Duke Chokes, Coughs up a Loss to #11 Pitt, 65-64

NEW YORK (AP) - Levance Fields hit a 3 with 4.7 seconds left in overtime to give No. 11 Pittsburgh a 65-64 victory over No. 6 Duke in a matchup of unbeatens Thursday night.

Duke's Jon Scheyer took a running three and was able to grab the rebound and get off a final shot but it missed as well, as Duke chokes on its first loss of the season.

At the end of regulation, Pitt's Michael Cook missed a 3 with 23 seconds left and the Blue Devils worked for a last touch, Henderson's driving miss in the lane, but Kyle Singler got the rebound and his putback went off the rim.

Singler and Henderson both had 17 points for Duke, while DeMarcus Nelson dished 14.

The loss snapped Duke's 36-game winning streak in December. The Blue Devils' last loss in the 12th month was 84-83 to Stanford on Dec. 21, 2000.

Both teams were used to playing in Madison Square Garden. Pitt is 18-8 there since 2001-02 and Duke is 15-6 in the Garden under coach K and the Blue Devils had won their last seven in the building.

It looked like Duke's winning streaks in the month and New York City would remain intact as the Blue Devils took a 16-point lead in the first half and were still up 39-26 with 16:31 left in regulation.

But Pitt picked up its rebounding and defense in the second half and OT and cut back on the turnovers. After being even on the boards at 19 at halftime, the Panthers finished with a 53-39 rebound advantage.

Duke choked on 39% shooting and went 4:48 without scoring in the 2nd half, part of a 6:31 span when the Blue Devils didn't have a field goal. Their spread offense wasn't getting the same shots it did in the first half and the Blue Devils were hurrying threes, going 1-for-9 from behind the arc in the final 25 minutes.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon called a 30-second timeout, the third one he called in a 3:24 span hoping to keep Duke within striking distance. The Panthers closed within 34-22 at halftime.

Duke drops to 10-1 as Pitt remains undefeated at 11-0. A much needed reality check for the Devils as they will now regroup, and hopefully relax on their shot selection and get back to what got them this far, passing to the open man with the cleanest shot.. Good game Pitt, on a much deserved win.

**In ranking news, the tarholez played another weak team on their wimpy schedule and that impressed the biased selection committee more than #2 Memphis beating #4 Georgetown, and roy's boys retain the top spot, so what else is new..

Duke succumbs to a top team and will fall to at least the #12 spot, if not the 14th..

Duke Blasts Albany 111-70

DeMarcus Nelson has seen No. 1 rankings and ACC Championships during his career at Duke, experience that has made him probably the Blue Devils' most valuable player on a young squad.

And though he's content to let teammates grab the headlines, the senior showed Monday night he still can power the Blue Devils' fast-paced offense.

Nelson had 23 points as #6 Duke turned in a sharp offensive performance to crush Albany 111-70, improving the Blue Devils to 10-0 for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Jon Scheyer added 18 points for the Blue Devils, who shot 60 percent and quickly turned this game into a rout. Duke had five players score in double figures and hit 15 of 26 3's, continuing its strong outside shooting.

The Great Danes (5-5), an NCAA tournament participant last season, fell behind by double figures in the first 6 minutes and trailed by 26 at the half.

It was a solid overall effort before facing #11 Pitt on Thursday night in NYC, and it gave Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski his 785th career victory to move within a game of tying Lefty Driesell for sixth on the all-time list.

"I thought DeMarcus played very, very well," Coach K said. "He's been our most consistent excellent player. It's just that his thing goes below the radar because this freshman did this or this guy's doing that... DeMarcus has been the solid one."

Nelson went 6-for-7 from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range, to go with six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 26 minutes. The 23 points were one shy of tying a career-high for the 6-foot-4 swingman.

"I try not to put too much emphasis on scoring even though I can score and I will score," Nelson said. "I just try to go out there and be a player and whatever the play is to make it. And at the end of the game, I think the performance will speak for itself."

