On to ACC Play! Enough of this Pre-Season Fluff!!

Ok, yea, so enough of the BS cupcake season (Sure, K-State, Michigan State and Butler weren't exactly powder puff games) .. BUT, 12 WINS in and its time (finally) to gear up for conference play!

Good luck Team!

And ACC opponents, get ready for some Blue Devil Ass-Kicking, yea, suck it up Roy, your powder blue ass will be spanked soon enough.

First up, Miami.. See you guys on Sunday.. Someone please bring the hot sauce, I'm feelin some Wasabi up in this piece:))

Get better Kyrie, we need your ass (and TOE) on the court!


GO DUKE!!

'Humble Champion' Coach K Surpasses Smith for 2nd All Time Wins behind Knight with his 880th Victory!

Congrats Coach K! Your victories on and off the court set you head and shoulders above the crowd. I solemnly wish for you many more years of success as the head of Duke Basketball, USA Basketball, and the Men's Olympic Team. The USA is honored by your leadership and mentoring. You are the Humblest of Champions.

Mike Krzyzewski one-upped his longtime rival. Now there's only one man with more victories than Duke's Hall of Fame coach -- his former mentor.

Krzyzewski moved past rival Dean Smith into second place on the men's all-time wins list Wednesday night, claiming his 880th career victory with the top-ranked Blue Devils' 108-62 rout of North Carolina-Greensboro.

He trails Bob Knight, who mentored and coached him at Army on the way to 902 wins. One fan in the stands held a sign that said: "You're next, Bobby."

Chasing History

Coach K Mike Krzyzewski is 22 wins behind Bob Knight for first place on the Division I men's basketball all-time wins list.
800-win club, Division I men
Bob Knight 902
Mike Krzyzewski* 880
Dean Smith 879
Adolph Rupp 876
Jim Boeheim* 843
Jim Calhoun* 833
Jim Phelan 830
Eddie Sutton 804
*Active coaches

"I don't want to take any of that too seriously, but rather say, 'I'm one of the guys who's won a lot of games," Krzyzewski said. "To share a spotlight with Dean and [Knight], that's a great honor."

When the buzzer sounded, Krzyzewski hugged UNC Greensboro coach -- and former assistant -- Mike Dement before making his way across the court for a television interview. The Hall of Fame coach waved to the Duke fans who helped pack the 23,000-seat Greensboro Coliseum.

"When I walked out and saw it was a full house, and so many Duke fans, I did take a moment to reflect back to when I first got to North Carolina and there weren't very many Duke shirts," Krzyzewski said.

Kyle Singler scored 27 points and Nolan Smith had 22 of his season-high 26 points in the first half for the Blue Devils (12-0), who shrugged off an eight-day break and shot a season-best 60.9 percent, scored 42 points off 23 turnovers and hit the 100-point mark for the second time.

"We knew it was a big deal, but to be honest, we didn't really know how big the deal really is," Singler said. "It's just kind of crazy that you're going through the time where you're getting coached by Coach K and I guess you don't really realize it until it's all over. Just a really special thing to experience with him."

The reigning national champions won their 22nd straight, pushing Krzyzewski past the man who coached the Tar Heels for 36 seasons before retiring in 1997 as the winningest coach in Division I history. Knight then passed Smith and retired nearly three years ago.

"I congratulate Mike on this milestone victory," Smith said in a statement issued by North Carolina following the game. "I am sure he would want to share the credit for the wins with all his players and staff. I enjoyed competing against Mike's teams throughout the years I was at UNC. I wish him continued health and personal success."

If the Blue Devils run through the rest of their schedule undefeated, Krzyzewski -- who is 880-279 in his 36th season as a head coach -- will catch Knight in this same arena in March in the championship game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and pass him in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

"I don't want to make it sound less than what it is, but number of wins, you have to be healthy, you have to have really good players, you have to have commitment from your school," Krzyzewski said. "So, I don't know if that's as much an achievement as much as the result of having all those things. And so I'm not going to look at this as an achievement. When you win a championship ... those are achievements. The number of wins, you have to win a certain number of games -- especially the last one -- to get an achievement."

The Greensboro Coliseum, located roughly an hour's drive from Duke's campus in Durham, has become a second home for Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils, who haven't been beaten here since a loss to Maryland in the 2004 ACC title game. They won the league tournament here for the fifth time under Krzyzewski last March before rolling through the NCAA tournament on the way claiming to their fourth national title, and haven't lost since.

"Outside of doing it in Cameron" Indoor Stadium, Krzyzewski said, "this is the place you would want to do it."

Seth Curry scored 15 points, Miles Plumlee and Andre Dawkins added 11 apiece and Ryan Kelly scored 10 for the Blue Devils, who hadn't played since Dec. 20. This was their fourth straight game without freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, who averages a team-best 17.4 points but remains out indefinitely with an injured big toe on his right foot.

They certainly didn't need him against the winless Spartans, who offered little resistance in falling to 0-3 against No. 1 teams in the program's history.

"I wished we could have given them a little bit better fight, a little bit better game," Dement said.

Duke opened the game on a 15-2 run, went up by double figures to stay roughly 6½ minutes in, and outscored UNC Greensboro 22-7 midway through the half to open up a permanent 20-point lead. Singler's jumper in traffic with about 7:15 left made it 39-15 and Smith's fast-break dunk roughly 5 minutes later gave the Blue Devils their largest lead of the half, 49-24.

Duke's 53 first-half points were a season high, and by the break, Smith was two points shy of his season high. He finished three away from the career-best 29 points he scored against Baylor in the South Regional final last March. Smith made it a 30-point game when his layup with 14 minutes left pushed it to 71-40.

"I think knowing what was at stake, I wanted to be a little more aggressive, Kyle wanted to be a little more aggressive," Smith said. "Coach gives us so much, and he always has our back. I think both of us, in the backs of our minds, we wanted to have Coach's back tonight."

Aaron Brackett had 14 points to lead UNC Greensboro (0-12). The Spartans previously fell to top-ranked Duke teams in 1997 and 2005, dropped to 0-9 all-time against the Blue Devils and have just one win against an ACC school.

"A lot of irony from my standpoint, to get involved with this game," said Dement, a member of Krzyzewski's staff from 1982-83. "All of us who grew up in North Carolina, as younger guys and as coaches, we all studied Dean Smith. We read his books and copied him. ... It was a lot of irony that came into this, but a lot of reflection, too."

Duke knocks the living piss out of K-State, and other stories..

Kansas State's Frank Martin On Duke: 'They Knocked The Living Piss Out Of Us.'

The Kansas State Wildcats met the Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Wildcats were ranked #4 and the Blue Devils were #1 so it was a highly anticipated matchup that .... was basically a blowout.

Star-divide

The Blue Devils dominated from start to finish. Kansas State held an 11-9 lead at one point but after it wasn't pretty for K-State. They were never quite blown out of the game but they were consistently 8-10 points behind throughout the second half.

Kansas State's Frank Martin says simply: "They knocked the living piss out of us." He says if there' a better team in the country than Duke then he doesn't want to play them. Duke's performance was that complete.

Duke's defense just wouldn't let Kansas State do what it wanted -- that was the bottomline. Kansas State wanted to run on offense and Duke made them slow down. They were exposed in the half court offense. Add in there that Jacob Pullen couldn't do anything offensively -- he was 1-of-12 -- and you see why this game wasn't close.

...

And then against #6 Michigan State

It didn't take Duke's Nolan Smith long during practice to notice something special about Kyrie Irving.

"He'll be like, 'Get out of the way, I've got it,'" Smith said. "You don't really hear that too often, when a freshman will tell two seniors on the wings to get out of the way. We have no problem letting him do it."

Easy to see why.

Irving scored a season-high 31 points and led #1 Duke past #6 Michigan State 84-79 in the marquee matchup of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Smith added 17 points and Kyle Singler scored 15 for the Blue Devils (7-0), who shot 47 percent and turned 20 Michigan State turnovers into 28 points. Duke used a 12-2 spurt midway through the second half to take a double-figure lead, then held off the Spartans down the stretch by hitting 9 of 12 free throws in the final 1:15 to seal its second victory over a top-10 team in eight days.

"I think every win we have is a statement," Irving said. "We want to show the world, every time we step on the court, we're the best."

...

And then an unranked but gritty Butler

Nolan Smith scored 24 points to lead #1 Duke to an 82-70 victory over Butler on Saturday, moving Mike Krzyzewski into a tie with Adolph Rupp for third place on the coaching career wins list.

Freshman Kyrie Irving added all but four of his 21 in the second half for Duke, in a rematch of schools that played an epic national championship game in April. The Blue Devils won that game 61-59, giving Krzyzewski his fourth NCAA title. He has 876 wins overall, 803 at Duke.

This game, played at the Izod Center, wasn't expected to be as close as that championship game in Indianapolis since Butler lost two starters, including lottery pick Gordon Hayward. But the Bulldogs stayed within striking distance until the final minutes.

The Blue Devils (8-0) were tested for the first time this season as they ran their winning streak to 18 games. Until Saturday, Duke had not trailed in the final 30 minutes of a game this season, including wins over top-10 teams Kansas State and Michigan State.

Shawn Vanzant had 14 points for the Bulldogs (4-3), and his 12-point second half was what kept them close until Duke pulled away in the final minutes.

This was the third straight big game for the backcourt of Smith and Irving. In the last two Duke wins, they combined to average of 33.8 points while shooting 53 percent from the field.

...

In the first 8 games Duke has been fun to watch as they mature into their new roles and watching the confidence of Kyrie Irving build to match his level of basketball skill and maturity, the Freshman plays more like a Junior from the point, although he is making mental mistakes that lead to more turn-overs than we would like to see.

I'm positive the consensus of his teammates, coaches and fans alike is that he has surpassed all expectations and has far exceeded the hype that was placed upon his shoulders.

It's hard to believe a quarter of the season is already in the books. We're looking forward to more exciting Duke basketball and anticipate a solid run in ACC play.

GO DUKE!!!

Duke holds off Butler, brings home NCAA 2010 Crown!!!

Kyle Singler scored 19 points and Brian Zoubek rebounded Gordon Hayward's miss with 3.6 seconds left Monday night to help Duke beat Butler 61-59, ending the tiny underdog's try for a "Hoosiers" sequel one win short of the Hollywood ending.

The Bulldogs had a chance to win it at the end in an amazing sequence that defined this tournament. Gordon Hayward's half-court shot at the buzzer went flying, thudded off the backboard and rim, and out and most of the crowd of 70,930 gasped, "Ohhhh." So close

The Blue Devils (35-5) snapped Butler's 25-game winning streak and brought the long-awaited fourth national title back home to Carolina and the Cameron Crazies.

The "Big Three" — Singler, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith — won the Big One for coach Mike Krzyzewski, his first championship since 2001 and the fourth overall, tying Coach K with Adolph Rupp for second place on the all-time list.

"First of all, it was a great basketball game. I want to congratulate an amazing Butler team and their fans," Krzyzewski said. "Fabulous year. We played a great game, they played a great game. It's hard for me to say it, to imagine that we're the national champions."

Nobody figured this would be easy, and it wasn't — no way that was going to happen against Butler, the 4,200-student private school that turned the tournament upside down and drove 5.6 miles from its historic home, Hinkle Fieldhouse, to the Final Four.

Butler (33-5) shaved a five-point deficit to one and had a chance to win it, when its best player, Hayward, took the ball at the top of the key, spun and worked his way to the baseline, but was forced to put up an off-balance fadeaway from 15 feet.

He missed, Zoubek got the rebound and made the first of two free throws. He missed the second one intentionally, and Duke's title wasn't secure until Hayward's desperation heave bounded out.

What a game to end one of the most memorable tournaments in history, the kind that could be history if the NCAA goes ahead with what an expansion to 96 teams — something very much on the table for next year.

"Both teams and all the kids on both teams played their hearts out," Krzyzewski said. "There was never more than a couple, a few points separating, so a lot of kids made big plays for both teams."

Nobody led by more than six.

Playing against the Bulldogs and working against a crowd of 70,390 with very few pockets of Duke fans, the Blue Devils persevered — never leading by more than six but never falling behind after Singler hit a 3-pointer with 13:03 left for a 47-43 lead.

The Blue Devils won with defense. Holding the Bulldogs to 34 percent shooting and contesting every possession as tenaciously as Butler, which allowed 60 points for the first time since February. Zoubek, the 7-foot-1 center, finished with two blocks, 10 rebounds and too many altered shots to count, but also came out to trap the Butler guards and disrupt an offense that was already struggling.

They won with some clutch shooting, including Singler's 3-for-6 effort from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the free throw line in the second half until Zoubek's intentional miss.

They won with a mean streak, most pointed when Lance Thomas took down Hayward hard to prevent an easy layup with 5:07 left. The refs reviewed the play and decided not to call it flagrant — one of a hundred little moments that could have swung such a tight, taut game.

In the true team fashion that has defined "The Butler Way," the scoring was distributed almost perfectly even. Hayward and Shelvin Mack had 12 each. Matt Howard, coming off a concussion in the semifinal win over Michigan State, finished with 11, and 2-point-a-game scorer Avery Jukes kept Butler in it with all 10 of his points in the first half.

But Butler's 33-year-old coach Brad Stevens was correct when he said his team couldn't endure another 15-for-49 shooting night — what Butler shot Saturday in the semifinals. The Bulldogs went 20 for 58 this time — 34.5 percent — almost every bit as bad. All the heart in the world can't overcome that.

"I said yesterday that when you coach these guys, you can be at peace with whatever result you achieve from a won-loss standpoint because of what they gave — they gave everything we had," Stevens said. "We just came up a bounce short. There's certainly nothing to hang your head about. I told them in there, what they've done, what they did together, will last longer than one night, regardless of the outcome."

A disappointing ending to those who wanted to see the "Hoosiers" sequel play out in real life. In that movie, based on the high school championship won by tiny Milan High in 1954, Jimmy Chitwood hits the game-winner at the buzzer to win one for the little guys.

Despite losing, Butler may have proven its point nonetheless.

Mega-money and power conferences aren't the only ones with a chance in big-time college sports. Nothing proves that better than the NCAA tournament — March Madness, a great event that stayed good into April this year.

Go Duke!!! Awesome year guys!

Kyle, give Duke one more year!!!

Duke blows out WV, advance to Championship Game

Jon Scheyer scored 23 points Saturday night to lift Duke, the team so many folks love to hate, to a 78-57 victory over West Virginia and set up a meeting against tiny Butler -- a classic matchup of big vs. little, with the national title on the line.

"I think they're one of the best teams in the country," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of his upcoming opponent, which has won 25 straight. "I think a Cinderella would be more if somebody had eight or nine losses and pulled some upsets."

Still, Butler is a No. 5 seed. And in a tournament turned upside down, the Blue Devils (34-5) were the only No. 1 seed to make it to the Final Four.

Their trip, however, wasn't totally predictable or expected. Duke had gone six long years since its last appearance and hasn't been to the final since winning it all nine years ago -- a veritable century by Tobacco Road standards. Now, this group of Blue Devils has a chance to give Coach K his fourth national championship.

"It's everything," senior center Brian Zoubek said. "This is the culmination of four years for me. To have a shot at the championship my senior year, after everything we've been through, is a dream come true."

Those who stayed after watching Butler win might not have liked what's coming next in Monday night's final. And those who think Duke has been humbled by its championship drought will certainly look at the replays of Miles Plumlee hanging on the rim way too long after a dunk that drew a technical foul, but also put his team up by 14.

A bit of showmanship for a program that routinely has been dissed across America as being too arrogant, too this, too that.

The theme came up again, predictably, this week, on several fronts - including the retraction of an illustration of Krzyzewski on the front of the Indianapolis Star sports section with horns and a target scribbled onto his head.

Coach K's response to all that: If you want to hate us because we have kids who go to school, graduate, play solid, team ball and win a lot, go ahead.

They do all that, but they're winning in a different way this year.

They're without a single superstar, but with an emotional center in Smith, who finds himself back in the city where his father, Derek, led Louisville to a championship back in 1980.

Derek Smith died of a heart attack at age 34, when Nolan was 8, and the guard is just coming around to talking about it.

''It crossed my mind a little bit,'' Smith said. ''But I'm playing for myself and my Duke team and I'll let my mom do all the thinking about my father's footsteps.''

His mother might argue that, given Smith's history, a title in Indianapolis would only be fitting.

There's another team, the hometown Butler Bulldogs, who will argue the very same thing.

May the best team win.

Duke defense overpowers Baylor, win South Regional Finals, advance to Final 4

Duke restored some order to a topsy-turvy NCAA tournament on Sunday, getting 29 points from Nolan Smith in a 78-71 victory over Baylor that put Coach K and the Blue Devils in college basketball's biggest event for the first time in six years.

Jon Scheyer added 20 points for Duke, ending Baylor's charming run to redemption in the South Regional final. The Blue Devils became the only No. 1 seed to advance to Indianapolis and earned their 11th Final Four berth under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

''I can't put it into words,'' said Lance Thomas , one of three Duke seniors. ''It took us four years to get here and we're not done yet.''

The Blue Devils will play East Regional champion West Virginia in the national semifinals Saturday night. They have won 11 of their last 12 regional finals under Krzyzewski, but haven't won a national title since 2001.

Coach K made his first Final Four with Duke in 1986 and hadn't had a gap this long between trips.

To end the drought, Duke had to win at Reliant Stadium - only 3 1/2 hours from Baylor's campus. Most of the crowd of 47,492 was dressed in the green and gold of the Bears.

''We played against a great team,'' Krzyzewski said. ''It was such a well-played game, and we were fortunate to win.''

Smith and Scheyer helped the Blue Devils (33-5) offset a poor game from junior forward Kyle Singler , who was 0 for 10 from the field and made only five free throws. It was the first time in his college career he failed to hit a field goal.

LaceDarius Dunn had 22 points and Ekpe Udoh scored 18 for the third-seeded Bears (28-8), whose program was in shambles when coach Scott Drew took over in the wake of murder and scandal less than seven years ago.

Drew took the Bears from tatters to the cusp of their first Final Four appearance in 60 years. After three consecutive 20-win seasons and an inspiring postseason run, maybe Baylor can be recognized more for its success now than the tragic summer of 2003 that is finally starting to feel like a long time ago.

''I really hope so and I really feel it has,'' Drew said, his voice quivering. ''I do really want to thank all the fans in the state of Texas.''

After tying the game for the 12th time on a free throw with 3:36 left, Smith missed his second attempt. But Thomas grabbed one of his nine rebounds and quickly passed the ball right back to Smith, who hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to put Duke up 64-61.

''I just wanted to make the plays,'' Thomas said. ''My teammates know I can make them. I made it and I just got the ball to our shooters.''

Duke defense stifles Purdue, Blue Devils advance to final 8

The top-seeded Blue Devils returned to the round of eight for the first time since 2004, with Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer helping them pull away in the second half Friday night for a 70-57 win over Purdue in the South Regional semifinals.

Singler scored 24 points and Scheyer added 18, snapping out of a shooting slump just in time.

Duke (32-5) will play third-seeded Baylor in Sunday's regional final after clearing a nagging hurdle that had some wondering if the mighty program was losing its edge.

The Blue Devils had lost in the round of 16 in three of the past five seasons, but now stand one victory from their 11th Final Four appearance under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Duke kept marching through the NCAA tournament while other favorites are falling by the wayside.

Scheyer, Duke's leading scorer, was 5-for-18 from the field in Duke's first two NCAA tournament games. He went 5-for-9 in the second half after missing his first six shots and also went 7-for-8 from the foul line.

It was 31-all with 15 1/2 minutes left before the Blue Devils broke away.

Brian Zoubek grabbed 14 rebounds and Duke dominated the undersized Boilermakers inside, as expected. The absence of injured do-everything forward Robbie Hummel finally caught up with fourth-seeded Purdue (29-6), which lost in the regional semifinals for the second straight season.

Hummel tore his right ACL in late February and watched Friday's loss in street clothes from the bench.

Duke rolls over Cal to advance to 3rd round in NCAA Tourney

Defense has always been the foundation of Mike Krzyzewski's team, and the top-seeded Blue Devils sent their coach of three decades into a regional semifinal for the 19th time with a stellar performance in a 68-53 victory over California on Sunday.

After winning both the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles, they are playing the type of suffocating defense that could put Krzyzewski back in the Final Four for an 11th time.

The Blue Devils last reached the national semifinals in 2004, not that their coach feels as though they've let him down lately.

"You know, I hate when somebody compares those teams of the last couple years with our national championship teams, and they say they underachieved," Krzyzewski said. "Are you kidding me? They won 30, 29 games. But they were limited teams, and they couldn't play the defense that this team can play because we have big guys."

Exploiting a huge advantage in size and depth in the frontcourt, the Blue Devils opened a double-digit lead in the first half and Cal never seriously threatened to get back into the game.

Brian Zoubek, Duke's 7-foot-1 center, had 14 points and 13 rebounds while teaming with Lance Thomas and reserves Miles and Mason Plumlee to dominate a short-handed Cal frontline featuring 6-foot-8 Duke transfer Jamal Boykin — and little else.

Nolan Smith led the Blue Devils (31-5) with 20 points and spearheaded Duke's trademark man-to-man defense that made it difficult for Cal's high-scoring trio of Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson to get uncontested shots.

Hounded by relentless "D," Randle — the Pac-10 player of the year — was limited to 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting.

"From the get-go, I really wanted to make it clear that I was going to be in his jersey the whole game. That was the game plan," Smith said. "I just stuck with him with the help of my big guys. They really helped me out, and I owe it all to them. They made my job easy fighting over screens and giving them no open looks."

Kyle Singler scored 17 for Duke, which advanced to the South Regional semifinals in Houston, where the Blue Devils will face fourth-seeded Purdue on Friday. Zoubek's 6-for-6 shooting more than made up for leading scorer Jon Scheyer going 1 of 11 and finishing with seven points.

Duke cruises past 1st round NCAA

The top-seeded Atlantic Coast Conference champions opened play in the South Regional with a dominating 73-44 victory Friday night over No. 16 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Kyle Singler had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Duke, which never trailed. Scheyer scored 13 and Lance Thomas 12. Nolan Smith added 10 points on a subpar shooting night (3 for 10) for the junior guard.

The Blue Devils advanced to play Sunday at 5:20pm against No. 8 seed California, which beat ninth-seeded Louisville 77-62.

"This was a springboard for us. We were limiting them to one shot and rebounding well," Thomas said. "If we continue doing that we'll beat anybody in the tournament."

The victory gave coach Mike Krzyzewski his 11th 30-win season in three decades at Duke, which has made 10 trips to the Final Four under him, though none since 2006.

The Blue Devils (30-5) played like a team intent on changing that, pressing their overmatched opponents to start the game, building a 39-20 halftime lead and never giving Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18-16) a sense that the SWAC champions might have a chance to win.

Duke Wins ACC Championship!! Earns #1 Seed in NCAA Tourney

The Duke Blue Devils (29-5, 13-3), led by head coach Mike Krzyzewski, were awarded a No. 1 seed in the South Region by the NCAA selection committee Sunday night. It is Duke's 11th NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed, all under Coach K, and the ninth No. 1 seed in the last 13 tournaments.

The Blue Devils learned their fate for the NCAA Tournament shortly after capturing the ACC Championship in Greensboro with a 65-61 over Georgia Tech. With the win Duke earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As an automatic bid the Blue Devils are 56-16.

"For our senior class I am so happy," Krzyzewski said. "Not many teams in my 30 years in the ACC have won both the regular season and the [ACC] Tournament, and I think because they did it, and we played such a tough schedule these kids were rewarded with a No. 1 seed."

Duke will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff, winners of teh play-in game with Winthrop.

If Duke is able to advance to the second round they will take on the winner of eighth-seed California and ninth-seed Louisville on Sunday.

"We have a pretty tough bracket, but I think we are capable of beating anybody," senior captain Lance Thomas said. "As long as we play our game as far as defense, rebounding and just finishing, I think we will be fine against anybody."

The Blue Devils are winners of 12 of their last 13 games and will open up tournament play on Friday from Jacksonville, Fla. Duke is 4-2 in NCAA Tournament games in the state of Florida.

It is the 26th appearance for Duke in the NCAA Tournament under Coach K and the 34th appearance in school history. Duke is 13-5 all-time playing in the South Region of the bracket.

The Blue Devils captured National Championships as No. 1 seeds in both 1992 and 2001 having a 37-8 record as the top seed in a region.

It is Duke's 15th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

"It is very rewarding [to be a top seed], but at the same time you just move on, no matter who you are playing, where you are playing, you know you need to be prepared," senior captain Jon Scheyer said.

Duke DESTROYS UNC by 32

Jon Scheyer stood near midcourt after his home finale at Duke. As he soaked it all in, he couldn't help but crack a wry smile.

"I was just trying to remember that moment, that picture in my head," Scheyer said.

Nobody else affiliated with the fourth-ranked Blue Devils will forget this night, either.

Not after an 82-50 rout of North Carolina on Saturday that marked their most one-sided home win in college basketball's fiercest rivalry and gave them a share of their 12th Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.

Kyle Singler scored 19 of his 25 points in the decisive first half, and Scheyer finished with 20 points in his final game before the Cameron Crazies.

Duke (26-5, 13-3) shot nearly 46 percent - 51 percent in a dominant first half - and made eight 3-pointers in beating the Tar Heels at home for the first time since 2005 and wrapping up the No. 1 seed in next week's league tournament.

Great Game Duke! And great season guys!

The signs are awesome too, GTHC! GTH!!

Go to Hell Carolina, Go to Hell!! My thoughts exactly...

Maryland smacks Duke

Greivis Vasquez scored 20 points, including a clutch basket with 37 seconds left, and 22nd-ranked Maryland beat No. 4 Duke 79-72 Wednesday for its sixth straight win.

It was the final home game for Vasquez, who was honored with seniors Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes before the game.

Afterward, fans stormed the court to celebrate Maryland's first win over Duke in seven tries.

"You couldn't really ask for a better script than that," said Hayes, who scored 13 points. "The ACC regular-season title was on the line; it was just a real special night."

Jordan Williams had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Terrapins (22-7, 12-3), who haven't lost since falling to the Blue Devils by 21 on Feb. 13.

"This is a dream come true," Vasquez said.

Nolan Smith scored 20 for Duke (25-5, 12-3) and Jon Scheyer had 19. The defeat ended the Blue Devils' eight-game winning streak.

"Playing a big-time game like this was good for both teams," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Our guys were in a position to win the game. I'm proud of that.

"It was tough because it was a game where we played well. It wasn't a game when we played bad or played stupid. It wasn't like that. This wasn't a game where bad stuff happened."

Virginia gets the Duke smackdown

Singler scored 21 points and Scheyer had 20 and both watched the last several minutes from the bench as the Blue Devils cruised to a 67-49 victory against shorthanded Virginia.

More than getting to rest in a lopsided game, Singler said "it was more important that we all played pretty well and (we'll) have good momentum going into the Maryland game."

The Blue Devils (25-4, 12-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won eight straight and will arrive in College Park, Md., with a one-game lead over the Terrapins.

Duke took command right away, opening the game on a 20-4 run. Singler had 11 points before Virginia had two field goals, and the Cavaliers never got closer than 10. They trailed 35-21 at halftime and went the first 5 minutes without a field goal after the break.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski called the victory "a workmanlike performance" and Scheyer said he's pleased with where the Blue Devils are heading into their biggest game of the season.

Duke proves too much for Tulsa

Mike Krzyzewski wanted a pre-tournament test for his Duke players. For perhaps longer than expected, they got one.

But ultimately, the fifth-ranked Blue Devils - and their "Big Three," plus one - was too much for Tulsa, pulling away for a 70-52 victory Thursday night.

Nolan Smith scored 18 points, Kyle Singler added 17 and Jon Scheyer finished with 15 points for the Blue Devils (24-4).

They used a big run early in the second half to break open a surprisingly tight game and extend their decade-long nonconference winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium to 77 by winning an out-of-the-ACC matchup designed to prepare the Blue Devils for the unfamiliar but high-quality foes that figure to lurk in the NCAA tournament bracket.

"We've got to keep getting better, and you don't get better by taking time off," Krzyzewski said. "Right now, you've got to keep working, and we knew that this game would put us in that position."

Duke rolls over Virginia Tech

Kyle Singler had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Nolan Smith added 23 points and No. 6 Duke pulled away late to beat Virginia Tech 67-55 on Sunday night.

Jon Scheyer had 15 points for the Blue Devils (23-4, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). They used a late 14-4 run to overcome their only deficit of the second half and earn their sixth straight victory.

Malcolm Delaney, the ACC's leading scorer, finished with 19 points for Virginia Tech (21-5, 8-4), which fell to 1-17 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. His 3-pointer capped a 13-5 run and put the Hokies up 45-44 with 9:55 left.

Smith followed with a three-point play roughly 30 seconds later and scored seven points during the decisive burst that followed. Scheyer finished the spurt with a 3 that made it 60-49 with 4:15 to play. Tech didn't get closer than six after that.

Duke's three Ss - Singler, Scheyer and Smith - combined for all but four of the team's points. The only other Blue Devils players to score: Miles Plumlee, who hit a free throw with 13:29 before the break, and 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek, who converted a three-point play with 7:12 remaining.

Zoubek finished with 16 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who ran their winning streak at Cameron to 17. They're 15-0 here this season, with 14 wins coming by double figures and 11 by at least 20 points.

