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."