The Blue Devils hadn't played since beating Michigan 95-67 on Dec. 8, but they showed little rust from their layoff despite playing without starter Lance Thomas, who sat out with a sprained ankle. Nelson got Duke off and running, hitting a driving shot and a 3 in the first 2 minutes en route to his 16 points in the 1st half.

"He makes so many plays for other guys and gets other guys shots," Scheyer said of the Blue Devils' lone scholarship senior. "When guys don't help on him, he can score and that's what he did tonight."

But Nelson wasn't alone. Eight players scored in the first half while Duke shot 20-for-33 (61%) and went 9-for-14 from behind the arc to build a 57-31 lead. Scheyer scored 10 points in a span of just more than 2 minutes after the break — including consecutive 3's — to give Duke a 78-46 lead with 12:49 left.

The Blue Devils poured it on the rest of the way, cracking the century mark on Nelson's free throw that made it 100-57 with about 6 minutes left.

***Rankings, you know the routine, the heels played another sub-par team and remain on top, with nothing exciting going on besides exams, the top 10 stayed the same..

Duke's Bench Dominates Michigan, 95-67

Duke has more scorers on its bench than many teams do in their starting lineups.

Two freshman reserves posted big point totals Saturday, with Taylor King scoring 18 and the 'other' freshman, Nolan Smith adding a career-high 17, showing off his ball handling and driving skills during the Blue Devils' 95-67 rout of Michigan.

"Before the game, Coach K was like, 'We're going to play everybody in the first couple of minutes, so just get ready, play your [tail] off, pretty much,' " King said. "That's what they did, and we just brought guys in, put different lineups in ... and see what works."

Gerald Henderson had 12 points and DeMarcus Nelson and non-starter Jon Scheyer both added 10 for the Blue Devils (9-0), who shot 49 percent and built an insurmountable lead by reeling off 14 straight first-half points, a dominating stretch led by King and Smith. For the fourth time in nine games, the Blue Devils' leading scorer came off the bench -- with King doing it three times.

"Without those reserves, we wouldn't have the type of success that we're having," Nelson said. "On any given moment, we're going to need somebody to step up."

Duke opened with nine straight victories for the third time in four years, won its NCAA-best 56th straight non-conference home game and improved to 3-0 against the Big Ten by sending the Wolverines (3-6) to their sixth loss in seven games.

Ranking prediction: Duke bumps up a notch to the 5th spot, Tarhole nation keeps the top spot, without having played a top 25 team yet.. yep, cause they're unc.. yawn, and the bias train rolls on...

Duke defeats a Very Determined Davidson, 79-73

Charlotte: Davidson kept rallying from double-digit deficits, giving No. 7 Duke a rare close game.

But the Wildcats don't have athletes like Gerald Henderson.

In one of his best games this season, Henderson had 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Greg Paulus had 2 key baskets and a steal in the final 2 minutes, as the Blue Devils climb to 8-0 by beating Davidson, an impressive mid-major, 79-73.

''I thought Henderson was the difference, both offensively and defensively,'' Coach K said. ''He had 21 points, but he had 3 really big blocks, 2 in the second half. You just don't teach that.''

Jon Scheyer scored 15 points and Kyle Singler added 14 and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils (8-0), who needed big plays from Henderson to extend their winning streak over Davidson to 21 straight.

Duke eventually wore down the Wildcats, using a wave of players and superior athleticism led by Henderson, who shot 8-for-17 and made 4-of-5 free throws.

''We got a lead where it was hard for them to come back at the end,'' Henderson said. ''They hit a few shots in the last couple of minutes, but it just wasn't enough. We did our work before that. I'm proud of the guys. This is a good win for us.''

Davidson (3-3), which took top-ranked North Carolina to the wire just over two weeks ago, rallied from down 16 in the first half and 12 with 5 minutes to play, getting within 70-65 with 2:37 left.

Paulus, who scored 11 points, then hit a 3-pointer. After Stephen Curry hit a 3 at the other end, Paulus' baseline fadeaway with 32 seconds left gave Duke a 75-68 lead.

