after missing his second straight game with an injured right foot. He had averaged 18 points in his previous six games. That's in addition to the absence of 6-foot-11 big man Micheal Eric, who's lost for the season with a broken right kneecap

Duke 25-2, hosts 21-5 Temple

 

   The Duke Blue Devils fresh off their 6th win in a row on Sunday will host the Temple Owls who are even hotter having won 8 in a row and playing their best basketball of the year. The Owls are 21-5 and are 11-2 in the Atlantic Ten Conference. The Owls will be playing their 5th game in a row without 6-11 junior Michael Eric who is has been ruled out for the season with a fractured patella. Fran Dunphy long time successful coach at cross town Pennsylvania is in this 5th year.

 

Here are the starters and key reserves.

6-4 Jr. Ramone Moore 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

6-6 Jr. Scootie Randall 11.6 pts, 5.1 rebs.

6-9 Sr. Lavoy Allen 10.7 pts, 7.2 rebs.

6-4 Jr. Juan Fernandez 10.2 pts, 3.0 rebs, 4.2 assists

6-6 Soph. Rahlir Jefferson 5.6 pts, 5.1 rebs.

 

6-3 Soph. T.j. Dileo 2.2 pts.

6-5 Fr.  Aaron Brown 2.3 pts.

   The Owls are averaging 70.7 points and giving up 61.0 per game. They are shooting 45.5% from the field and are allowing 40.4%. They are shooting 34.1% from three on 5.8 made and are allowing 33.7% on 5.2 made per game. They are out rebounding their opponents by 3.8 per game and are committing 11.2 turnovers and forcing 13.5.

Notes: The game is scheduled for 7pm and will be televised on ESPN.

 

 

Duke rolls over Georgia Tech 79-57

 

 

 

 

DURHAM, N.C. -- Nolan Smith scored 28 points and No. 5 Duke made its case to return to the top of the national rankings by routing Georgia Tech 79-57 on Sunday night.

Kyle Singler added 15 points and Ryan Kelly had 10 for the Blue Devils (25-2, 12-1 ACC). A technical foul on coach Mike Krzyzewski inspired the overwhelming run that carried Duke to its sixth straight win and 10th victory in a row in conference play.

Duke, the reigning national champion and preseason No. 1, slipped from that perch after a loss in mid-January but could return to the top spot Monday when the new poll is released. All four teams ahead of the Blue Devils -- Kansas, Ohio State, Texas and Pitt -- lost in the past week.

Iman Shumpert and Moe Miller had 13 points apiece, but they couldn't keep the Yellow Jackets (11-15, 3-9) from losing their sixth straight ACC game.

Singler bounced back from his worst game of the season, a 2-point performance against Virginia. His jumper 10 seconds into the second half gave Duke its first double-digit lead, 39-28, and prolonged the run that followed Krzyzewski's technical foul.

Duke outscored Georgia Tech 54-22 during the roughly 21 minutes that followed that "T." By the time Seth Curry hit a free throw to make it 67-40 with 9:12 left, the Blue Devils were well on their way to their NCAA-best 34th straight win at Cameron Indoor Stadium -- where Georgia Tech has only won once since 1996.

Smith, the ACC leader in scoring and assists, was 10 of 20 with four 3-pointers while reaching the 20-point mark for the league-best 16th time this season. He helped Duke shoot 45 percent -- 50 percent in the second half -- and win a rematch of last year's conference championship game and claim a matchup of the ACC's best and worst shooting teams.

The Blue Devils, also the league's most accurate team from 3-point range, hit 6 of 16 from beyond the arc. Georgia Tech, its worst team from that distance, was 3 of 15 -- and two of those came in the opening 3 minutes.  

Yet, for a 10-minute chunk of the first half, the Blue Devils looked plenty capable of joining the Jayhawks, Buckeyes, Longhorns and Panthers as upset victims by allowing Georgia Tech to repeatedly score in threes -- from beyond the arc, and the old-fashioned way through contact.