Duke defeats Miami on strong 2nd half

Mike Krzyzewski claimed his halftime pep talk had nothing to do with Duke's dramatic turnaround Wednesday night.

"I don't even remember what I said," Krzyzewski said. "Nothing complimentary."

At the time, there was little to praise. The No. 6-ranked Blue Devils dug a 12-point halftime hole, then used smothering defense to rally and beat the Miami Hurricanes 81-74.

Jon Scheyer missed his first nine shots and Nolan Smith missed his first six for the Blue Devils, who shot 31 percent in the opening half to fall behind 37-25. But 22 turnovers doomed the Hurricanes, who attempted only 45 shots to 60 for the Blue Devils.

"In the second half our defense, especially in the first eight or nine minutes, was sensational," Krzyzewski said.

Better shooting helped, too. Scheyer, Smith and Kyle Singler combined for 49 points in the second half after totaling nine in the first half.

The Blue Devils (22-4, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) increased their league lead with their fifth win in a row. Smith said Krzyzewski made reference to the standings at halftime.

"He called us out," Smith said. "He let us know, 'It's now or never. You can take control of the ACC right now or put ourselves in a hole.'"

Daytona Embarrasses Nascar with huge delay due to pothole

In the midst of a Daytona 500 that featured 52 lead changes, a record 21 leaders and a thrilling chase to the checkered flag by the winner Jamie McMurray with the fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. closing fast, Nascar’s premier event was marred by an embarrassing track failure. The race was stopped twice, delays totaling 2 hours 25 minutes, because of a pothole in the asphalt between Turns 1 and 2.

The hole developed during the race at a dip in the pavement at that point, and racecars were bottoming out and digging into asphalt that was cold and moist underneath from recent rains. The pothole measured about 9 inches by 15 inches, and was two inches deep, large enough to damage racecars traveling close to 200 miles an hour.

“We are always prepared for these types of issues,” Robin Braig, Daytona’s track president, said before acknowledging that track officials did not have the proper materials to patch a pothole in the unusually cold and wet weather. Sunday’s high was 55 degrees.

The first delay lasted 1 hour 40 minutes and 45 seconds. But the fix failed, the pothole doubled in size and officials were forced to stop the race for another 44 minutes. They used Bondo, a filler typically used for auto body repair, as a last resort. That did not work, either. Drivers reported the hole had reopened by the end of the race.

The damage was done. Overnight television ratings came in at 7.7 (13.3 million viewers) compared to 9.2 in 2009. This after Nascar had announced rules changes designed to help promote better racing in hopes of lifting sagging ratings and attendance.

“We are always prepared for these types of issues,” ?? Did you really say that Mr Daytona track President? Please explain to me and the rest of your fans HOW you have prepared for 'these types of issues'... Let's see, oh, you surely have prepared a HUGE bank account for yourself and your constituents, now haven't you?

Please tell us WHY you haven't paved the racetrack that is considered one of Nascar's pristine jewels, the track that holds Nascar's Premiere race, WHY YOU haven't paved the track in 32 years..

Let's do the math shall we? 200,000 spectators at an average of say $50 per person equals $10 million, and thats only ONE RACE! How many races have you held at Daytona in 32 years oh Mr 'prepared for anything' President? Please explain to your fans how this is all 'the weather's fault', hell, maybe its Global Warming?!? Someone alert Al 'Internet' Gore!

Bondo... Really?? Prepared for anything? Really?

You embarrassed Nascar and lost the credibility and respect in the eyes of the fans.
And while Im on the stump here, let me pose a question to FOX, ESPN and TNT... Does the fact that someone is a great driver, or an excellent crew chief also make them a viable candidate for an announcer's position to call races on national television? Did it ever cross any of your minds to send these otherwise bright and talented individuals to speech therapy? At what point did 'boogity boogity boogity' become an intelligent term to begin a race? Talk about degrading a race, and degrading the dignity of the fans that (once) enjoyed Nascar. Please take the microphone away from Larry McReynolds and someone offer him a job under the hood of a racecar.. And DW, stick a fork in it, you've BEEN done..

And Eddie Gossage, president of Texas Motor Speedway. “It’s not Daytona Speedway’s fault, it’s not Nascar’s fault. Really? Then just who's fault is it? Who made the decision not to repave the rack for over 30 years?

Mr Daytona 'ready for anything" President, do the world of Nascar a favor by scraping the dust from your mountain of money and PAVE THE DAMN TRACK!!

Look at the wonderful press you would get, and you might, you just might even redeem yourself! In doing so you will have stimulated the economy, at least in Florida, why just imagine the amount of illegal aliens you could hire to do the job?!?!

Duke smokes Maryland by 21

Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th game at Duke ended like so many others before it: overwhelmingly in his team's favor. With results like this, it's no surprise that he doesn't plan on slowing down.

Jon Scheyer scored 22 points and No. 8 Duke marked Coach K's milestone with a 77-56 rout of Maryland on Saturday in a matchup of the Atlantic Coast Conference's top two teams.

Brian Zoubek had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the ACC-leading Blue Devils (21-4, 9-2), who dominated from start to finish and at both ends of the court, shooting 41.5 percent and holding Maryland 25 points below its season average.

"Obviously, it's an honor to play" in a game of such significance for Krzyzewski, Scheyer said. "But after that, we're in first place - that's the main thing."

Greivis Vasquez scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and Cliff Tucker added 12 to lead the Terrapins (16-7, 6-3), whose late run couldn't make up for going 7 early minutes between baskets. They were 2 of 13 from 3-point range.

"We weren't really in sync, and you cannot do that here," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "You have to be really ready to play, and everything has to go your way ... and we didn't play well enough."

From Art Heyman to J.J. Redick, roughly 100 former players, coaches and staff members returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium to celebrate a double milestone for Krzyzewski. On his 63rd birthday, he became the eighth Division I coach to reach four figures at one school. He's 781-219 in 30 seasons at Duke with three national titles and 10 Final Fours.

"I could not have had a better place to coach," Krzyzewski said. Describing its high standards, he added that the school "was more of who I want to be. I'm not saying I'm like Duke, but I want to be like Duke."

After the final horn sounded, he was presented with a framed Duke No. 1,000 jersey, the players pulled on T-shirts adorned with Krzyzewski's silhouette and the Cameron Crazies sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

"When you think of Duke basketball, you think of Mike Krzyzewski," Williams said.

Nolan Smith had 14 points and Kyle Singler finished with 10 for the Blue Devils - who have won four straight, six of seven overall and 40 in a row at home against unranked teams.

They have rarely been tested at Cameron this season - 14-0 with all but one of the victories coming by double digits.

Duke smothers UNC, dealing 11th loss to the Tarholez

Jon Scheyer scored 24 points and #8 Duke pulled away in the final minutes to beat North Carolina 64-54 on Wednesday night.

Kyle Singler added 19 points for the Blue Devils (20-4, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot poorly all night and couldn't make much of anything in close. But boasting a bigger and tougher front line than in years past, Duke dominated the boards and got plenty of extra looks to make up for all those misses.

Duke hit nine 3-pointers, but shot 32 percent overall and went 13 for 51 (25 percent) from inside the arc.

The loss only added to the defending national champions' misery in a season that is slipping away. North Carolina (13-11, 2-7) has lost eight of 10 since the start of 2010, including four in a row overall to fall near the bottom of the league standings.

Will Graves scored 13 points to lead the Tar Heels.

The rivalry game might have lost some luster this time around due to North Carolina's struggles and Duke looking like a good team. Both schools had been ranked in the top 10 in the past four meetings, but North Carolina - which started the season at No. 6 and as co-ACC favorite with Duke - fell out of the poll two weeks ago.

Still, this one ended up fitting right in with college basketball's fiercest rivalry when it came to intensity and fight. Neither team led by more than six points in the first 30 minutes and they were tied with about 8 minutes left before the Blue Devils finally took control.

Duke finished with a 51-42 rebounding advantage and converted 23 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points, baskets that repeatedly drained the momentum building when the Tar Heels appeared on the verge of a defensive stop, however, weakness ensued over the Tarhole bench, and Roy 'Choke' Williams let another game slip away.

Hey Roy, I hear that Pat Summit from Tennessee is wanting to coach Men's BBall, I'm sure she would interview you for an assistant coach's position... You should check look into it.

Duke holds on to beat Boston College

Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith scored 21 points apiece, each hitting two foul shots in the last 26 seconds after No. 10 Duke nearly squandered a 10-point halftime lead and the Blue Devils held on to beat Boston College 66-63 on Saturday.

Duke (19-4, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) missed five straight free throws in the middle of the game and two more in the final minute, helping BC cut the deficit to 64-63 on Reggie Jackson's long, high-arcing 3-pointer with 16 seconds left. Scheyer was fouled after he received the inbound pass, then made both free throws to force BC to try another 3 for the tie.

But Jackson couldn't get a clear look at the basket and passed off to Joe Trapani, who was momentarily open. Seven-foot-1 Brian Zoubek ran out to put a hand in front of the 6-8 Trapani and made him put the ball on the ground before sending a long 3-point attempt off the front of the rim at the buzzer.

"I saw Trapani wide open. It's the last thing you want to see when you've got a three-point lead," Zoubek said. "He made one dribble, a pump fake and shot it off balance."

Said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: "We didn't want Jackson to take the last shot. Let's put it that way."

Duke pounds Georgia Tech behind Singler's 30

Singler had career highs of 30 points and eight 3-pointers to lead the 10th-ranked Blue Devils past the 21st-ranked Yellow Jackets 86-67 on Thursday night.

"I just got into a rhythm," Singler said. "I took open shots ... and started knocking them down."

Jon Scheyer added 21 points for Duke (18-4, 6-2), which was strong inside and outside — hitting nearly 67 percent of its 3s and dominating Georgia Tech's foul-plagued front line. Duke held a 40-32 rebounding edge and remained atop the Atlantic Coast Conference by claiming an easy win in a matchup of the league's only ranked teams.

"In this type of game," coach Mike Krzyzewski said, "it's a spectacular shooting performance."

Zachery Peacock scored the Yellow Jackets' first 11 points, but was shut out after that. Leading scorers Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors were in foul trouble all night for Georgia Tech (16-6, 4-4), even though coach Paul Hewitt refused to use that as an excuse.

"I don't think the fouls had anything to do with anything," Hewitt said. "We had three days to prepare. I was sure we were ready. We spent more time preparing for them than we did anybody this year, and obviously, it didn't do any good."

Nolan Smith had 14 points for Duke, which led by double figures for the entire second half in bouncing back from an embarrassingly lopsided loss at Georgetown and avenging last month's 71-67 loss to Georgia Tech.

"We wouldn't be 18-4 unless we played really well," Krzyzewski said. "We've had a couple of poor games, and we're not going to define ourselves by a poor game. We're going to define ourselves by the full body of work, and we're just in a situation where a lot of people like to define us by whatever we don't do well. Our kids have done a lot really well, and tonight, they even did it a little bit better."

Georgetown dominates Duke on 71% shooting

The No. 7 Hoyas literally stole the game from No. 8 Duke, forcing five turnovers in a two-minute, first-half spurt on the way to an 89-77 victory Saturday.

It couldn't have been a much bigger day for Georgetown: the president attending his first Hoyas game, the first sellout of the season in the 20,000-seat Verizon Center, a crowd mostly sporting "We Are Georgetown" T-shirts in a school-sponsored "gray out," the 200th win for coach John Thompson III, the launch of an initiative for Darfur schools, and, of course, a dominant program from the Atlantic Coast Conference in the building.

Wright seemed pumped for it all, scoring 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting and making two defensive plays that helped ignite an 18-3 run and gave the Hoyas the lead for good in the first half. Greg Monroe also scored 21, and Austin Freeman added 20 points for Georgetown (16-4), which shot 77 percent in the first half and 72 percent for the game.

Nolan Smith scored 19 points, Kyle Singler had 18 before fouling out with 2:10 to play, and Jon Scheyer added 17 for the Blue Devils (17-4), who shot 37 percent.

Duke committed 15 turnovers - one fewer than Georgetown - but they came in bunches in rare series of breakdowns from coach Mike Krzyzewski's team.

Duke dows Florida State on defense

Kyle Singler and No. 8 Duke got rolling just in time to pull out a close game - or, at least, what passes for one these days at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Singler scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half and the Blue Devils pulled away late to beat Florida State 70-56 on Wednesday night.

Jon Scheyer had 22 points for the Blue Devils (17-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 43 percent against the nation's toughest field-goal percentage defense and forced 22 turnovers. But they needed a late 15-4 run to seal their 14th straight win at Cameron.

''It wasn't really a pretty game,'' Singler said. ''We had to grind it out, and we just made plays at the end.''

Solomon Alabi had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Singleton added 14 points for the Seminoles (15-5, 3-3). They outrebounded the Blue Devils 40-30 and held them without a field goal for more than six minutes to erase most of a 16-point deficit, but ultimately were denied their second straight victory against a Top 25 opponent.

''I felt like we are the better team,'' Singleton said. ''They have a lot of talent, and we have a lot of talent. Tonight, we showed that we're a good team, but we need to put it all together.''

Singleton made things interesting late, hitting a free throw to make it 51-47 with 8:56 left, and the Seminoles then had a stretch in which they missed several free throws, got the rebounds - and then couldn't do anything with them.

Eventually, the Blue Devils pulled away down the stretch with seven straight points.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/gameflash/2010/01/27/61303_recap.html#ixzz0eG1S1fQS
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Duke defense takes down Clemson

Nolan Smith scored 22 points and No. 7 Duke held the 17th-ranked Tigers to their lowest point total at home in seven years in a 60-47 victory Saturday night.

It was a drastic reversal from 2009, when the Blue Devils suffered their most lopsided loss in almost 20 years here, 74-47.

''We knew Clemson was ready, the community was ready,'' Krzyzewski said. ''To come in here and win, our guys should feel good about that.''

Duke also should feel good about Smith, who fueled a 14-2 second-half run as the Blue Devils took control.

Smith had 9 points in the surge as Duke moved in front 43-30 with 12:33 left. Clemson could not get closer than 6 points the rest of the way.

Trevor Booker led the Tigers (15-5, 3-3) with 22 points.

It was Clemson's fewest points at home since a 52-47 loss to Maryland on Jan. 25, 2003. Booker got little help from his teammates - while Clemson's star made 10 of 14 shots, the rest of the Tigers were just 8 of 34.

Wake blows away anemic UNC

Roy Williams and the Royholez CHOKE again !!! Third straight loss as Wake dismantles the weak, over-rated ESPN favorites and deal them their 7th loss..

Harris scored a season-high 20 points, Stewart hit three consecutive 3s and the Demon Deacons beat down North Carolina 82-69 on Wednesday night, sending the Tar Heels to their first three-game losing streak under coach Roy Williams.

"We just wanted to hit them while they're down," Harris said. "They had lost two straight before us, and the best time to get somebody is when they're down. That's what we came out and tried to do."