Paulus then stole the ball from Jason Richards , and Duke held on with Henderson's two free throws with 5.3 seconds left putting it away.

Curry scored 20 points despite playing the final 12 minutes with four fouls, and Richards added 14 points and 11 assists for Davidson.

And poor shooting did them in, again, in the Wildcats' 23rd straight loss to a ranked team. Davidson hit eight of 24 3s, they also missed 7 of 12 free throws.

Davidson will get another chance to knock off a heavyweight next week, when it plays No. 2 UCLA.

Duke won its first 7 games by an average of 15 points, including an 82-58 rout of No. 20 Wisconsin on Tuesday. But despite being far more athletic, the Blue Devils never got comfortable against Davidson, which won a school-record 29 games last season before losing to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Duke, though, was able to hit 11 3-pointers to offset 16 turnovers and win its 42nd straight game against Southern Conference teams.

--Rankings prediction, Duke will move up one to 6th, UNC will reclaim the top spot on another lack-luster performance against another unrated team. Regardless of whether or not UCLA beats 8th ranked Texas, the tarholes will be on top because they're UNC.

Duke rains 3's and drowns #20 Wisconsin 82-58

Greg Paulus scored a season-high 18 points to lead five Blue Devils in double figures as seventh-ranked Duke defeated 20th-ranked Wisconsin, 82-58, as part of the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils move to 7-0 -- pushing their winning streak in non-conference home games to an NCAA-best 55 games -- while the Badgers fall to 5-1. Tuesday's tilt marked the first meeting on the hardwood between the two schools.

With the win, Duke improves to a perfect 9-0 in Big Ten/ACC Challenge action. The Blue Devils also earned Challenge victories over Illinois (72-69 in 1999 & 78-77 in 2000), Iowa (80-62 in 2001), Ohio State (91-76 in 2002), Michigan State (72-50 in 2003 & 81-74 in 2004) and Indiana (75-67 in 2005 & 54-51 in 2006).

Duke took control early, using a 15-5 run to claim a 25-14 lead at the 11:32 mark when Paulus buried his second consecutive 3 bucket. Paulus and Taylor King combined to hit seven 3's in 10 attempts and score 25 points as the Blue Devils built a 48-25 halftime advantage.

Wisconsin got no closer than 18 points in the second half.

Paulus connected on 6-of-13 field goal attempts including a 4-of-7 performance from 3 range. King finished with 15 points while fellow rookie Kyle Singler added 13. Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Scheyer pulled down a career-high and game-best 9 boards. DeMarcus Nelson added 9 points, 7 reebs, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Duke Earns 78-43 Win Over Eastern Kentucky

Taylor King scored a game-high 27 points as the 13th-ranked Blue Devils defeated Eastern Kentucky, 78-43, on Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils improve to 6-0 on the year while the Colonels fall to 2-3.

King's scoring output marks the ninth-highest single-game performance by a Duke rookie in school history while establishing a new school standard for reserves. The previous mark for scoring by a player off the bench was 25 points, held by five players including Luol Deng against North Carolina on March 6, 2004.

Duke never trailed in the contest, snapping a 2-2 tie with a layup by Kyle Singler just over two minutes into the first half. Singler's bucket started a 16-3 run that gave the Blue Devils an 18-5 advantage on King's three-pointer with 9:15 on the clock. Duke led by a 34-12 count at intermission as Eastern Kentucky made just four-of-17 field goal attempts and committed 18 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

The Blue Devils led by as many as 38 points in the second half.

King connected on 9-of-14 field goals including 6-of-11 three-pointers. The six triples match the Duke single-game record for rookies also held by Trajan Langdon and J.J. Redick. DeMarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson added 12 and 10 points, each.

Eastern Kentucky was led by Adam Leonard's 12 points.

Duke hosts Wisconson on Tuesday evening (9 p.m. on ESPN) as part of the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Ranking prediction:
Duke will move up to 9, Memphis and UCLA will swap places, and of course, UNC with an RPI in the 60's will remain at the top spot.. Why? Because they're the TarHoles..

Coach K adds another Trophy as Duke Beats Marquette to win the Maui Invitational

AHAINA, Hawaii (AP) -- It took Kyle Singler five games to place himself on an elite list of Duke basketball players.

The freshman forward scored 25 points, including the clinching free throws with 13 seconds to play, and fought off a leg injury to lead the Blue Devils to a 77-73 victory over Marquette on Wednesday night and claim their fourth EA Sports Maui Invitational championship.

Duke (5-0) won the title here in 1992, 1997 and 2001. The Blue Devils' first 11 wins in the tourney came by an average of 18.9 points and nine were by at least 10 points. This one went down to the final seconds.

No other school has won more than two championships in the 24 years of this event.

Singler, who was 7-for-11 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, joined Bobby Hurley, current Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski and Mike Dunleavy as Blue Devils who have won the MVP at the Maui Invitational.

"I felt honored to win the MVP but the main goal coming to Maui was to win the championship and that's what we accomplished," he said. "I just wanted to do what I had to do and it meant I got the MVP."

DeMarcus Nelson added 16 points for the Blue Devils, whose fans were chanting "our house" in the final minute and as the awards were being presented.

"This was special for this team. It was a chance for us to be a champion," Nelson said. "We talked about that since the beginning of the year. It was our first chance to be a champion. At this time last year we didn't do that. We've improved and gotten better."

Duke took a 67-61 lead with 6:03 to go on a low move by Lance Thomas off a pass from Singler, his only assist of the game.

The lead was six one more time, before Maurice Acker hit a 3 for the Golden Eagles and Ousmane Barro made one of two free throws to get Marquette within 69-67 with 4:42 left.

The Golden Eagles were within 75-73 with 33 seconds left on a layup by Jerel McNeal.

Singler grabbed a loose ball and was fouled. He made the first free throw and Marquette called a timeout, trying to freeze the freshman.

"I knew I was going to make it," Singler said of the second free throw, "there was no doubt in my mind I was going to make it a two-possession game."

ACC update for Sunday

Tons ACC play for this Sunday, with a few upsets along the way..

NC State loses a tight one 65-63 to New Orleans with a 3 banked off the window at 2 seconds..

Miami holds on to oust Providence 64-58 down in 'Rico to take it to 4-0..

Florida State lose a squeaker 62-61 to S Florida..

Boston College kick down Mercer 73-56 and reach 3-0..

Clemson bangs Old Dominion 66-53 to rise to 3-0..

Georgia Tech lose again, this time to Winthrop, 79-73.. Lemons offered to GT fans..

And UNC finally shows up to play a game and defeated Iona 107-72..

Predictions for the rankings:

#2-UCLA is now 3-0, #3-Memphis is 4-0, including defeating OK and UConn and neither will rank higher than UNC's 2 wins, a weak performance over Davidson and a 35pt win over Iona (I-who-uh?)..

Duke rolls over New Mexico State 86-61

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Jon Scheyer is playing less and producing more.

Duke's one-time starting shooting guard came off the bench and scored 22 points to lead the 13th-ranked Blue Devils to an 86-61 rout of New Mexico State on Monday night.

Scheyer, who as a freshman started 31 of 32 games and averaged about 34 minutes, is playing about eight fewer minutes per game this season as a reserve on a much deeper Duke team.

This time he was 4-of-6 from 3-point range, threatened his career-high of 26 points and continued to establish himself as one of coach Mike Krzyzewski's most productive sixth men -- even if Coach K still considers him a starter.

"Right away, coming off the bench is a different thing -- I've never really done it in my life," Scheyer said. "So my whole mentality coming into a game is different. Usually, I'm getting geared up to go when 20 minutes is on the clock. Now, it's a couple of minutes in."

DeMarcus Nelson scored 14 points, Gerald Henderson had 11 and Kyle Singler added 10 for the Blue Devils (2-0), who shot 47 percent, forced 26 turnovers and built a 31-point lead and cruised to their second straight rout of an outmanned nonconference opponent.

