Duke goes to 8-0 on the road in the ACC with 79-71 over Wake
Duke shouldn’t have only won this game by 8 points. They were cruising deep into the second half and seemed to be on their way to one of their easiest wins of the ACC season. However, as they’ve done some this year (see St. John’s), they took their foot off the gas and allowed a clearly inferior opponent to come back into the game.
Now, there were some bright spots. Mason Plumlee showed fight and hustle, getting to the line 9 times. Even more impressive, he dropped 8 of those free throws. For a player shooting a shade under 49% from the charity stripe, that is very impressive.
Quinn Cook got extended minutes (17) and showed the ability to get into the lane and create for his teammates. While he only had 3 assists, he’s the best player on the roster at getting the ball to his fellow Blue Devils in scoring position. If I were on the UNC coaching staff, I’d give Quinn more credit for his “team assists”.
Ryan Kelly was in full on White Raven mode, hitting 4 of 5 from deep and 5-6 from the free throw line for a game-high 23 points. Duke needs offense from more than just Austin Rivers and Seth Curry and while different guys seem to show up every game, Ryan Kelly’s shooting ability from the power forward position presents one of the biggest matchup problems for Duke’s opponents.
Miles Plumlee cleaned up on the glass again, grabbing 11 rebounds, 5 of them offensive. Duke only had 9 offensive rebounds in the game. Wake Forest only had 4. He is becoming a monster on the boards and Duke will (and has) needed that as their defense hasn’t been up to typical standards. Read more
Last away ACC game for Duke tonight vs Wake Forest 9 PM on ESPNU
In a bit of a surprise, the Duke Blue Devils needed overtime to defeat the Virginia Tech Hokies, 70-65. Austin Rivers and Seth Curry continued to set the pace for the Blue Devils scoring a combined 42 out of the 70. Both were very solid defensively with Rivers spending a lot of his time on Jarell Eddie, holding him to 5 points. Curry had the assignment of Dorenzo Hudson and Marquis Rankin holding them to a combined 16 points, with Hudson making some crazy tough shots down the stretch for 8 of his points. Miles Plumlee continued his terrific play as of late by protecting the rim and pulling in 15 rebounds. Tyler Thornton also continued his great play by setting up the offense and taking away the opponents best player, not to mention knocking down the open three. Ryan Kelly was solid and for the most part has been all season, although he has been in a shooting slump. Andre Dawkins has been inconsistent his whole collegiate career, but recently was playing well defensively even when he wasn’t offensively. This game looks to be more of an aberration and Dawkins has been relatively consistent and playing well of late. Quinn Cook, Josh Hairston and maybe Michael Gbinije will be specialist for the team and will see anywhere from 1 minute to 10 for the rest of the season. That leaves Mason Plumlee. Plumlee is struggling with averages of only 7.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists on 38.5 percent shooting. Without the consistent double, double from Mason Plumlee I am afraid this team will fall short of its lofty goals. Many our saying that 2010 didn’t get points from the interior and won it all, but that team had three consistent perimeter threats, this team only has two. Now if Curry, Rivers and either Ryan Kelly or Andre Dawkins all have big games on the same night then you can live without Mason Plumlee having a big game. The problem is that Andre Dawkins is not a consistent scoring threat and Ryan Kelly lives off of certain matchups. If Duke can get their big three of Mason Plumlee, Seth Curry and Austin Rivers up and ready to go in time for the NCAA Tournament they will be good to go.
The all important trap game right before the matchup of the year with North Carolina. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons enter the game 13-15 overall and 4-10 inthe ACC. When playing the Demon Deacons your really need to focus on two guys and if you take care of them you wont have to worry. Garry Harris and Travis McKie are two legitimate players that can play for anybody, but the Demon Deacons have little on the rest of the roster. In the first matchup, McKie and Harris combined for 36 points on 12-20 shooting, This is a big chance for Wake Forest to build some momentum going into the ACC Tournament and into next season. It is important that the Blue Devils aren’t looking ahead to the showdown withNorth Carolinaand take care of business against the Demon Deacons.
Scouting Report
PG- #1 Tony Chennault So. Game 1- 35min, 13pts, 3reb, 2ast
Chennault is a solid point guard, but isn’t anything too special. Chennault is an all around player that doesn’t necessarily possess a single great strength on the court. This a good matchup for Duke and they need to do a better job this time around.