Ishmael Smith had 20 points, and Al-Farouq Aminu added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Demon Deacons (13-4, 3-2 ACC).

The Royholez are having a great January, losing 4 of the last 5.. "It's a great time to be a Tarheel fan" mentioned one fan on an ESPN message board, I guess it is if you like to watch your team lose repeatedly! It's not the team itself that the country despises, its their rabid, thug-like, assholic fans that give UNC their vile image.

How's the season going for ya, you pile of band wagoner posers?!?!

NC State dominates Duke on impressive shooting

Tracy Smith scored 23 points in a dominant performance inside while Dennis Horner added 20 to help N.C. State stun No. 7 Duke 88-74, giving the Wolfpack its first home win against Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils since 2004.

It also was the Wolfpack's first win in the series overall since the first round of the 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Lowe's first season coaching the program he led to a national championship as a player in 1983.

Since that season, the Wolfpack (13-6, 2-3 ACC) had struggled to gain footing in the league. That led to fan frustration about N.C. State's inability to keep up with highly ranked rivals Duke and North Carolina, both located within a 30-minute drive in the Triangle of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Wednesday night's upset of the Blue Devils (15-3, 3-2) is the rousing win that Wolfpack fans have been desperate for and was reminiscent of an upset of the Tar Heels in Lowe's first season. It's the kind that could be huge for Lowe as he maintains his hold on the job in coming seasons.

Perhaps there's still some magic left in the red blazer Lowe wore Wednesday, the one he breaks out for rivalry games.

Smith went 10 for 12 from the floor to lead a balanced offense that had five players in double figures. Most impressively, N.C. State shot 58 percent - including 64 percent in a first-half performance that charged up the home crowd - while the Blue Devils hit just 39 percent.

N.C. State led by 10 points in the first half before it was cut to 41-38 at the break. But the Wolfpack scored on five of six possessions to start the second half to push the lead back up to double figures, then boosted it to 69-52 on Horner's dunk with 8:53 left.

"They were terrific," Krzyzewski said. "We could've had a week off and we wouldn't have beaten them tonight, but I wish we would've come with more energy than we came with tonight. They came with superb energy and you want to be in a game where both teams are playing at that level. We could never match their level of play."

Wake dealt 20 point defeat by Duke

Miles Plumlee had career highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds, younger brother Mason Plumlee added 11 points and No. 8 Duke pulled away to beat Wake Forest 90-70 on Sunday night.

Kyle Singler added 21 points and 15 rebounds and Nolan Smith had 20 points for the Blue Devils (15-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). They overcame a defense determined to stop leading scorer Jon Scheyer , broke the game open with 13 straight points midway through the first half and rolled to their 13th straight win at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Al-Farouq Aminu had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Demon Deacons (12-4, 2-2), who lost their 12th straight at Cameron and haven't won here since 1997, when Tim Duncan was still in school.

It was the first time both Plumlees scored in double figures in the same game for the Blue Devils , who have won nine of 10. They remained perfect at home and 10 of their 11 victories here have come by at least 20 points.

The traditionally guard-oriented Blue Devils knew 3-pointers were going to be hard to come by against the ACC's best defense against the 3, and they finished 4-for-13 from long range. The Demon Deacons made it their mission to slow Scheyer, who scored nine points - nearly 11 fewer than his average - on 3-of-11 shooting and was held to single-digit scoring for the first time this season.

GT throws UNC under the bus early... Tarholes lose 3 of last 4

Georgia Tech overcame everything -- a blown 20-point lead, the ear-ringing screams of North Carolina's blue-clad crowd and a second-half scoring barrage from Will Graves -- to prove it has plenty of fight to go with all that talent.

Now the defending national champions have to find the same kind of confidence.

Zachery Peacock made the go-ahead shot with 25.7 seconds left to rescue the Yellow Jackets (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP), who shook off that blown big lead and held off the Tar Heels (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 12 AP) 73-71 on Saturday.

GT was up 29-9 during the first half.. Enough said, whine your pansy blue asses off, the excuse-o-meter is pegging about a 10 by now, eh Royholez?

Clemson Dominates UNC RoyHolez, Dogging them 83-64

A river of powder blue tears filled the streets of Chapel Hill tonight as Clemson dismantled UNC and dominated the over-rated, ESPN favorites from the opening buzzer.

Neither the talentless 'Heels, nor the putrid smell emitting from the Hill could over power the heart of the Tigers as they put the Blowholes in their place early, and kept them there. UNC never got closer than 11 in the second half.

The 19th-ranked Clemson Tigers (14-3, 2-1) made a huge statement tonight in Littlejohn Coliseum by dominating ESPN final four favorite North Carolina (12-5, 1-1) 83-64. Clemson had three scorers reach double figures, led by senior big man Trevor Booker who turned in 21 points and nine rebounds. Dexter Strickland led the Tar Heels with 17 points, while no other player for UNC reached double figures.

UNC could never handle the pressure, midway through the first period, North Carolina had 11 turnovers and only 12 points, and they trailed by 23. Not even the referees could save them in this game.

The Tar Heels have lost five of six (1-5) away from the Smith Center. It was North Carolina's most lopsided ACC loss since falling 96-56 to Maryland on Feb. 22, 2003.

On a side note, the UNC tour bus which carts around the ESPN Rockstars, I mean Tarholes, collided with a car driven by a female Clemson student. Coach Roy was the first to exit the bus to make sure the girl was ok, commendable, yes, but then lost all his creds when he decided NOT to give the girl basketball tickets because 'she was probably a Clemson fan'.

Roy Williams removed ALL doubt that to the core he is nothing but an asshole, a complete and pure asshole..

Duke puts down BC

Smith steps up to lead Duke in scoring on a big second half run.

Nolan Smith scored 24 points to help the Blue Devils pull away in the second half and beat Boston College 79-59 tonight, helping Duke regroup from a weekend loss at Georgia Tech.

Kyle Singler added 15 for the Blue Devils (14-2, 2-1 ACC), who pushed ahead for good late in the first half and pulled away in the opening minutes after the break. More impressively, they carried their 3-point shooting struggles from Atlanta back to Cameron Indoor Stadium and knocked down just one 3, yet still won convincingly with defense and a group of big men who are giving Duke some steadier production in the paint.

"Last year we wouldn't have won a game like that," Duke coach K said. "We had to hit 3s."

That's not to say that this year's group doesn't need the 3. It's just that the Blue Devils have a few more options when that shot isn't falling.

"We're not going to live and die by the 3 this year," Smith said. "We can get it in other ways. We can drive the basket, and we have bigs who want to finish inside. Whenever our 3s aren't falling, we have other ways to score."

GT shows Duke the door..

Gani Lawal scored 21 points, including a crucial shot with just over a minute remaining, and No. 20 Georgia Tech bounced back from a dismal loss with a 71-67 upset of the fifth-ranked Blue Devils on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets avoided an 0-2 start in conference play and made up for Tuesday's 73-66 loss to state rival Georgia, a team that doesn't have nearly as much as talent.

"This was a great bounce-back win," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. "The guys were really disappointed about that game the other night."

The Blue Devils were stymied by a miserable performance beyond the arc (6 for 28 on 3-pointers), had their slim depth exposed by foul trouble (Lance Thomas picked up his fifth with more than 10 minutes left, three other players finished with four) and didn't provide star Jon Scheyer much help.

The point guard followed up a 31-point effort against Iowa State with another strong showing. He scored 25 points and chipped in with six assists. But Mason Plumlee, with 10 points off the bench, was the only other Duke player in double figures.