Then came the "T" on Coach K.

Krzyzewski became incensed when Duke freshman Tyler Thornton was whistled for holding Shumpert, and official Bryan Kersey slapped the Hall of Fame coach with his first technical foul of the season at the 10:16 mark.

After Shumpert hit four consecutive free throws to put Tech up 18-13, the Blue Devils outscored the Yellow Jackets 24-10 the rest of the half and took the lead for good on Smith's 3-pointer with 4:45 left that made it 26-24.

Glen Rice Jr. finished with 12 points while Shumpert was 4 of 16 for Georgia Tech. 

 

 

Duke 24-2, 11-1 hosts Georgia Tech 11-14, 3-8

 

   The Duke Blue Blue Devils fresh off two road wins will host the floundering Ga. Tech Yellow Jackets who have lost 5 conference games in row since losing 6-6 forward Brian Oliver who was their third leading scorer and rebounder.

Ga. Tech did win their last game in non conference foe Chattanooga on Wednesday.

Here are the starters and key reserves.

6-5 Jr. Inman Shumpert 17.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists

6-5 Soph. Glen Rice  14.0 pts, 5.6 rebs.

6-2 Sr. Maurice Miller 4.9 pts.

6-11 Fr. Daniel Miller 4.4 pts, 4.8 rebs.

6-8 Fr. Kammeon Holsey 3.7 pts.

 

6-2 Soph.  Mfon Udofia 7.4 pts.

6-5 Fr.  Jason Morris 5.5 pts

6-5 Sr. Lance Storrs 1.4 pts.

 

         The Yellow Jackets are averaging 69.0 points per game and are allowing 67.6. They are shooting 40.7% from the field and are giving up 44.2%. They are shooting 29.0% from the three point line on 6.0 made and are giving up 38.1% on 6.4 made per game. They are out rebounding their opponents by nearly one per game and committing 13.7 turnovers, while forcing 17.2 per game.

 

Notes: The game is scheduled for 7:45 pm and will  be televised on FSN. Ga. Tech is 0-8 on the road this year. 

Duke grinds out a 56-41 over Virginia

 

Duke 23-2, 10-1 travels to Virginia 12-12, 3-7

 

 

        Duke makes a mid week trip to Charlottesville to take a wounded and dangerous Virginia Cavalier team. The Cavaliers are 12-12, 3-7 and are still trying to recover from the loss of their leading scorer and rebounder in Michael Scott. The Cavaliers 2-5 since their trip to Durham in mid January when they gave the Blue Devils a scare before pulling away late.

Here are the starters and key reserves.

6-4 Sr. Mustapha Farrakhan  13.2 points

6-6 Fr. Joe Harris 10.5 pts, 3.7 rebounds

6-1 Jr. Sammy Zelinski 6.9 pts. 2.8 rebs.

5-11 Soph. Jontel Evans 5.8 pts.

7-0 Jr. Assane Sene 4.0 pts, 5.4 rebs.

 

6-4 Fr. K.T. Harrell 9.3 pts, 3.5 assists

6-9 Sr.Will Sherrill  4.1 pts.

6-8 Fr. Akil Mitchell  2.4 Pts.

 

 The Cavaliers average 62.7 points  per game and give up 63.3. They shoot 42.3% from the field and give up 44.0%. They are shooting 38.7% from three on 7.3 made and are giving up 37.2% on 6.7 made per game. They are being out rebounded by 1.7 per game and are committing 11.3 turnovers, while forcing 12.0 per game.

Notes: The game is scheduled for 7pm on ESPN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Duke Rallies by Miami 81-71

 

 

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Nolan Smith scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, Seth Curry added 16 and Duke extended its Atlantic Coast Conference lead by holding off Miami 81-71 on Sunday night.

Kyle Singler scored 14 and Mason Plumlee 12 for the Blue Devils (23-2, 10-1). Duke's record after 25 games matches its best since the 2005-06 season.