SG- #11 C.J. Harris Jr. Game 1- 32min, 20pts, 3reb, 3ast
Harris is one of the most improved players in college basketball. Harris really used his time well over the offseason to work on his ball handling and shooting. Harris is shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and from the 3pt line and also is able to get to the foul line. Duke had its hands full with guarding Harris in the first game, but expect Thornton to check Harris.
F- #25 Nikita Mescheriakov Sr. Game 1- 25min, 12pts, 4reb, 0ast
Nikita is a unique player in that he plays a European style. He likes to play finesse on offense with jumpers and ball fakes around the rim. On defense Mescheriakov is aggressive and will foul a lot. This is going to be a real tough matchup both ways for Nikita. Read more
Duke vs. Wake Forest: By The Numbers
After narrowly escaping with an overtime victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils (25-4, 12-2) will travel on the road for the last conference away game of the season to meet the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (13-15, 4-10) on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils will bring with them a 7-0 ACC road record with them to LJVM Coliseum, as they will look to become the third team in school history to finish with a perfect 8-0 road record in conference play. Duke moved up in both top-25 polls this week as they are up to #3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and #4 in the AP Poll. Duke is 51-10 all-time when ranked #4 in the AP Poll. The Blue Devils won the first meeting this season over the Demon Deacons 91-73, as they got 61 points combined from Andre Dawkins (21), Ryan Kelly (20), and Austin Rivers (20). The Blue Devils enter atop the ACC standings tied with North Carolina (Duke owns the tiebreaker with a win over UNC), as they are looking for their 23rd ACC regular season championship. Tuesday’s meeting will be broadcasted live on ESPNU with the tip-off set for 9:00 PM ET.
Duke-Wake Forest Series
• Thursday’s game marks the 236th meeting between Duke and Wake Forest, tying it as the most-played series in the ACC.
• Duke and Wake Forest met for the first time on March 2, 1906.
• The Blue Devils lead the series 159-77 and are 10-10 in games played in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
• Duke has won four straight in the series overall. During that four-game win streak, Duke owns a +18.0 scoring margin. Duke has scored at least 90 points in three of those four meetings.
• The Blue Devils’ last 14 wins in the series have
been by 10 or more points.
• Mike Krzyzewski is 40-23 at Duke against the Demon Deacons. The Blue Devils are 15-14 under Coach K on the road against Wake Forest.
• The Blue Devils have won 24 of the last 29 meetings between the two schools.
• Wake Forest’s last five wins in the series have come in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
Numbers Game
• Duke and Michigan State are the only teams in the NCAA to rank in the top 5 in RPI, Strength of Schedule as well as the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls.
• Duke and North Carolina are tied for first place in the ACC and each have two games remaining, including their March 3 showdown in Durham.
• Duke is 7-0 in ACC road games this season and is looking to become only the third team in school history to finish 8-0 in ACC road games.
• Duke has been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll for 91 straight weeks, tied for the second-longest streak in NCAA history.
• Duke is 7-0 in ACC road games, marking only the fifth time in school history that Duke has won its first seven league road games. Only three Duke teams have gone undefeated in ACC road play, the most recent being the 1999-2000 team (8-0).
• The Blue Devils have scored at least 73 points in all seven ACC road games.
• The Blue Devils are 14-3 on the year in games decided by 10 points or less. The Blue Devils have seven wins in ACC play by less than 10 points. Duke’s 14 wins by 10 points or less are tied for the second-most in school history.
• Duke won its 25th game of the season last Saturday versus Virginia Tech and now has at least 25 wins in 13 of the last 14 seasons. Duke has won at least 25 games in 23 of Mike Krzyzewski’s 32 seasons as head coach. Read more
Project Defensive Scoresheet: Duke 74 – FSU 66
By Tommy D — This was going to be a big one. Duke and FSU, tied with UNC for first place in the league as the field headed for home. The Noles are a tough, physical team, playing in front of a raucous crowd, with their sights set on their first ACC regular season title, and they’d love nothing more than to have a second Duke scalp above their mantle for their trouble. The first, of course, came three weeks prior on a pair of Michael Snaer buzzer beaters, the second of which snapped the Devils’ best-in-the-nation home winning streak at 45 games and stunned the college basketball world.