Duke found out that they need more than just 2 ballers to win a game. well, one baller and a talented and aggressive freshman. Maybe next road trip the rest of the team can actually make it off the bus..

Hello, someone wake up Coach K, this isn't the Scheyer Blue Devils, it takes a TEAM effort!

Great game Jon Scheyer and Mason Plumlee, and the rest of you? You guys got your one big collective ASS kicked! Learn from it please..

Duke downs Iowa State

As homecomings go, Jon Scheyer's was about as good as it gets.

The Duke star saw the familiar faces in the stands and heard the voices of those who had been part of his life - friends, teachers and family. About 500 of them cheering his every move. And they had plenty to get excited about Wednesday night.

Scheyer scored 31 points on a variety of shots and led the fifth-ranked Blue Devils to an 86-65 victory over Iowa State.

He called it an experience that was both emotional and a little weird.

"There were people who have been there for me throughout my whole life since I've been a little kid," said Scheyer, a prep star in suburban Northbrook, Ill.

"Many people haven't been able to see me play. This is their first time being able to see me, so that means a lot, too. ... I know people changed their plans to be here."

Scheyer, who scored more than 3,000 points for Glenbrook North High, shot 10 of 19 with four 3-pointers. And he did it on the court at the United Center.

The Blue Devils (13-1) won their seventh straight game behind a balanced attack, a defense that forced 18 turnovers and aggressive rebounding.

Nolan Smith added 20 points and Kyle Singler 15 for Duke.

Marquis Gilstrap paced Iowa State (10-4) with 16 points. Leading scorer Craig Brackins, who came in averaging 17, had 12.

Scheyer's 3-pointer with the shot clocking running down extended the Blue Devils' lead to 50-35 early in second half. His three-point play about 7 minutes in put the Blue Devils up 19 as they opened the second half with a 17-6 run.

The Cyclones whittled it to 12 but Smith and Scheyer hit 3-pointers to put Duke back up by 17.

"Some of the plays he makes, well you think he's not that fast or whatever," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Scheyer. "He really has great body control, a soft touch and obviously a determined heart."

College of Charleston beats down UNC for the 2nd time

The Tar Heels (11-4) had trailed most of the game, but used a late run to take a 72-61 lead with 4 minutes to go. That's when Goudelock and the Cougars (8-6) got going.

Goudelock scored the last 8 points in regulation, including the fadeaway 3 from about 28 feet with 6-foot-10 Ed Davis in his face to tie it at 73.

Monroe hit the go-ahead 3-pointer and his two free throws with 18 seconds left provided the final margin.

Charleston beat a ranked opponent for the first time since defeating the third-ranked Tar Heels 66-64 on Dec. 5, 1998.

Goudelock scored 24 points, while Davis had 18 points and 16 rebounds.

North Carolina's Dexter Strickland missed a layup with 4 seconds left. Davis' cross-court pass with less than a second to go was picked off by Monroe and the celebration began.

Monroe clutched the basketball as time ran out and fans rushed the court at the Carolina First Arena. Charleston coach Bobby Cremins had his share of success at Georgia Tech for nearly two decades, going 12-33 against the Tar Heels .

This one figured to be out of his team's reach, however, especially after North Carolina took the 72-61 lead.

But the Cougars called on their long-range shooting to pull out the victory. Goudelock hit two of his four 3s the rest of the way.

In all, Charleston was 13 of 32 from behind the arc. North Carolina's only 3-pointer came in overtime when Larry Drew II cut Charleston's lead to 82-79.

That's as close as the Tar Heels got.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams said the team was as low as it could be with the loss.

That they were in this at all was because of their size and accuracy at the free throw line. North Carolina outrebounded Charleston 56-36 and was 24 of 34 from the freebie line vs the Cougars' 3-of-6 showing.

Only 6 Free throws for Charleston and 34 for the Tarheels?? hmmmmmm, no referee preferential treatment there... nah..can't be.

Take note Roy, maybe you should celebrate AFTER the game, instead of taking your boys to an upscale resort the weekend BEFORE the game... Good luck at the NIT tournament this year, your in for a long season.... Brahahahhahahaha..!!

Duke D controls Clemson

Seventh-ranked Duke didn't need long to make Clemson look as uncomfortable as ever in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

While Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith each had big scoring games, it was the Blue Devils' lockdown first-half defense that put the 21st-ranked Tigers in a big hole on the way to a 74-53 win Sunday night.

The victory extended Clemson's misery in Cameron - 15 years and counting - while giving the Blue Devils a comfortable win against a team picked to finish near the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Duke (12-1, 1-0 ACC) held Clemson to just 12 points in the opening half and led by 18 at the break, avenging last year's lopsided loss while handing the Tigers (12-3, 0-1) their 13th straight defeat at college basketball's notoriously hostile arena.

"Our defense, that's what we want to be known for this year," said Scheyer, who scored 19 of his 22 points after halftime. "In the first half, we felt good just because you could see they weren't in a good rhythm. ... For the rest of the game, we didn't really let them get back into it."

Smith also scored 22 points for Duke, while Kyle Singler added 16 points and eight rebounds. Duke followed its season-high 114 points in Thursday night's win against Penn by shooting 50 percent against the Tigers, including 60 percent after halftime.

Duke blows out Penn, 114-55

Nolan Smith scored 23 points to help the seventh-ranked Blue Devils beat Pennsylvania 114-55 on Thursday night in their final tune-up before opening the league schedule here against Clemson this weekend.

Kyle Singler added 20 points for the Blue Devils (11-1), who took control of the game early en route to their fifth straight victory. Duke led by double figures in the first 5 minutes, then ran off a 23-3 run that blew the game open and turned the rest of the contest into a formality.

The Blue Devils shot 60 percent, hit 10 of 21 3-pointers and finished with a season-high scoring output to extend the Quakers' miserable start. By the time it was over, Duke scored the most points ever allowed by Penn (0-9) while handing the Quakers their most lopsided loss in program history.

"I'm not saying we're this perfect machine, but we're anxious to start," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "And the nine kids we have that are going to play are healthy enough to play. We have bruises and knees and all that kind of stuff, but when you have nine guys that can play and they have great attitudes and they're hungry to play, then it's time to get going."

Duke downs Long Beach State

Scheyer scored 22 points, Smith added 19 and the Blue Devils became the latest Top Ten team to beat Long Beach State, routing the 49ers 84-63 on Tuesday night.

Kyle Singler added 14 points for Duke (10-1), which led by 26 points, shot 47.1 percent, blocked a season-high 10 shots and was 15 of 26 from 3-point range.

"I don't even think we shot as well as we could, with the amount of good looks that we had," Scheyer said. "We'll be successful in the offense when we take open looks."

Larry Anderson scored 14 points for Long Beach State (6-7), which couldn't get closer than 13 points in the second half and lost its third straight. The 49ers have been beaten by four Top Ten opponents so far.

"I'm glad we're hitting league (play) on Saturday," coach Dan Monson said. "The Top Ten is pretty good, and Duke belongs there. ... Our guys could have caved in, and they showed that they've been in these games and that they have some fight to them, but we were just outmanned."

Senior big men Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek had 10 points apiece for Duke, which went up by double figures to stay before the 49ers made their third field goal and went on to win its fourth straight while showing little rust from the nine-day holiday layoff that followed a 35-point rout of then-No. 15 Gonzaga.

"Guys over the break, nobody took any days off," Smith said. "Everybody stayed in shape, stayed sharp with their shooting or whatever they were doing."