Last year's lowest-scoring team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (70.9 ppg) is deeper this season and is playing at a faster, more frenetic pace, averaging 103.5 points. And after a huge first-half run carried them to their 53rd straight nonconference home victory -- the longest such streak in the nation -- they must turn their attention to next week's trip to the Maui Invitational.

"We have a lot of guys who can score, who can make plays," Nelson said. "We also have that same presence defensively, also. We have more guys that can defend, and guys from last year got better defending, so we're really starting to develop a really good team, offensively and defensively."

UNC-Greensboro stings Georgia Tech 83-74 in opener

ATLANTA (AP) -Make room, Gardner-Webb. There's another mid-major savoring a win over the big boys.

Kyle Hines scored 25 points and UNC-Greensboro dominated the second half against Georgia Tech, handing the Yellow Jackets a stinging 83-74 loss Friday night.

Following the lead set by Gardner-Webb with its upset win over Kentucky two days earlier, the Spartans (1-0) dominated much of the second half and easily held off Georgia Tech at the end.

``There's so much more parity across the country,'' UNC-Greensboro coach Mike Dement said. ``With each win, the teams at our level grow in confidence. They'll be more of these. They'll be another one this weekend. There may have been another one already.''

Georgia Tech (0-1), an NCAA tournament team last season from the Atlantic Coast Conference, lost its first opener since 1993 and had not dropped an opening game at home since 1980, the start of a 4-23 season that led to the firing of coach Dwane Morrison and ushered in the Bobby Cremins era.

After getting outrebounded 27-14 in the first half, including 17 at the offensive end, UNC-Greensboro turned it around over the final 20 minutes. The Spartans had 22-15 rebounding edge and gave up only four offensive boards.

``We hung around in the first half without rebounding,'' Dement said. ``I knew if we started rebounding, we might be able to pull this thing out.''

The Spartans did, and now they get to savor a victory that feels especially sweet for a little-known school surrounded by ACC powerhouses.

``Because of who we are and being in Greensboro, right there in the middle of ACC country,'' Dement said, ``this is going to be a fun win for all the folks back home.''

Duke may actually have a team, win 121-56 over NC Central.

No. 13 Duke Hits 16 Three-Pointers In 121-56 Win Over N.C. Central
11/09/2007 - Duke Sports Information
DURHAM, N.C. -- Taylor King tossed in five three-point baskets and scored a game-high 20 points as 13th-ranked Duke opened the season with a 121-56 win over N.C. Central on Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke made 16 three-point baskets in 28 attempts on the night to match the sixth-best single-game performance in school history, falling two shy of the record of 18. The 121 points also equaled the sixth-highest single-game effort in Duke hardwood history.

The Blue Devils have now won eight straight season-openers and are 79-24 overall and 26-2 under head coach Mike Krzyzewski in campaign lid-lifters. Friday's game also marked the first on the hardwood between the two Durham-based institutions.

Duke never trailed in the contest, jumping out to an 11-2 lead in the first four minutes of action. After Calvin Wright's bucket pulled the Eagles to within 11-4, the Blue Devils used a 15-1 run to claim a 26-5 lead on a dunk by Lance Thomas with 12:40 remaining in the opening half. The spurt also included dunks by Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson along with a three-pointer from Jon Scheyer.

Six other Blue Devils joined King in double figures as Nolan Smith carded 16 and Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler added 15 points each. Jon Scheyer came off the bench for 13 points while Martynas Pocius and DeMarcus Nelson chipped in 10 apiece.

King was seven-of-nine from the floor while sinking five-of-seven three-point attempts. He added one foul shot along with six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in 19 minutes. Scheyer was three-of-four from three-point range and dished out a game-best six assists against zero turnovers.

Brian Zoubek brought down a game-high nine rebounds as Duke outboarded the Eagles, 49-24, on the evening.
The Eagles were paced by Bryan Ayala's 18 points while Charles Futrell posted 17 points and six rebounds.