But Duke has a history of winning these types of games. It is very rare indeed for any team — especially a team other than Carolina — to sweep Duke. And when a team like Florida State, a legitimate squad, physically strong, making a real challenge in the league and feeling confident that they’re really, truly better than Duke, having already beaten them once — when a team like that presents itself, well, Duke almost always rises to the occasion and dispatches the upstarts, sending the fans home very unhappy.
FSU presented a special challenge, because, like they frequently have in recent years, the Noles are super tough defensively — among the best in the country by most metrics. The Devils would have to play physical too, play together, match FSU’s intensity, and play smart. And they’d have to maintain their composure in a difficult environment.
I am happy to report that the Blue Devils checked all of those boxes. Perhaps more so than in any previous outing, and considering the quality of the opposition, Duke came ready to play, and play for 40 minutes. Not surprisingly, Tyler Thornton got the start and played heavy minutes. Toughness and determination is what you get from Ty, and he provided them again in Tallahassee. The shooting star was Andre Dawkins, who banged in 18 points in the first half, mostly on 3-point bombs, which really made it tough for FSU to keep pace, given some of their offensive limitations. But Florida State hung very tough, making run after run at Duke in the second half, but the Devils repelled each one, keeping the Noles at arms length the whole way. Clutch jumpers by Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry, accompanied by repeated fearless forays by Austin Rivers into the lane, sealed it. There’s nothing like a win over UNC of course, but putting that aside, I think it was Duke’s best win of the year.
Defensively, there was hardly an instance of inattention or loss of focus, or a failure to maintain concentration. Those of course have been huge problems for Duke defensively this year, but not in this ballgame. It was as if Duke knew that anything other than a full, 40-minute commitment on the defensive end was not going to cut it in this game — and they were right.
To me, it really recalled vintage Duke defensive performances of some of the great Blue Devil teams of the past. Duke was in their shirts, we were denying on the wings, denying in the post, talking, helping, moving our feet — the whole nine. No letup. I definitely got the feeling that if — big if here — Duke was to play D like this on a nightly basis going forward, they could actually make a run in March. Not that this will happen, but if they play like this, they could. It’s taken awhile for the defensive skill level and mastery of the mental component of our defense to come together with the required focus and intensity, but it felt in this game like they finally did.
OK, no more talk. The numbers are below:
Project defensive scoresheet: Duke 78 – NC State 73
Well, it wasn’t exactly a vintage Duke Basketball win and it certainly wasn’t a vintage Duke Basketball win in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but this will be a game to look back on when Duke is no longer playing basketball in April. One of the biggest factors this Duke team has been lacking in their losses this season was toughness. That reared it’s ugly head early and often against NC State as they were often out-muscled and out-hustled in the first half by the Wolfpack, especially down low.
NC State completely outplayed the Blue Devils for the first 29 minutes of the game but then that toughness that was missing showed up as Andre Dawkins made a hustle play on the defensive end by blocking Deshawn Painter and gathering the loose ball, ultimately getting a foul called. Duke needed an offensive outburst to come back from a 20-point deficit with over 11 minutes left, but don’t be fooled. Most of those points came from defense or hustle on the offensive end. Whether it was tipouts for offensive rebounds by Ryan Kelly or Seth Curry fighting through an early injury (he had to take a painkilling shot to play), toughness won this game for Duke.
Let’s look at the individual defensive numbers. For an explanation on these numbers, click here. To see some cumulative numbers, go here.
Duke played a horrible first half. That can not be stated enough. They were missing shots left and right and simply were dominated down low by CJ Leslie (he had 5 blocks that I counted in the half alone.) That play continued into the second half until there were just over 11 minutes left in the game. Read more
Duke escapes at home in OT over Virginia Tech 70-65
Duke’s struggles at home have been talked about every which way to Sunday and this game did nothing to change those perceptions. While Virginia Tech is better than their record (7 of their 10 ACC losses have been by 5 points or less) Duke is clearly the better team overall. Still, the Blue Devils could never quite pull away from the Hokies and had to rely on two misses on the last possession of regulation to take the game into overtime.
Statistically, Duke didn’t dominate in any facet of the game and had to rely on penetration after their outside shooting failed them. Duke only shot 25% from deep and that was particularly damaging as they shot 24 of their 52 shots from outside the stripe. Getting into the lane and drawing fouls on Virginia Tech players was the best remedy for Duke’s cold shooting and of their 34 free throws, 24 of them went in. Looking at the four factors, