Duke Pounds Xavier, 82-64

Duke couldn't play a much better first half. Xavier can't play much worse than it did in the opening 20 minutes.

#6 Duke beat #7 Xavier 82-64 on Saturday, but don't let the final score fool you. It was over at halftime when the Blue Devils were up by 31.

It never looked like a matchup of top 10 teams as the Blue Devils were ahead 22-3 before Xavier managed its first field goal, a layup by C.J. Anderson 5:54 into the game.

Everything Duke tried worked, whether it was 3 shooting or drop passes close to the basket that turned a short jumper into a layup. Meanwhile, Xavier couldn't get anything right as passes flew out of bounds and shots missed by a mile.

"We're a good defensive team and our offense can hurt our defense if we're missing 3s or turning the ball over, and if we get a chance to set our defense like we did today, teams are going to have a hard time scoring," said Jon Scheyer, who matched his season high for Duke (10-1) with 23 pts. "This was our best game of the season."

The start surely was, just like it was on the opposite end for Xavier.

"That was not the team we've seen for 46 practices and nine games," said Derrick Brown, who led the Musketeers (9-1) with 18 points. "Give Duke credit. They came out and punched us in the mouth."

Gerald Henderson added 19 pts for the Blue Devils.

"Obviously we know we're a very good team when we play a certain way, like we did today," Henderson said. "If we're going to achieve the things we want to achieve we have to play consistent Duke basketball every game. We really just wanted to uphold our standards."

Duke shot 61.8% from the field in the first half (21/34), including 8/15 from 3 range. The Musketeers were 9/27 from the field, missing all four 3s, in the first 20 minutes — plus 10 turnovers.

Scheyer had four 3s in the first half, and his no-look bounce pass to David McClure for a dunk just seconds before the buzzer gave the Blue Devils a 55-24 lead.

"We had one of those halves where everything went right. If we could bottle that first half, we'd be pretty damn good," Duke Coach K said. "Jon and G created a strength that hadn't been seen this year. It was totally unexpected against an outstanding team. We were very well prepared and the team took a step up. I could feel it because we were prepared so well. I knew that we were going to play well, but it ended up that we played great."

Michigan Answers, Punks Duke, 81-73

DeShawn Sims scored a career-high 28 points to leading Michigan to an 81-73 victory over Duke on Saturday, its second win over a No. 4-ranked team in two weeks.

The Wolverines (6-2) beat then-No. 4 UCLA before losing 71-56 to Duke in the 2K Sports Classic final.

Michigan — which hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1998 — has beaten two top five teams in the regular season for the first time since 1986-87, the year after its last Big Ten title.

"I still think it's a rebuilding year," Sims insisted. "Even though we've had two big wins, we've also lost two games. It definitely says we're executing what Coach wants us to do on both ends of the court."

Duke (8-1) made just three of 27 3-point attempts before connecting on four in a row to pull within four points in the final minute. The Blue Devils finished 7-of-33 for one of their worst performances beyond the arc in more than a decade.

"Michigan did a good job with the 1-3-1 zone," said Nolan Smith, who matched the team high with two 3-pointers and finished with 12 points. "They extended it to take away 3s in the corners and on the wings."

After an 11th lead change and 16th tie, Novak's second straight 3-pointer led to Duke calling a timeout with 7:39 left to calm down a raucous crowd that's characteristically quiet in a community consumed by football.

"I saw the Savannah State tape and there weren't too many seats full," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, referring to the previous home game that had an announced crowd of 8,190 in an arena that holds almost 14,000. "It's party time every time we come to town, but this is a great school and they deserve this level of support for every game."

Michigan's win over the Bruins was its first against a top five team since 1997, and was the team's first over a ranked opponent under Beilein.

It will be tough to tone down the excitement with two wins over No. 4 teams and a respectable five-point loss earlier this week at Maryland.

Jon Scheyer scored 16 points for Duke and Kyle Singler had 15, but they were cold from 3 ball land with a combined 2-of-14.

Duke had won 31 straight games against unranked, nonconference opponents dating to a loss against Georgetown on Jan. 21, 2006.

"A loss always hurts — nonconference, conference, whatever," Smith said. "Any time you lose, you want to play the next day."

Duke Beats Down Purdue, 76-60

With their 76-60 punking of Purdue on the road Tuesday night in the perpetually un-challenging Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Devils' cover is blown.

So don't get too cocky, Carolina. Duke is back.

Duke is back with one of the most precious commodities in today's transient college basketball: experience. Duke is back with an eight-man core rotation that features two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and zero freshmen -- a throwback rotation to the olden days when rookies waited their turn. Duke is back without a powerhouse player in the middle, but with so many players who can do so many things that it can make up for that deficiency.

Duke is back with a poised group that can saunter into an old-fashioned Midwestern snake pit, feel the noise press against its ears and smirk in response.

"We're a very confident team," said leading scorer Kyle Singler.

"These guys have games like this every single time they go out," said admiring Purdue coach Matt Painter. "They walk into that atmosphere every single night."

The Devils walked into a charged atmosphere and slapped the Boilermakers right in the face. They never trailed. They led 7-0 as Purdue hyperventilated its way to five missed shots (two of them layups) and three turnovers. The lead was two possessions or greater for the final 31 minutes and 16 seconds. It was double digits for the final 19:12.

This was a Boiler beatdown.

"It's important to get off to a good start in an environment like this," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Purdue was so amped, I think they missed some easy plays and layups. They wanted it so bad."

Duke wanted it, too. But a poised, veteran team can want it and still execute.

The Blue Devils did that, slapping relentless pressure defense and reliable weakside rotations on Purdue's best offensive players, Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore. They blocked out like pros, hammered the Boilers by 20 on the glass. And they routinely got the ball where it needed to go -- primarily in the hands of gifted sophomore Singler.

Singler was one of the few stars of the tremendous prep Class of 2007 who came back for a second season of college ball, and he'll be Duke's bell cow. Tuesday night the kid with the feathery stroke and a banger's mentality punished Purdue with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He played like a very veteran, very talented sophomore.

"Kyle will never be nervous or afraid," Krzyzewski said. "Ever."

Singler is part of a Duke starting lineup that has more athleticism than any in several years. Swingman Gerald Henderson might be the most athletic player in the nation; guard Jon Scheyer is an underrated athlete (ask Moore, whom he locked up much of the night); and sophomore point guard Nolan Smith is a jet.

The insertion of Smith in the starting lineup was the one great chemistry experiment by Krzyzewski, because it sent Greg Paulus to the bench -- for the first time ever, really. Paulus had started 95 games in three years at Duke and had the ball in his hands an awful lot of that time.

There have been hot starts before in recent years -- plenty of them, as the Blue Devils seemingly played over their heads and then wore down or were exposed come tournament time.

Don't expect this Duke team to fade all season -- not even against North Carolina. If the Tar Holes want to know where their challenge is coming from, they don't have to look far to find it.

Thomas Breaks Out, Duke Spanks Duquesne

Lance Thomas scored a career-high 21 points Friday to help the 5th ranked Blue Devils rout Duquesne 95-72.

"I feel like that performance was long overdue," Thomas said. "On any given night, any of our guys can have a game like that. We have such a balanced team, such a deep team, that something like that can happen on any given night, and it says a lot about our team that we can do that."

Thomas might be the first big man off Duke's bench, but Krzyzewski described him as "another starter for our team." He had 12 of his points in the decisive first half and made all eight of his shots in helping the Blue Devils (7-0) shoot a season-high 54.7 percent.

Kyle Singler had 17 points, Nolan Smith added 11, and the only thing Thomas missed all day was a first-half free throw in surpassing his previous high of 15 set against Air Force in 2006. Duke — which hadn't shot better than 48.5 percent in any game so far — scored 31 points off 19 Duquesne turnovers.

"We like to run the fast break on a made basket. Unfortunately, there were a lot of makes on Duke's end today, so we got a lot of practice with it," Duquesne coach Ron Everhart quipped.

The Blue Devils never trailed, led by 10 midway through the first half, pushed it to 20 by the break and 30 shortly after halftime in cruising to their 64th straight non-conf win at home. Duke has won its 5 home games by an average of 24 points.

"We got that huge lead (and) it was a result of Duke scoring, not a certain player scoring," Coach K said. "That's when it's always the best, when you don't even know who scored. You just know that we scored."