Reggie Johnson scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Miami (15-10, 4-7), which was bidding for its first four-game ACC winning streak since February 2008. The Hurricanes fell to 1-17 since 2000 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, the lone win coming against Duke three seasons ago.

The Blue Devils didn't let that happen again, building a double-digit lead midway through the second half and controlling the game from there.

Miami got within six points twice in the final minute, only to have Tyler Thornton hit two free throws on ensuing Duke possessions to keep the Hurricanes out of reach.

Malcolm Grant also scored 16 and Durand Scott added 10 points and a game-high eight assists for the Hurricanes, who play four of their last six regular-season games on the road.  

In short, when Smith got rolling, everything started to click for Duke. 

He went to the bench with two fouls -- and a bigger problem -- with 13:08 left in the opening half.

After fouling Johnson, Smith was inadvertently poked in the eye, then was dealing with some vision and light-sensitivity issues on the Blue Devils' bench, where he remained for nearly 9 minutes.

It was an opportunity missed for Miami.

The Hurricanes were down 16-15 when Smith left the game, and the deficit was 31-27 when he returned, in part because Miami's best scorer was on the bench as well. Grant scored 12 points and hit three 3-pointers in the first 6:53 of the game, then sat out the final 9:32 until halftime after getting his second foul.

Smith didn't make his first field goal until 15:16 remained in the game, a pull-up in transition. Once he started, the scores came in bunches. He made three more shots in the next 3 minutes, capped by a driving layup after Julian Gamble missed a dunk at the other end to give Duke what was then its biggest lead, 61-51 with 11:34 remaining. 

Duke hadn't played since Wednesday's 79-73 home win over North Carolina, a game in which the Blue Devils fought their way back from an early 16-point deficit.

They started slowly Sunday as well. Miami made its first four shots, capped by Grant connecting on a 3-pointer while getting fouled by Smith for a quick 10-4 lead.

Things calmed down quickly.

Duke scored the next seven points, and although Miami reclaimed the lead six more times during a back-and-forth first half, the Hurricanes' biggest edge came at 37-33 after Rion Brown made a 3-pointer with 2:46 left.

Duke closed the half on a 9-0 run, and after Miami got within one early in the second half, another 9-0 burst -- fueled when Smith finally found his scoring groove -- pushed the Blue Devils' lead back to double digits.

The Blue Devils tightened up their defense in the second half as well, holding Miami to 41 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes. 

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Nolan Smith scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, Seth Curry added 16 and Duke extended its Atlantic Coast Conference lead by holding off Miami 81-71 on Sunday night.

 

Kyle Singler scored 14 and Mason Plumlee 12 for the Blue Devils (23-2, 10-1). Duke's record after 25 games matches its best since the 2005-06 season.

 

Reggie Johnson scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Miami (15-10, 4-7), which was bidding for its first four-game ACC winning streak since February 2008. The Hurricanes fell to 1-17 since 2000 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, the lone win coming against Duke three seasons ago.

 

The Blue Devils didn't let that happen again, building a double-digit lead midway through the second half and controlling the game from there.

 

Miami got within six points twice in the final minute, only to have Tyler Thornton hit two free throws on ensuing Duke possessions to keep the Hurricanes out of reach.

 

Malcolm Grant also scored 16 and Durand Scott added 10 points and a game-high eight assists for the Hurricanes, who play four of their last six regular-season games on the road.

 

In short, when Smith got rolling, everything started to click for Duke.

 

He went to the bench with two fouls -- and a bigger problem -- with 13:08 left in the opening half.

 

After fouling Johnson, Smith was inadvertently poked in the eye, then was dealing with some vision and light-sensitivity issues on the Blue Devils' bench, where he remained for nearly 9 minutes.

 

It was an opportunity missed for Miami.