The Blue Devils remain at home to take on New Mexico State on Monday evening at 2 p.m. in a game televised live by espn2. The Aggies also kicked off the season on Friday night, falling to Ohio University by an 80-72 count in Athens, Ohio.

ACC Players Dominate the NBA

A total of 53 players from current Atlantic Coast Conference schools were listed on the NBA opening day rosters for the 2007-08 season, the ACC announced on Thursday.

Duke and North Carolina lead all ACC schools with 12 players listed, while Georgia Tech is third with seven and Maryland fourth with six. Twenty-six of the NBA’s 30 teams list at least one player from an ACC school.

In addition, the NBA lists 15 coaches who attended college at a current ACC institution, including three head coaches – Memphis’ Marc Ivaroni (Virginia), Denver’s George Karl (North Carolina) and Seattle’s Nate McMillan (N.C. State).

Players from ACC Schools on 2007-08 NBA Opening Day Rosters

Boston College (3)
Jared Dudley, Charlotte Bobcats
Craig Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves
Sean Williams, New Jersey Nets

Clemson (1)
Greg Buckner, Minnesota Timberwolves

Duke (12)
Shane Battier,Houston Rockets
Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers
Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls
Chris Duhon, Chicago Bulls
Mike Dunleavy, Indiana Pacers
Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns
Corey Maggette, Los Angeles Clippers
Josh McRoberts, Portland Trail Blazers
Shavlik Randolph, Philadelphia 76ers
J.J. Redick, Orlando Magic
Shelden Williams, Atlanta Hawks

Florida State (4)
Sam Cassell, Los Angeles Clippers
Alexander Johnson, Miami Heat
Al Thornton, Los Angeles Clippers
Von Wafer, Denver Nuggets

Georgia Tech (7)
Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Javaris Crittenton, Los Angeles Lakers
Matt Harpring, Utah Jazz
Jarrett Jack, Portland Trail Blazers
Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks
Mario West, Cleveland Cavaliers
Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers

Maryland (6)
Steve Blake, Portland Trail Blazers
Juan Dixon, Toronto Raptors
Steve Francis, Houston Rockets
Joe Smith, Chicago Bulls
D.J. Strawberry, Phoenix Suns
Chris Wilcox, Seattle SuperSonics

Miami (2)
James Jones, Portland Trail Blazers
John Salmons, Sacramento Kings

North Carolina (12)
Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets
Raymond Felton, Charlotte Bobcats
Brendan Haywood, Washington Wizards
Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards
Sean May ,Charlotte Bobcats
Rashad McCants, Minnesota Timberwolves
Jeff McInnis, Charlotte Bobcats
David Noel, Milwaukee Bucks
Jerry Stackhouse, Dallas Mavericks
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons
Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks
Brandan Wright, Golden State Warriors

N.C. State (2)
Josh Powell, Los Angeles Clippers
Cedric Simmons, Cleveland Cavaliers

Virginia (1)
Roger Mason, Washington Wizards

Wake Forest (4)
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Josh Howard, Dallas Mavericks
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Darius Songaila, Washington Wizards

Duke remains Undefeated in Exhibition Play With 105-44 Win Over Barton

DURHAM, N.C. -- Kyle Singler scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as Duke defeated Barton College, 105-44, in exhibition men's basketball action on Saturday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils claimed the lead for good at the 8:31 mark of the opening half when Singler's layup made the score 18-17. Singler's bucket sparked a 26-6 run that pushed the lead to 19 at 42-23 on a layup by DeMarcus Nelson with 1:16 prior to intermission.

After leading by 20 points at halftime, the Blue Devils used a 13-2 run to begin the second stanza and claim a 60-29 advantage when Nolan Smith rebounded a miss and scored. Duke led by as many as 61 points in the contest.

Singler made 10-of-12 field goal attempts and all six of his free throws and added two steals, one assist and one blocked shot in 25 minutes of action. Smith added 18 points, six assists and four rebounds while Gerald Henderson chipped in 17 points and seven boards.

The Duke defense limited Barton to 34.0 percent shooting from the floor and the Bulldogs committed 36 turnovers.

Duke opens the 2007-08 regular season at home on Friday, November 9 when the Blue Devils host N.C. Central at 7 p.m.

Duke Cruises To 134-55 Win Over Shaw

DURHAM, N.C. -- Freshman forward Kyle Singler scored 23 points to lead 10 Blue Devils in double figures as Duke defeated Shaw University, 134-55, in exhibition action on Thursday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils turned a 9-5 lead into a 36-5 advantage with a 27-0 run that ended with Singler's layup at the 9:50 mark of the opening half. Duke led 68-17 at halftime with Singler making all five of his field goal attempts while scoring a team-high 12 points.

Singler finished the game by sinking 10-of-11 field goal attempts and three-of-four foul shots. He added five rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals in his 19 minutes of action. DeMarcus Nelson added 17 points while Lance Thomas made all six of his shots from the floor en route to scoring 15.

Nolan Smith came off the Duke bench to score 11 points and hand out a game-high seven assists against zero turnovers.

Duke's defensive pressure bothered the Bears the entire evening as Shaw committed 34 turnovers. Jonathan Mudd and Camontae Griffin each scored 11 points to lead the Bears, who shot just 32.3 percent (21-of-65) from the floor.

The Blue Devils close out exhibition play on Saturday afternoon by hosting Barton College, the defending NCAA Division II national champion, at 5 p.m. The Blue Devils open the regular season on Friday, November 9 at home against N.C. Central ( 7 p.m.)

Nelson named Captain of Blue Devils for 2007-08

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that senior guard DeMarcus Nelson was named team captain for the 2007-08 season. Nelson, the lone senior on the Duke roster, was also a team captain last season when he averaged a team-best 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while earning ACC honorable mention accolades.

“As our only senior and four-year letterwinner, DeMarcus [Nelson] has grown into quite a leader,” said Krzyzewski. “This has been recognized by his teammates and coaches, so instead of having multiple leaders we are looking for DeMarcus to do that on his own this year. We are all really excited for him.”

Nelson, an ACC Coaches’ All-Defensive Team pick, finished his junior campaign 18th in the ACC in scoring (14.1 ppg.) and tied for seventh in field goal percentage (.478, 174-of-364). The Elk Grove, Calif., native also led Duke in scoring, field goals (174) and steals (44), while finishing second on the team in rebounds (5.4 rpg.) and dunks (34). Nelson was one of two guards in the ACC to average over 5.0 rebounds per game in 2006-07.

For his career, the 6-4, 200-pound guard is averaging 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Nelson, who has played in 90 career games, is shooting .453 from the floor (301-of-664) and .367 from three-point distance (84-of-229). With 842 career points, he is 158 points shy of becoming the 55th player in Duke history to top the 1,000-point plateau. Duke ranks third all-time on the list of 1,000-point scorers, trailing only North Carolina and Louisville.

Duke opens practice on Oct. 12 with exhibition play beginning on Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m. with the annual Blue-White Game. The Blue Devils will also play exhibition games against Shaw (Nov. 1) and Barton College (No. 3) before opening the regular season on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. against N.C. Central.l.

Henderson takes out Hansbrough

Rumor has it that UNC and Duke don't like each other -- particularly when it comes to basketball. So Duke's Gerald Henderson fouled UNC's Tyler Hansbrough during the waning moments of a recent game (breaking his nose and splattering blood all over the court), it didn't really help matters.

Frankly, when we first watched this, it really does look like Henderson did it on purpose. However, keep watching -- around the 1:48 mark, you'll see a slow-motion closeup shot that shows Henderson swiping at the ball, with his face turned away from Hansbrough. We think it was just an accident, but the refs don't agree -- Henderson was suspended for one game. More pictures and coverage of the story here from AOL Sports.

INSANITY

Yes.... College Basketball season is upon us. Let the Duke insanity begin!!!!