The Blue Devils will have to wait a few weeks before they can go for No. 65. After a road trip through Big Ten country to face No. 10 Purdue and Michigan, they're off for final exams before hosting UNC Asheville on Dec. 17.

Duke Rolls to 6-0, Defeating Montana by 20

Nolan Smith scored 12 of his 14 points during the decisive first-half run that led #5 Duke to its third win in four days, 78-58 over Montana on Sunday.

Gerald Henderson also had 14 points, Kyle Singler finished with 13 and Jon Scheyer scored 12 for the Blue Devils (6-0), who played without co-captain Greg Paulus -- a starter-turned-backup this season who was held out with a bruised right forearm.

But with Smith making his sixth straight start at the point, Duke went back to its familiar formula of hot shooting and high-pressure defense to fuel the game-breaking 30-9 first-half run that carried the team to its NCAA-best 63rd straight non-conf. victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"I just want him to keep developing," Coach K said. "He's got a tough position, and it wears on you mentally, not just physically, when you're responsible for running the team. ... Last year, he didn't have to do this as the primary guy, and all of a sudden, this is the fourth game in a week.

Jordan Hasquet scored 15 points to lead the Grizzlies (2-2), who averaged 78.5 points in winning their last two before Duke pressured them into a season-high 20 turnovers and turned them into 31 points.

"We let their intensity speed us up," Montana coach Wayne Tinkle said. "That was a big key going into the game, not to settle for mediocre (looks) because they trick you, they trick you into thinking you've got something, and you put it on the floor and they fly at you. We settled for mediocre and we also dribbled into some trouble, and they had layups and dunks and that certainly took some of our spirit from us."

Duke Captures 2K Sports Classic Championship

MSG NYC -- Kyle Singler showed up from the start this time, scoring 15 points and leading Duke #5 to a 71-56 victory over Michigan in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic.

Nolan Smith led Duke with 16 points and Gerald Henderson had 12 for the Blue Devils, who won their four games in the 2K Sports Classic by an average of 28.5 points. Duke has won seven straight in-season tournament games after sweeping through the Maui Invitational last season.

Manny Harris scored 25 to lead Michigan (3-1), which will get another crack at the Blue Devils (5-0) when they visit Ann Arbor on Dec. 6. DeShawn Sims added 10.

Singler was on target early, going 3-for-3 from the field in the first half and hitting key shots whenever Michigan threatened to tighten things up. He also had eight boards and earned the tournament MVP award.

The game figured to hinge on Michigan's ability to slow down Duke's high-flying offense, and early on coach John Beilein's patented 1-3-1 zone defense seemed to confuse the Blue Devils.

Then Smith and freshman Elliot Williams combined for eight straight points, giving Duke a 25-15 lead with just under 9 minutes left in the first half, forcing the Wolverines to eventually switch to a man-to-man defense that kept the game close for a while.

Duke has won 14 straight in November and improved to 108-16 in the season's first month, including 94-10 under Mike Krzyzewski. His teams are 17-6 at Madison Square Garden, where another heavily pro-Duke crowd showed up in droves to see the title game of the tournament benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

In the consolation game earlier in the night, Alfred Aboya and Darren Collison led the Bruins to a 77-60 victory over Southern Illinois.

Henderson Leads Duke to Finals in 2K Sports Classic

Gerald Henderson scored all 20 of his points in the second half, helping #5 Duke find some offensive rhythm in an 83-58 victory over So. Illinois in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic.

Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler each added 13 points for the Blue Devils (4-0), who advanced to play either Michigan on Friday night for the championship of the tournament benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Carlton Fay had 17 points to lead So. Illinois (2-1), which spent most of the game in foul trouble. Big man Nick Evans fouled out with 7:59 left and Tony Boyle was gone with just under 7 minutes to go.

The Salukis made things much more difficult than the final score might indicate. They pulled to 55-47 with about 9½ minutes left before Singler hit a three. A couple of minutes later, Duke's stellar sophomore was fouled on a breakaway dunk and crashed to the floor in a heap.

A referee came from the other end of the court to call an intentional foul on Boyle. After Singler made a pair of free throws, Henderson nailed a three from the wing to give Duke a 66-49 lead.

Henderson scored seven more in a span of just a couple of minutes, including a thunderous dunk that roused a late-arriving crowd and pushed the game out of reach.

Brian Zoubek added 10 for the Blue Devils. Kevin Dillard had 10 for So. Illinois.

The Salukis did their best to slow down the high-scoring Blue Devils, often pushing and grabbing them as they cut through the lane.

Somebody must have paid attention. The Blue Devils spent the final nine minutes of the half parading to the free-throw line, where they had just as many tries (19) as field-goal attempts.

Duke Tenacity Overcomes Rhode Island 82-79

Duke watched as Jimmy Baron turned the second half into his personal shootaround. Finally, the Blue Devils put their best player in his face — just in time to save their long home-court winning streak.

Kyle Singler hit two free throws with 19.4 secs left, then stopped Rhode Island's top scorer down the stretch to lead #5 Duke past the Rams 82-79 on Sunday.

Jon Scheyer scored 23 points and was 13-of-13 from the free-throw line, and Singler finished with 21 points for the Blue Devils (3-0). They fell behind by 12 early and trailed for most of the way before scoring on their final seven possessions to rally for their NCAA-best 62nd straight non-conf victory at Cameron Indoor.

"It was one of those February games in November," Duke coach Krzyzewski said. "The last 5 minutes, I thought we did everything right. ... And they didn't do anything wrong. They just missed a couple of shots."

Baron scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half and matched a career high with eight 3's for Rhode Island (1-1).

"(Duke) put every guy possible on him," the Rhode Island coach said of his son. "They were switching, changing defenses on him. He just stepped up and kept us ahead."

Delroy James added a career-high 21 points and Keith Cothran added 10 points.

Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas finished with 10 points apiece for Duke, which won its first two games by an average of 37 points. Maybe the Blue Devils should have expected a tighter contest from the Rams — both previous meetings between the schools came in the NCAA tournament and each was decided by one point.

The Rams made 7-of-9 3-pointers in the second half and finished shooting nearly 55 percent, but were denied their first victory against a ranked team since 1998 and their first win against an ACC team since 1987.

"I don't think our guys expected the level of play," Krzyzewski said. "Don't get me wrong. We respected Rhode Island. But they played at a really high level tonight. I thought it knocked us back."

Duke cruises past Georgia Southern, into 2K Sports semifinals

Singler Leads Duke Past Georgia So. 97-54

DURHAM, N.C. - Kyle Singler recorded 19 points for the second straight game and added eight rebounds as No. 8 Duke defeated Georgia Southern, 97-54, in the second round of the 2008 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Singler added eight rebounds in just 22 minutes of action and earned MVP of the Durham Regional of the tournament for his efforts. He opened the 2008-09 season with a 19-point, 10-rebound effort vs. Presbyterian Monday.

Duke led 52-25 at the half. Nolan Smith scored 13 points with a pair of steals while Gerald Henderson and Greg Paulus each scored 11 points. Jon Scheyer scored 8 points and had a game-high 7 assists while freshman Elliot Williams pulled down 11 rebounds off the bench in just 14 minutes of second-half action.

The Blue Devils did struggle from the line, hitting just 25-of-49 free throw attempts.

Duke next hosts Rhode Island Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium with tipoff set for 4:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Duke will then return to action in the 2K Classic and will face the winner of UMass or Southern Illinois. The Minutemen defeated Arkansas-Monticello, 90-71, while the Saluki's defeated California (Pa.), 66-52. UMass and Southern Illinios will square off Wednesday

Duke Ranked 5th In Coaches Poll

The Duke Blue Devils earned a No. 8 ranking in the preseason AP poll, marking the 13th consecutive preseason poll in which they've been ranked. With Kentucky not earning a ranking, the Blue Devils now hold the longest streak in the nation. Duke also earned a No. 5 ranking in the coaches poll release earlier last week.

Duke has now been ranked in every preseason AP poll since the 1996-97 season. In the AP poll, Duke is No. 8 behind North Carolina, Connecticut, Louisville, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Michigan State and Texas. In the Coaches poll, the Blue Devils are ranked No. 5 behind North Carolina, Connecticut, Louisville and UCLA.

This also marks the 21st preseason ranking in the AP poll in the last 22 years and 23rd overall under Coach K. Additionally, this is the 35th appearance all-time in the preseason AP poll and the 39th overall in the first poll of the season. The AP has distinguished the first poll of the season and the preseason poll every season since 1961-62.

More Duke In The AP Poll Notes:

* Duke has been ranked at some point in each of the last 26 seasons and in 48 seasons overall.
* Duke has earned a Top 10 preseason ranking for the first time since 2005-06, when it was No. 1 in the preseason poll. Under Coach K, Duke has earned a Top 10 ranking 19 times and 28 times overall.
* Coach K ranks No. 1 all-time for most seasons with at least one No. 1 ranking with 13, one ahead of John Wooden and three ahead of Dean Smith and Roy Williams.
* Duke has now been ranked in 597 overall polls of which 489 have been a Top 10 ranking. Duke's current streak of consecutive polls ranked stands at 21.
* Duke has been ranked No. 8 now 41 times in the AP poll and the Blue Devils are 60-15 as the No. 8 team in the AP poll.
* Under Coach K, Duke has been ranked in 411 overall polls, the Top 10 349 times and at No. 1 92 times, more than any other active coach.
* Of 938 games under Coach K, Duke has been ranked 793 of them. Duke is 650-144 as a ranked team under Coach K.

Nelson Signs With Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors on Tuesday signed former Duke standout DeMarcus Nelson, along with swingman Dion Dowell and forward Rob Kurz.

Nelson, a Bay area native, played four seasons at Duke becoming just the sixth player in school history to record at least 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, 200 assists and 125 steals in a career. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals in his senior season, while collecting first team All-ACC and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also a third team All-America selection by the NABC.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed for the trio, each of whom went undrafted in June but earned their roster spots with strong play in the summer league.

Dowell spent his final two college seasons at Houston after beginning his career at Texas. As a senior with the Cougars, Dowell averaged 10.9 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Kurz, who played under former Duke assistant coach Mike Brey at Notre Dame, averaged 12.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his senior campaign. His sister, Laura, was a member of the Duke women's basketball team from 2004-06.

Coach K Brings Home Olympic Gold

Congratulations Coach K on bringing home the gold! Congratulations as well to all of the USA Olympians!

The Sleeper? DeMarcus Nelson

One guy who’s been ripping it up in practice is former Duke guard and Vallejo native DeMarcus Nelson. I watched most of practice on Thursday, and he was dominant. He threw down one tomahawk dunk that shocked me a bit, then he almost broke the rim trying to dunk on like three big men. He also knocked down open shots, ran the offense, got to the basket, scored in traffic, defended C.J. Watson. He looked really good.
He’s getting it done in games, he just doesn’t get many minutes behind Marco Belinelli. He’s averaging 5.3 points in 10 minutes.
“That’s all I want is a chance,” Nelson said after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s what I’ve been working for … Summer league has been good. I’ve been playing well. I’ve been trying to do everything they ask me to do, and at the same time demonstrate what I can do. It’s been great. I love the guys. I love the system here, and we’re 3-0.”
Nelson will stick with the Warriors’ summer league squad in Utah. He said he felt good about his chances of being invited to training camp in October.
One thing that really stands out about him is his hunger. He plays with an aggressive urgency, like he knows he has something to prove. It can hurt him some, as he tries to do too much (four turnovers in 10 minutes vs. Dallas). But the dude has a chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t understand why he’s in this situation, struggling trying to make training camp. It only took one question for him to let loose.
Question: Did not getting drafted shake your confidence?
Answer: “It didn’t shake my confidence in who I was. It just frustrated me because I had a great senior season. I don’t think anybody else in the country had a better senior season than me. I don’t think anybody had the pressures of leading their team every night, defending the best offensive player (point guard through power forward), scoring, being the leading scorer, being the leading defensive player, and then still setting up your teammates on the offensive side. I had to do that every night for me team. There was not one player who had that type of responsibility. And then going into predraft, I played well at Orlando, second-leading scorer at camp. And then workouts, I went against some of the top guys and had great workouts. Everywhere I went, I had a good showing. So the draft was tough for me because it didn’t feel like I was fully appreciated for what I do. It never shook my confidence in who I am. But it just more so ignited a passion, a deeper passion, a fire.”
Many people talk about how these athletes should stay in school. He did. All four years. At Duke. He has experience under pressure, in big games, playing a key role. His body is developed. He knows his strengths and weaknesses.
He is somewhat undersized for a shooting guard (6-foot-4, 200 pounds), and not really a point guard (though he can handle well). Other than that, I think he’s good enough to play in the NBA, and probably worth keeping around to see if he develops.
With the Mickael Pietrus gone, and Kelenna Azubuike possibly on his way out, and Marco Belinelli moving up in the rotation, the Warriors need a competitive practice player and someone who can play spot minutes. Maybe he turns out to be a player.

http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2008/07/18/the-sleeper-demarcus-nelson/

Nelson, Warriors Finish Summer League, 7-2

As one of the most impressive teams at both the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and the Rocky Mountain Revue in Utah, the Warriors earned the reputation of being 'the team to beat.' And today, playing their fouth game in five days, the Warriors were taken down by the Hawks in a 105-91 contest. It marked the team's only loss at the RMR, and their first overall loss since their fourth game in Vegas.

The Hawks came out firing and never stopped, hitting 11-of-24 three-pointers on the game. And despite the loss, there were still plenty of positives for the Warriors. DeMarcus Nelson put forth perhaps his best effort of the summer, finishing with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. In what has become a trend, Anthony Randolph had another solid game, registering 20 points, six rebounds and three assists, while knocking down all six of his free throws. And last but not least, Anthony Morrow tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, but his final game of the summer most definitely took a back seat to the news he received earlier in the day. Prior to the contest, the Warriors announced that they had signed Morrow to a contract, a deserved honor for the rookie. At the time of signing his contract, Morrow had averaged 18.6 points in six previous Summer League games for the Warriors, while converting 16-of-19...yes 16-of-19 three-pointers (84.2%).

Golden State finished with a 3-1 record in Utah, which was good enough to earn them a tie for first place. Coupled with their 4-1 finish in Vegas that also netted them a first place tie, the Warriors finished 7-2 overall in what has to be called a very successful summer.

DeMarcus Nelson: The reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year from Duke lived up to his reputation and played a key role in the Warriors' success. Nelson played in all nine of the Warriors' summer league games and showed a hunger that did not go unnoticed. Nelson wound up averaging 8.8 points, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 19.0 minutes per game.

DeMarcus Nelson Finds a Home.. For Now

Former Sheldon High star DeMarcus Nelson has signed a free-agent deal to play with the Golden State Warriors in summer league in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

Nelson, undrafted after four seasons at Duke capped by being named Defensive Player of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, has a good chance to get an invitation to training camp. Up-tempo Golden State would be an obvious fit for the athletic combo guard.

The Warriors will play five games in Las Vegas from July 11-19 and then four in Salt Lake City from July 21-25. Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, Anthony Randolph and Richard Hendrix are the other familiar names on the summer-league roster.


http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/013673.html

Czyz MVP of 35th annual Under Armour Capital Classic

College Park, Md. – Duke-bound Olek Czyz was named the Most Valuable Player of the 35th annual Under Armour Capital Classic in College Park, Md. on Sunday.

Czyz, a 6’8” forward from Reno, Nev., scored a game-high 23 points for the U.S. All-Stars as they claimed a 123-85 victory over the Capital All-Stars in the annual high school all-star game. Czyz shot 9-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the foul line while adding nine rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 22 minutes of action off the bench.

The coach of the U.S. All-Stars squad was St. Benedicts Prep head coach Danny Hurley, the brother of former Duke All-America Bobby Hurley. Czyz also played with seven players in the game who will be on ACC rosters next season, including Deividas Dulkys (Florida State), Sylvan Landesberg (Virginia), Sean Mosley (Maryland), Tanner Smith (Clemson), Ty Walker (Wake Forest), Andre Young (Clemson) and Cameron Johnson (Virginia).

Czyz is a member of Duke’s 2008 signing class that also included guard Elliott Williams out of Memphis, Tenn.

Nelson stands out in Orlando, is 13th ranked Senior..