 

The Hurricanes were down 16-15 when Smith left the game, and the deficit was 31-27 when he returned, in part because Miami's best scorer was on the bench as well. Grant scored 12 points and hit three 3-pointers in the first 6:53 of the game, then sat out the final 9:32 until halftime after getting his second foul.

 

Smith didn't make his first field goal until 15:16 remained in the game, a pull-up in transition. Once he started, the scores came in bunches. He made three more shots in the next 3 minutes, capped by a driving layup after Julian Gamble missed a dunk at the other end to give Duke what was then its biggest lead, 61-51 with 11:34 remaining.

 

Duke hadn't played since Wednesday's 79-73 home win over North Carolina, a game in which the Blue Devils fought their way back from an early 16-point deficit.

 

They started slowly Sunday as well. Miami made its first four shots, capped by Grant connecting on a 3-pointer while getting fouled by Smith for a quick 10-4 lead.

 

Things calmed down quickly.

 

Duke scored the next seven points, and although Miami reclaimed the lead six more times during a back-and-forth first half, the Hurricanes' biggest edge came at 37-33 after Rion Brown made a 3-pointer with 2:46 left.

 

Duke closed the half on a 9-0 run, and after Miami got within one early in the second half, another 9-0 burst -- fueled when Smith finally found his scoring groove -- pushed the Blue Devils' lead back to double digits.

 

The Blue Devils tightened up their defense in the second half as well, holding Miami to 41 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes.

 

Duke 22-2, 9-1 travels to Miami 15-9, 4-6

 

 

 

Miami is coming off a tough 74-73 win at Wake Forest  and have won 3 in a row in the conference.

Here are the starters and key reserves.

6-1 Jr Malcolm Grant 15.2 points, 3.5 assists

6-3 Soph Durand Scott 13.7 pts, 3.1 rebs, 4.3 assists

6-10 Soph. Reggies Johnson 12.5 pts, 9.8 rebs,

6-6 Soph. Garrius Adams 7.4 pts,3.4 rebs.

6-9 Jr. Julian Gamble 3.3 pts, 3.3 rebs.

 

6-7 Sr. Adrian Thomas 8.9 pts, 3.9 rebs.

6-7 Jr. Rion Brown 3.6 pts.

6-9 Jr. Julian Gamble 3.3 pts, 3.3 rebs.

   The Hurricanes average 77.2 points and give up 68.1 per game. They shoot 44.6% from the field and allow 41.7%. They shoot 38.2% from three on  7.8 made and give up 38.4% on 6.2 made per game. they are our out rebounding their opponents by 4.0 per game. They are committing 13.6 turnovers, while forcing 11.9.

Notes: The game is scheduled for 6:45 on Fox.

Scouting Report on Quinn Cook, Marshall Plumlee and Michael Gbinije

 

Quinn Cook: Cook is a pure point guard who sees the floor so well. He is a natural leader and is control of the game at all times. He has a good jumper to 15 feet and his mid range is solid. His handle has always been good, but it is even better since I saw him early last summer. He looks to pass first and he is a very good passer.He has good speed and quickness. He needs to get stronger and increase his range on his jump shot. He needs to a little more intense on defense.

Marshall Plumlee: Plumlee continues to improve his overall game. His hands are improving and if its possible he seems to have grown a little more since I saw him in December. He competes hard and is very athletic like his brothers. He is a natural shot blocker and has developed a nice left handed hook. He coordination has improved, but he still has work to do in that area. He still gets in a frenzy at times when he gets the ball in close. He also needs to continue to get stronger.

 

 Michael Gbinije: Gbinije has as solid a mid range as you will see for a high school player. His jumper is money to 15 feet. He scores 20 a game, but doesn't force anything. He is a good passer and looks for his teammates. He does everything well,nothing great. He does need to continue to improve his ball handling. But the main thing he needs to work on is his intensity. He is passive at times on defense and for someone 6-6 he is a poor rebounder. He also needs to continue to get stronger.