Orlando Recap: Second Team All-NBA Pre-Draft
June 5, 2008
16 points in 19 minutes per game tells you all you need to know about what DeMarcus Nelson did in Orlando—being one of the most aggressive players to be found in this setting. He showed absolutely no hesitation trying to find paths to the basket, spinning into the lane repeatedly and finishing strong through contact. He’s just an average ball-handler with his left hand, but in an environment like this where there is obviously no advance scouting, that wasn’t much of an issue, except for the turnover issues he suffered. He’s very quick, smart, relentless and is also a terrific leaper, making him fairly dangerous as a slashing threat, as many in the ACC found out this season. At the next level he may lack the size to consistently finish inside, though, which is why he must improve his mid-range game if he’s to stand any chance at making it.

Nelson only attempted two 3-pointers in three games, but was solid shooting the ball from inside the arc with his feet set. His shooting mechanics are about as ugly as you’ll find, but it worked for him in college, so it’s tough to argue with the results at this point, even if his release is definitely on the slow side. Off the dribble was a different story, though, as he struggles to create separation on his pull-up jumper and therefore gets extremely poor results. He actually shot his free throws better than he typically has over the course of his career (60% this season).

Defensively he was excellent as well, using his terrific length and strength to keep his man in front of him and contesting every possible shot, just like Coach K taught him. Although severely undersized at just 6-2 ¼ in shoes, Nelson sports a ridiculous 6-10 wingspan to help compensate. He did a fantastic job getting in the passing lanes and igniting fast breaks, often being the first one up the court and getting a number of easy baskets in the process.

Although he doesn’t look like a sure-fire NBA player on first glance, as it appears that he might have a hard time translating his style of play to a higher level, Nelson is the type of guy you never want to rule out because of how many things he brings to the table. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him catch on in a Maurice Evans type role in the pros, knocking down shots from behind the arc and playing great defense. His pedigree will help, although measuring out two inches under what he was listed at in college at just 6-2 really makes things tough on him.

Plumlee Officially Signs With Duke

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke men’s basketball team added another member to its 2008 signing class when Miles Plumlee signed a financial aid agreement to play for the Blue Devils next season. Plumlee originally signed a national letter of intent with Stanford but asked for and was granted his release after Trent Johnson left Stanford to take the head coaching job at LSU in early April. Duke received the paperwork to make the announcement official on Thursday.

“We are fortunate to land a player of Miles’ caliber this late in the recruiting process,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He is a versatile player that continues to grow and mature physically. Miles gives us another skilled big man that can be an impact player of both ends of the floor.”

Plumlee, a 6’10”, 230-pound power forward from Christ School in Arden, N.C., joins Elliot Williams and Olek Czyz as incoming freshmen for Duke. Plumlee averaged 15.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while leading Christ School to its second straight NCISAA State Championship as a senior. The Greenies went 34-2 on the season and defeated Greensboro Day 50-41 in the state finals. Plumlee was named to the NCISAA 3A All-State team and was a All-Western North Carolina first team selection by the Asheville Citizen-Times for the second straight season.

Originally from Warsaw, Ind., Plumlee started prep school at Christ School in 2006-07. He guided the Greenies to a pair of state championships and a 63-6 overall record in two seasons. He was ranked as the No. 17 power forward in the 2008 class by scout.com and No. 58 overall. ESPN.com rated him No. 22 among power forwards and the 68th best player in the country. Rivals.com listed him the No. 29 power forward and No. 101 overall prospect.

Duke Signs Plumlee, Adds Much Needed Height

A few hours after being granted a release from his Stanford scholarship on Thursday, ESPN 100 prospect Miles Plumlee committed to the Duke Blue Devils. Plumlee, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds during his senior year, will join his brother Mason, a class of 2009 Duke recruit. "It's a wonderful opportunity and great that things played out the way they did," he told the Asheville Citizen-Times. "We can be together in college and that's an exciting thing. I'm really excited about Duke." Plumlee joins fellow ESPN 100 recruit Elliot Williams (Memphis, Tenn./St. George) and Olek Czyz (Reno, Nev./Reno) in coach Mike Krzyzewski's 2008 class.

"It was all in the family," said ESPN's National Recruiting Director Bob Gibbons. "The Blue Devils desperately needed to bolster their inside positions with size and scoring and Plumlee has the potential to help in that regard as a freshman. He runs the floor very well and is a highly skilled face-the-basket player. Miles has a rare blend of size, mobility and advanced skills in the fundamentals. He is not now a true low-post operative but with added strength and muscle he could really help the Blue Devils immediately at their most vulnerable positions.

Plumlee also had some interest in Indiana and Notre Dame, but the chance to play at Duke and rejoin his younger brother in 2009 was "the opportunity of a lifetime," his father, Perky Plumlee, told Gibbons.

Taylor King Heads to Villanova

It took Taylor King a season to decide Duke wasn't the right fit for him.

It took him less than 72 hours to figure out what did fit.

King, who had planned to visit Gonzaga and Southern Cal at the end of the month, committed on Sunday to transfer to Villanova after a weekend visit. He will enroll in June.

By NCAA rule, King won't be eligible to compete for a year. But he figures it will actually work in his favor. By the time King is ready to play, the Wildcats will have lost Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham to graduation.

"It just couldn't be a better fit for me," King said. "It wasn't about getting it over with. I wanted it. This gives me the best opportunity to start right away."

King played in all 34 games for the Blue Devils this season and averaged 5.5 points and 2.0 rebounds.

The 6-foot-6 forward gives Villanova something it desperately needs -- a solid outside shooter. The Wildcats have good players off the dribble in Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher. But aside from Corey Stokes, they have been lacking in the spot-on shooting department. King made 38 percent of his shots from 3-point range.

"I asked blunt questions, but I wanted everything they offered," said King, who becomes the third McDonald's All-American on Jay Wright's roster. "They laid down their game plan for me and I couldn't resist."

Kansas Crowned in Win over Memphis

It’s funny what one shot will do. When Mario Chalmers’ three-pointer swished through the nets, sent the game into overtime and essentially won the national championship for Kansas, Bill Self went from a good coach to one of the elite coaches in all of college basketball.

Sure he was already one of only four coaches to take three different schools to the Elite Eight, but until this year, Self was known for never being able to reach the Final Four.
Reaching the Final Four is one thing, but winning the national championship is another. Sure, Self had already gotten over the hump and reached college basketball’s greatest weekend, but when the clock hit zero on Monday night, he joined an elite group of coaches that can say they were national champions.

Bobby Knight, John Wooden, Coach K … All of the legendary coaches in the game today have cut down the nets and won a national championship. Now it’s Bill Self who has joined the party and can say the same thing.

But just what would have happened had Chalmers’ shot rimmed off and Kansas not won the game? How would Self have been remembered then?

“The outside public may view people that win a championship differently,” Self said after the game, “but all coaches know you don’t get smarter because a hard shot goes in than if it doesn’t go in.”

And he’s right. He didn’t physically change with the result of Chalmers’ historic heave. He’s the same coach he was before the shot and he’s the same person he would have been had the shot rimmed off, although he’s going to get a big raise from Lew Perkins and the Athletics Department staff in the near future because of it.

Think of two short weeks ago, when the shot by Jason Richards of Davidson missed to the left and the Jayhawks celebrated a trip to the Final Four. Had that shot been six inches to the right, Davidson would have been headed for San Antonio and Kansas would never had even had a chance to bring home the title. Six inches — that’s how close the Jayhawks were from not even making the Final Four.

Kansas fans who were bitter at Roy 'Choke' Williams for leaving for North Carolina cheered for the former coach when he was shown wearing a KU sticker while sitting in the stands. But in 15 years as the coach at Kansas, Choke Williams never did what Self was able to do on Monday night. With one high-arcing three pointer, Kansas fans around the country were finally able to forget about Roy and totally embrace Self as their guy.

With rumors that Self’s alma mater, Oklahoma State, is preparing to offer boat loads of money to sway Self back to Stillwater, Kansas fans can only hope that Perkins will be able to keep Self in Lawrence.

The first round losses to Bucknell and Bradley, which had fans clammoring on message boards for Self to be fired, now seem like a distant memory. The Jayhawks are national champions and Self has enshrined himself as one of the elite coaches in America and one of the all-time greats at Kansas.

And as crazy as it sounds, it’s all because of one shot. One three-pointer, from the top of the key. That’s all it took to not only change the outcome of the game, but to change the legacy of Bill Self.

Kansas Crushes UNC, 84-66 and head to Championship -vs- Memphis

As a perennial choker, Roy Williams taught Kansas all about how to handle cruel, crushing disappointments.

Bill Self schooled the Jayhawks on how to dish out some pain of their own.

Kansas left its former coach in the dust Saturday night, getting 25 pts and 7 boards from Brandon Rush to defend the usual late run by UNC for an 84-66 victory in the national semifinals.

Beat down into a 28 pt hole (40-12), late in the first half, Tyler (have you seen my contact?), Ellington and the Tar Heels made a last ditch effort, getting to within 5 with 9:00 to go.

But Kansas dealt their final crushing blow, and the over-rated, over-inflated egos lost in their effort to pull off the biggest Final Four comeback ever.

"We sort of came out a little more casual than we would've liked and they hit us right between the eyes," Williams said.

Now, the Jayhawks will play Memphis, an earlier 78-63 winner over UCLA, in Monday's title game.

I was going to write a piece about how UNC has been coddled all year with their easy schedule of cupcake teams, but chose rather to not waste my energy on such an over-rated team and will instead quote a fellow blogger:

UNC was routed because it was not tested during the early rounds of the tournament (or the season for that matter). It was given an unfair advantage by the NCAA, since it played four tourney games in NC. UNC also faced inferior competition, save for Louisville, which would have defeated them if the game was played in a neutral court. I knew that UNC would be in trouble in a neutral court, because the ACC teams which beat them (UMD, Duke) or came close to do it three times (Clemson) got dismantled by Big East teams. Furthermore, UNC is always at a disadvantage with athletic and physical teams (e.g. Hoyas in 2007). I therefore expected Kansas to handle them easily. In short, UNC was an overrated team, playing in an overrated conference. Kansas played a great game and exposed UNC for the fraud that it is.

Enough said about the loser 'heels, their crying interviews to the media prove how they were pampered all year, and how roy couldn't 'hand pick' this competition, the 3rd and final team of the year to put them in their place...


Congratulations Kansas!!

And now Kansas has more pressing things to deal with - stopping fast-breaking Memphis and its sensational freshman Derrick Rose.

"We know we've got another step to take Monday night," Sherron Collins said. "It's going to be a great matchup. They play fast, we play fast."

Final 4 Set!! Fat Lady Prepares to Sing...

For the first time in the history of the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament, all of the #1 seeds have survived to the final 4.

Congratulations to each deserving team for reaching this level of play, I wish the best of luck to each of you. I look forward to seeing UCLA and Kansas in the final game!

The combined record of Memphis, UCLA, North Carolina and Kansas is 143-9. Memphis is 37-1 (with a loss to Tennessee). UCLA is 35-3 (with losses to Texas, Southern California and Washington). North Carolina is 36-2 (with losses to Maryland and Duke). Kansas is 35-3 (with losses to Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas).

Kansas' Bill Self is the only first-time Final Four coach. UCLA's Ben Howland is making his third appearance, North Carolina's Roy Williams is making his sixth appearance and Memphis' John Calipari is making his second appearance.

And finally, Congratulations Davidson! Thanks for making this an exciting tourney, you guys played at an awesome level and finished with an outstanding 29-7 record with a perfect 20-0 record in conference play!!

Taylor King to Leave Duke

DURHAM, N.C. - Freshman Taylor King has decided to leave Duke University, school officials announced Monday. King saw action in all 34 games in 2007-08, averaging 5.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

The Huntington Beach, Calif., native finished the season with 43 three-point field goals to rank eighth in the Duke freshman record books. He also shot 38.7 percent (43-of-111) from three-point distance to rank seventh among freshman at Duke. King had a pair of 20-point games, including a 27-point outburst against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 25. The 6-6, 230-pound forward went 9-of-14 from the field, including 6-of-11 from three-point range, in the win over Eastern Kentucky.

“Taylor is a solid young man and has the ability to be a good player,” said Krzyzewski. “We support him in his decision to transfer and wish him the best of luck in the future.”

From this fan's perspective, one word comes to mind.. FUCK! I was looking forward to seeing him play more minutes next season, but I guess he didn't seem to fit into K's program.. The coming weeks will dish out the dirt, I am sure..

Davidson Pounds Wisconsin to Advance to Elite 8

On the red trim at the bottom of his shoes, Stephen Curry has written in black marker, “I can do all things.”

Yes, yes he can.

Instead of being intimidated by the big stage—not to mention the monstrous Ford Field venue—Curry and Davidson played with such ease and attitude they may as well have been in their cozy little gym back home. The Wildcats shot 49 percent from the floor, and were 12-of-24 from 3 ball range. Jason Richards had 11 pts and 13 assists, and Lovedale added 12 pts.

“Michael did a pretty good job of chasing Curry and trying to force some things,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “He made some tough shots. But so did some of the other guys. I thought they got a lot of contributions when they needed them. And that’s how you get to keep playing in the NCAA tournament.”

Flowers led the Badgers with 12 and three others finished in doubles, but the Badgers never found their rhythm offensively. The defense that was so fearsome all year never materialized. Wisconsin prides itself on making opponents work the shot clock down in search of a decent shot. But time and again, Wisconsin would score only to have Davidson race down the court and make a basket of its own seconds later.

“I felt like we were always in it,” said Brian Butch said. “I felt like we needed to make some plays and we didn’t make any plays.”

Curry, on the other hand, did.

Marcus Landry’s jumper pulled the Badgers within 48-45 with 13:48 to play. That’s when Curry took over.

He made a 3, and Jason Richards stole the ball on the other end. Racing upcourt, Richards found Curry camped in the corner all by himself and dished off. Joe Krabbenhoft—a member of the Big Ten’s all-defensive team—sprinted toward Curry and jumped, hoping to block the shot.

But Curry calmly waited until Krabbenhoft flew by him and then, with that silky smooth shot that’s becoming a signature of this year’s tournament, made another 3 to put Davidson up 54-45 with 13:03 to play.

As his teammates cheered, Curry thumped his chest and pointed skyward. The basket gave him 23 points—twice as many as anybody else on the court and was his fifth 3 of the night.

“It’s hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually, you’ll find yourself open,” Curry said. “It’s just being patient and sticking to the system that we have at Davidson.”

He wasn’t done yet, either.

Davidson had run the shot clock almost all the way down, looking for something. Curry finally took an off-balance shot from NBA 3-point range, falling as he released the ball. No matter. It was good, just like almost everything else he did Friday night.

And a minute later, he scored on a sweet inside reverse, drawing a foul and the admiration of everybody in the arena, including James. The Cleveland Cavaliers star had praised Curry earlier this week and, on the eve of a game against the Detroit Pistons, decided to get a better look.

Curry didn’t disappoint him. Or anybody else.

“He continues to amaze me,” Lovedale said.

Duke Upset In 2nd Round By West Virginia, 73-67

#2 seeded Duke fell in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament to 7-seeded West Virginia, 73-67, to end its 2007-08 season. The Blue Devils finish with a 28-6 record while the Mountaineers improve to 26-10 and advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.

Gerald Henderson led the way for the Blue Devils with 18 pts off of a 5-of-9 performance from the field. Jon Scheyer added 15 off the bench while Greg Paulus was the only other Duke player in double figures with 13 pts and three 3's.

The Mountaineers were led Joe Mazzulla off the bench with 13 pts, 11 rebs and 8 assists. Joe Alexander had 22 pts and 11 boards while Alex Rouff added 17 pts.

"The story of this game is Joe Mazzulla," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He looked like a mini Jason Kidd out there getting all those rebounds and assists. He played tremendously."

Duke controlled the majority of the first half and after falling behind 4-0 in the first two minutes, fueled by a pair of threes from Paulus, they were able to score 14 unanswered to take a 14-4 lead six minutes into the half. After Kyle Singler hit a pair of free throws to give Duke a 18-8 lead, West Virignia rattled off seven straight to cut the lead to three nine minutes into the half.

Paulus hit a jumper at the 9:13 mark to put Duke up 22-17 and despiste not hitting a field goal for over four minutes, Duke maintained the lead by hitting all 12 of its free throws in the opening stanza. The pace slowed but the Blue Devils held serve to hold a five point lead in the first half, 34-29.

"I felt that we played better than a five point advantage in the first half," Krzyzewski said. "That was one of the keys of the game."

Henderson opened up the second half with a dunk to put the Blue Devils up by seven but Duke wouldn't score another field goal for 6 1/2 minutes and when Scheyer hit a jumper with 13:29 remaining, it was to tie the game at 40. Scheyer would hit another jumper at the 9:23 mark to end a four minute scoring drought. At that point, West Virginia held a five point advantage, 47-42.

"Our effort was great, especially on defense," Krzyzewski said. "We just couldn't hit a shot and they really out played us on the boards."

West Virginia would push the lead to double figures first on a three by Rouff with 4:42 left to hold a 60-49 lead. The Mountaineers biggest lead came off a pair of Mazzulla free throws at the 2:01 mark to give the Mountaineers a 66-52 lead. Duke actually scored 15 points in the final two minutes and nine in the final minute but the late game charge wasn't enough as the Mountaineers held on for the six point victory.

The Blue Devils saw DeMarcus Nelson's career come to an end. The 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-ACC performer, Nelson finished his career with 1,334 points, 606 rebounds, 222 assists and 145 steals. He is just one of six players to score 1,300, grab 600-plus rebounds, dish out 200-plus assists and generate 125 or more steals in Duke history, joining the likes of Christian Laettner, Danny Ferry, Shane Battier, Grant Hill and Mike Dunleavy.

Nelson is the only player under 6-5 in Duke history listed as a guard to grab 600 or more rebounds.

"You know, 28-6 is a great season," Krzyzewski said. "And DeMarcus is a big reason we won 28 games. He's been fantastic all year."

Thanks DeMarcus for an exciting season, I look forward to following your progress in the NBA, good luck man!

Duke Avoids Upset by Belmont, Advances to Dance on Saturday

Gerald Henderson put up 21 pts, including the go-ahead basket with 11.9 seconds left, that coupled with one key steal by DeMarcus Nelson and Duke barely avoided what would have been a monumental upset, edging Belmont 71-70 in the first round of the West Regional.

"The last two or three minutes, I was sitting there thinking, 'We're really in this game.' We were so close to winning," Belmont's Henry Harris said. "There's a bit of amazement in your brain, just sitting there: 'Wow!'"

Yes, it occurred to the Blue Devils, too, that the seemingly impossible might somehow suddenly be possible.

"We wouldn't be human if it didn't," Duke guard Jon Scheyer said. "We knew the situation. There was so much pressure on us. Pressure to win. Ninety percent of the building wanted us to lose."

Instead, Duke (28-5) snapped a two-game tournament losing streak and advanced to face West Virginia on Saturday.

It was much tougher than anyone could have expected beforehand, considering the pedigrees of the participants and this little tidbit: Only four times has a No. 15 defeated a No. 2 in the tournament.

But Belmont used a mix of backdoor cuts and headiness down the stretch to keep things close.

"Watching them on tape, they looked really good," said Duke's Coach K, who extended his record to 69 career tournament victories. "Watching them in person, they're even better."

And so the Bruins (25-9) stayed in the game, repeatedly clawing back from deficits as large as 10 points.

Duke led 42-35 at halftime, an edge built at the foul line, where the Blue Devils were 11-for-15, and the Bruins were 2-for-4. Otherwise, in nearly every regard, Belmont played Duke even for those first 20 minutes. The field-goal stats were exactly the same: 14-for-29.

Duke pulled ahead 51-41 in the second half, but Belmont came back with a 9-0 run. Duke padded the margin again, but Belmont responded with an 8-0 spurt. Duke led 69-65 with 2:40 left, but Andy Wicke made a 3 to cut it to one.

And after a Duke miss, Justin Hare grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and made both free throws to give Belmont the lead — the lead! — with 2:02 left in the game. It was 70-69, Belmont, right there for everyone to see, and the crowd was roaring.

Alas, on this night, on the verge of beating one of the sport's most storied programs, Belmont would not score again.

It would be Henderson's driving basket with 11.9 seconds left that erased Belmont's final lead.

Then, with Belmont inbounding the ball under its own basket, Alex Renfroe tried to throw a lob pass that was intercepted by ACC defensive player of the year Nelson. He missed at the line, Belmont got the rebound, and had one final chance to make history. The Bruins got the ball in safely this time, with 2.2 seconds left, and their leading scorer, Hare, got a good look at the basket from about 35 feet away.

"It felt good," Hare said later.

But the shot was a tad long. The ball bounced off the iron. Hare winced.

Mr. Henderson and Duke said NO, we will not go home today....

Duke Drops to Clemson in ACC Semi, 78-74

Greg Paulus scored 17 pts and DeMarcus Nelson added 14 pts and nine reb's but it wasn't enough as the #7 Blue Devils were upset by Clemson, 78-74, Saturday in the semifinals of the 2008 ACC Tournament.

Paulus scored 14 of his 17 in the first half to give the Blue Devils a 31-30 advantage at the break. Neither team led by more than 6 in the opening half. Paulus scored 5 pts in 11 seconds to give Duke its big lead at the half of 25-19 with just over five to go. Clemson then went on an 11-4 run to take a 30-27 lead before Paulus scored the final 4 pts of the half.

Clemson came out gate strong in the second, opening up a quick eight point lead with a 9-0 run in the first 3.5 minutes. Gerald Henderson and Brian Zoubek then scored the next 9 pts for Duke as they pulled back within five at 45-40 with 14:20 left. After a Clemson bucket, Duke used a 9-2 run to tie the game at 49-49 with 11:43 left when Jon Scheyer was fouled on a 3 and hit all three freebies.

A Nolan Smith 3 at the 9:45 mark gave Duke its first lead since the break at 52-51 and the teams traded buckets, neither team holing more than a two-point lead until Jarvis Mayes was fouled by Paulus after making a lay-up and then hit his free throw to put the Tigers up 64-58. After Nelson hit a lay-up, Terrence Ogelsby nailed a three to give Clemson a 67-60 lead with 3:13 left.

The Blue Devils went on a 9-4 run to pull within two on Paulus' only second half points, a 3 with :45 left, making the score 71-69 in favor of Clemson. The Tigers then hit 5-of-6 from the line and got a lay-up in the game's final minute. Scheyer hit a 3 with :08 left before Hammonds, a 43% free throw shooter on the season, knocked down his third and fourth freebie in as many tries in the final moments. Taylor King had a put back before the buzzer on a Paulus heave for the final score.

Hammonds finished with 17 while Trevor Booker added 18 for the Tigers.

Duke did have good production off its bench with Scheyer scoring 13 points and getting a pair of steals while Brian Zoubek scored 8 and had 6 boards while tying his career high with 20 minutes. David McClure had four points and three steals while Nolan Smith had seven points in 19 minutes.

Duke will now wait to find out its NCAA Tournament fate Sunday.

Great win for Clemson, which advance to the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 1962. I wish you all the best in going up against the tarholes, just remember, your team will be playing 7 guys in the finale. Whichever 5 guys the tarholes throw at you, and the two refs, as they are always in roy's back pocket...

Go DUKE!!!

Duke Rolls GT, Faces Clemson in ACC Semis

No one can make faces like Jon Scheyer.
No one on Duke's team will argue that DeMarcus Nelson is the most vocal leader.

The senior captain isn't exactly a rah-rah type of guy.

But late in the second half of Friday's ACC Tournament quarterfinal against Georgia Tech, Nelson was at his best, recapturing his teammates' attention after the Yellow Jackets trimmed a 20-point Duke lead to two.

Nelson's words and actions resulted in an 82-70 Duke victory that vaulted the Blue Devils into Saturday's second semifinal against either Clemson or Boston College.

The game is scheduled to tip at approximately 4 p.m.

When Georgia Tech cut the Devils' lead to 52-50 with 13:37 remaining on a Lewis Clinch jumper, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called timeout.

In the huddle, Nelson took over.

"He just said, like, 'It's time to man up, you know, you either win or you go home,'" Lance Thomas said. "And the feeling we had last year at this tournament, losing in the first round to N.C. State, we vow that we're not going to feel that again and we're not going to allow ourselves to be put in that position.

"So, you know, bringing that back up and basically asserting himself in that huddle was very big for us."

Nelson finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists.

Jon Scheyer led the Devils with 18 points off the bench, including a 10-for-11 performance from the free-throw line.

Greg Paulus scored 13 points, Gerald Henderson added 12 and Thomas chipped in with 10.

After the timeout, Duke scored six consecutive points to make the score 58-50. The big play was a steal by freshman Kyle Singler, who passed to Nelson for a 3-pointer that made it 58-50. GT never threatened again.

End of Regular Season.. Thanks for the Great Team Effort Duke!!

What a difference a year makes!! Duke rebounds from a dismal '06-'07 season where they went 8-8 in ACC play and were 22-10 overall.

This year, it was new leadership under Nelson, a new focus and a new determination as Duke finished off the regular season ranked 7th in the nation at 26-4 overall, and 2nd in the ACC at 13-3.

The Blue Devil dominance this year was fueled not only by its stingy defense, but also by the balanced scoring, with 5 Duke players averaging double digit scoring.

DeMarcus Nelson 15.2
Kyle Singler 14.2
Gerald Henderson 12.5
Jon Scheyer 11.3
Greg Paulus 11.0

Senior guard DeMarcus Nelson was named to the All-ACC first team and the ACC All-Defensive team, while junior Greg Paulus was named to the All-ACC third team along with freshman Kyle Singler, who was also named to the ACC All-Freshman team in an announcement by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday.

Nelson is Duke’s 56th All-ACC first team selection since the first team came out in 1954. It is the first All-ACC team selection for the senior from Elk Grove, Calif. Prior to this season he was an ACC All-Freshman team member in 2004-05 and was honorable mention All-ACC last season. This year he heads into the ACC Tournament leading the Blue Devils in scoring (15.2 ppg.), field goals made (156), free throws made (105), free throws attempted (173) and steals (49). He also led the team in conference play with 16.8 points per game, 92 made field goals, 63-of-104 from the free throw line and 31 steals.

He was also named to the ACC All-Defensive team on Monday. His 49 steals leads the team and he ranks 10th in the ACC with 1.63 steals per game. In conference only play he ranked fourth with 1.94 steals per game and consistently guarded the opposing team’s top offensive player.

Paulus, a guard from Syracuse, N.Y., also receives his first All-ACC team selection. He was named to the third team after averaging 11.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He was the point guard of the offense that finished the regular season third nationally with 84.6 points per game. He finished the season with more steals (48) than turnovers (46), joining Sean Dockery, Steve Wojiechowski and Chris Duhon as the only point guards in Duke history to have more steals than turnovers in a season.

Singler was named to the All-ACC third team and the ACC All-Freshman team. He has put together one of the top freshman seasons in school history. He leads the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and is second in scoring (14.2 ppg.), field goals made (150), three-point field goals (49) and blocks (22). His 427 points currently rank ninth all-time by a freshman at Duke while his 14.2 points per game is seventh best. His 49 three-point field goals is the fifth most while his .780 free throw percentage is ninth. He ranked third among ACC freshmen in scoring (14.2 ppg.), fourth in rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and third in minutes played (28.8 mpg.).

This season marks the 21st time Duke has had three or more players make All-ACC squads. The individual ACC season awards will be released on Tuesday.

Again Team, Thanks for a great season, and we look forward to the same gritty, determined and passionate effort in both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.. Shine on DUKE!!!!

Duke Rally Falls Short by 8, Splits Season With UNC

#5 Duke's comeback effort in the second half fell short as the Blue Devils lost to North Carolina, 76-68, in the regular season finale at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The defeat spoiled Senior Night for the Blue Devils as DeMarcus Nelson was honored prior to the contest.

The Tar Heels improve to 29-2 overall and 14-2 in league play while the Blue Devils fall to 26-4 overall and 13-3 in the conference. Duke earns the number two seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., and will play at 7 p.m. against the winner of Georgia Tech-Virginia, who meet on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Duke rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to claim a 68-66 lead when Jon Scheyer scored on a layup with 5:42 left in the contest. North Carolina responded by scoring the game's final 10 points to secure the victory.

The Blue Devils were led by Greg Paulus' 15 points while Scheyer came off the bench for 14 point and four assists.

North Carolina received 18 points from Danny Green and 16 points and 15 rebounds from Tyler Hansbrough.

Duke Cruises Past Cavs, 86-70

Gerald Henderson scored 19 pts and #5 Duke beat Virginia 86-70, setting up this weekend's showdown between the Blue Devils and North Carolina for the ACC regular-season championship.

The Blue Devils (26-3, 13-2 ACC), who got coach K his 800th career victory last Saturday at NC State, can get his 17th ACC title by completing a sweep of the Tar Holes on Saturday night at Duke.

Virginia (14-14, 4-11), closed within 12 with 7:42 to play, but was no match for the Blue Devils' depth.

Sean Singletary led Virginia with 18 points, while Calvin Baker had 15 and Mamadi Diane 12.

Kyle Singler scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half for Duke, while DeMarcus Nelson had 16, Greg Paulus 14 and Jon Scheyer 10. The Blue Devils hit 12 3-pointers and shot almost 51 percent from the field.

The game was largely decided in the first half, which ended with Duke leading 43-31 lead. The Blue Devils salted it away in the second half by pounding the ball inside.

Singler had four of Duke's first five field goals in the second half, all from within a few feet, and the Blue Devils used a 10-2 run to open a 61-43 lead.

Virginia went on a 10-0 run to get within 66-57, but Singler had a putback and Nelson hit a 3-pointer and a putback to rebuild the lead to 73-59 and Virginia was out of comebacks.

The Blue Devils, who beat North Carolina 89-78 in their first meeting on Feb. 6 at Chapel Hill, did it then with Tar Heels point guard Ty Lawson sidelined with a sprained left ankle. Lawson has returned and will play in the rematch at Cameron Indoor Stadium. If Virginia had Ty Lawson tonight, they still would've lost.

Duke trailed 26-22 with 8½ minutes left in the first half before switching to a zone defense that baffled the Cavaliers and sparked a 19-5 run into halftime.

Four Blue Devils hit 3's during the burst, which gave them a 43-31 lead, while Virginia was just 1-for-8 from the field with eight turnovers.

Duke finishes Strong, Downs Wolfpack 87-86

DeMarcus Nelson capped a remarkable late rally by making two free throws with 1:01 remaining to lift #6 Duke past NC State 87-86 and give Coach K his 800th career win.

"He kind of let us decide what we were going to do with the game," guard Jon Scheyer said, "because for a lot of it, we weren't doing the things that (the coaches) told us to do."

Nelson and Scheyer both scored 19 for the Blue Devils (25-3, 12-2 ACC), who used a game-closing 14-5 run to take their only lead of the half, win their third straight.

"For a couple of late timeouts, I let anyone who would actually want to talk — and say something that somebody would listen to - run the huddle," Coach K said. "Teams become really good when they talk to each other. What happens is, they take ownership. We never took ownership of this game until late in the second half."

Ben McCauley scored 19 points for N.C. State (15-14, 4-11), and he made one of two free throws with 1:11 remaining to put the Wolfpack up 86-85. He fouled Nelson 10 seconds later, and the Duke captain — a 45 percent free throw shooter in his previous six games — knocked down both.

"If I would have made that, we're in overtime right now," McCauley said.

Instead, he turned it over on N.C. State's next possession with 40 seconds remaining, and Duke ran down the clock, with Scheyer missing a 3 with 4 seconds left. Courtney Fells got the rebound and pushed the ball to McCauley, whose 3 from 30 feet bounced off the glass as time expired.

"I tried getting as close as I could, and it really wasn't even a shot — I just threw it up and hoped and prayed that it went in. Unfortunately, it didn't," said McCauley, who as the buzzer sounded collapsed to the court with his jersey pulled over his head.

Greg Paulus scored 15 points and hit two 3's during Duke's frenetic comeback, sparking the burst by connecting from the top of the key with 3:52 remaining to make it 81-76. The Blue Devils hit five 3-pointers in the final 7½ minutes.

"N.C. State really outplayed us the whole game except for the last 8 minutes," Nelson said. "Everything was going for them, but the thing about it is, we pulled together as a team. ... It just clicked for us — in the last 8 minutes, we started making the plays that we needed to win."

Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson had 12 points apiece for the Blue Devils, who made Krzyzewski the sixth Division I men's coach to reach the 800 win milestone. Coach K did it in his 1,064th game — only Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith did it in fewer games - and is 800-264 in his 33rd season.

"It is hard to put it in perspective because ... you're coaching this team, and it's more important what this team is doing than what you've done with other teams," Krzyzewski said.

Duke Shuts Down GT, 71-58

Gerald Henderson and DeMarcus Nelson both scored 15 pts as #6 Duke beat Georgia Tech 71-58 to move into a first-place tie in the Atlantic Coast Conference with rival North Carolina.

Kyle Singler added 13 and Greg Paulus had 11 to help the Blue Devils (24-3, 11-2) improve to 15-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season.

Matt Causey and Gani Lawal had 10 points each to lead the Yellow Jackets (11-15, 4-8), who lost their fifth straight and were denied their first victory at Cameron since 2004. Duke has won 10 of the past 11 meetings here.

Georgia Tech's leading scorer, Anthony Morrow - who entered averaging 14.3 points - was held to nine on 4-of-9 shooting.

Duke never trailed in the second half and led by double figures for most of the way, but the Yellow Jackets briefly made things interesting when Morrow's 3 with 2:40 remaining pulled them to 65-57. About 30 seconds later, Nelson threw a bounce pass to Hendo, who finished the layup that restored their double-figure advantage.

The perimeter-oriented Blue Devils led 33-27 at halftime despite some horrible shooting from the outside. Duke, a 39 percent shooting team from 3-point range, made just two jump shots in the half and was 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Duke missed 12 of its first 13 attempts from 3-point range before Paulus connected from the key with 9 minutes to play to give the Blue Devils a 56-44 lead. They finished just 2-of-15 from long range.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech had serious trouble getting to the free-throw line. The Yellow Jackets didn't attempt a foul shot until Causey sank two with 9½ minutes left after he was hammered by Paulus while driving, and finished 7-of-11 from the line.

Duke Re-awakens, Routs St Johns 86-56

Brian Zoubek recorded a double-double and Kyle Singler led five double-figure scorers with 16 points as #5 Duke routed St. John's 86-56 to get the program back on track.

Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith scored 13 each for the Blue Devils (23-3), who overwhelmed the Red Storm with a 32-9 run late in the first half and cruised to their NCAA-leading 59th straight non-conf victory at Cameron.

Jon Scheyer added 12 points in his first start of the season and Zoubek had 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for Duke, which showed none of the ballhandling or defensive problems that plagued Coach K's team in losses at Wake and Miami.

Instead, the Blue Devils got things clicking again at the expense of a young St. John's team that has eight freshmen in the rotation. Duke, which allowed an average of 91 points in the two defeats, forced the Big East's worst offense into 18 turnovers, limited it to 3-of-13 shooting from 3-point range and held it to two field goals during a 9½-minute first-half stretch.

Anthony Mason Jr., who leads the Red Storm (10-16) with a 15.2-point average, was held to four on 2-of-11 shooting. Freshman D.J. Kennedy had 16 points to lead the Red Storm, the last non-Atlantic Coast Conference team to win at Cameron.

Scheyer, a starter in 2006-07 who has flourished in his sophomore season as Duke's sixth man, replaced Henderson in the lineup. Henderson played with a brace protecting his injured right wrist, and Krzyzewski said on his pre-game radio show that the sophomore guard will require surgery on it after the season.

Scheyer scored 12 points during the decisive run, and Singler bookended it. He started the burst with a 3-pointer from the left wing midway through the half that made it 18-16 and put the Blue Devils ahead to stay, then capped it with a layup from Smith that pushed the lead to 47-25 1:06 before the break.

Miami Knocks Off Duke, 96-95

Somewhere in Winston Salem, Duke lost it's Mojo.. Tonight in Miami, they found it, after waking up and finding themselves at center court with 13 minutes to go and down by 20, they rallied back to within one. Maybe now the Duke squad finally has its shit together.. and can hold it together for the rest of the season and make a great tourney run..

Duke outscored Miami 56-37 over the last 12:47 of the game but it wasn't enough to pull off the comeback as the #4 Blue Devils fell to the Hurricanes, 96-95. Duke loses its second straight game and falls to 22-3 overall and 10-2 in the ACC while the 'Canes improve to 18-7 and 5-6.

Duke struggled on defense and turnovers. The Blue Devils gave up a season high 22 turnovers Sunday at Wake Forest and surpassed that with 23 tonight while the Demon Deacons scored a Duke opponent high 86 points Sunday only to be bested by 10 points by the Hurricanes.

Down 59-39 with 12:47 left, Duke put on a furious rally, scoring 56 points while shooting 17-of-28 from the field, 9-of-16 from three and 13-of-18 from the line over that time frame, but also gave up 37 points to fall a point short. Jon Scheyer scored 22 of his career high 27 points in the last 12:47 and DeMarcus Nelson scored 14 of his 19 in that time frame, as well, including seven in the last 35 seconds.

The beginning of the second half was all Miami and after Kyle Singler hit a three-pointer 45 seconds into the half, Miami would outscore Duke 15-0 over the next six and a half minutes and build the lead to 59-39.

Duke's comeback started with five quick points from Scheyer seven seconds apart to cut the lead to 59-44. A Nelson three cut the lead to 14 at 63-49 before Miami built the lead back to 16 at 67-51 with 9:45 left. Duke kept scoring but couldn't stop Miami, either, and finally cut the lead to 10 at 82-72 with a three from Gerald Henderson at the 3:45 mark.

Scheyer hit a three to cut the lead to 7 at 82-75 before McClinton hit two frees to make it 9-up. Greg Paulus hit a three and Nelson connected on a layup in between a McClinton jumper to cut the lead to six at 86-80 with 2:26 remaining. Miami pushed the lead back to 8 twice and yada, yada, Nelson hit a three at the buzzer for the final score of 96-95.

"We're going to turn this thing back around," Nelson said. "We've been too good all year to have whatever it is holding us back as a team. We're definitely going to find out what it is and address it.
Our season is not going on a downward spiral."

Wake WIns Big, 86-73, As Duke Starters Foul Out

All five starters fouled out for the first time in school history as the #2 Duke Blue Devils lost their second game of the season, 86-73 against Wake Forest on their turf.

The Blue Devils fall to 22-2 on the season and still remain atop the ACC standings with a 10-1 league record while the Demon Deacons improve to 16-8 overall and 6-5 in the league.

It marked the fifth time in Duke history that five players have fouled out, but the first time it was all five starters. Duke had five players foul out at Maryland on Feb. 12, 2005, and here at Wake Forest on Feb. 13, 2003, under Coach K and twice against North Carolina in the 1950s and '60s.

Nolan Smith led the way for Duke off the bench with 21 points and he was the Blue Devils go-to player down the stretch. He connected on 8-of-12 from the field and had a pair of 3's. DeMarcus Nelson scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half while Kyle Singler scored 17 points for the Blue Devils.

Smith scored the Blue Devils final seven points as the Blue Devils pulled within six at 76-70 with 2:36 remaining and again at 78-72 with 1:48 left, both off of lay-ups from Smith. Duke then had a pair of misses and six straight free throws from the Demon Deacons put the game into double digits at 84-72.

Wake started strong out of the gate, connecting on four quick 3's and storming out to a 19-12 lead just over six minutes in. The Blue Devils were giving up less than four threes per game in ACC play. Duke chipped away at the lead and a Nelson lay-up with 9:13 remaining in the first half gave Duke its first lead at 25-24. The teams played the remainder of the first half close with neither team getting more than a four point lead until Jamie Skeen's tip-in as the first half clock expired, giving the Deacs a 47-42 lead at the break.

After L.D. Williams had a monster dunk and three pointer on back-to-back possessions, Wake Forest opened up a 52-44 lead just three minute into the second half. Duke responded with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to go up 55-52. A Smith three and Singler layup gave Duke a 60-55 lead at the 11:22 mark but the Blue Devils offense dried up and they wouldn't hit another field goal for more than seven minutes and were outscored 17-3 during that run. Greg Paulus hit a three-pointer to pull Duke within six at 72-66 before Smith's final seven points.

Great game for Wake, and a great effort by Duke, the buckets just stopped falling. Duke couldnt buy a basket late in the 2nd half, at the other end it was buy one get one free for WF.

Duke will look to rebound when it travels to Coral Gables, Fla., to take on the Miami Hurricanes Wednesday night in a 9 pm. tipoff. Duke then returns home for the final non-conference game of the year as St. John's travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium next Saturday at 4 pm.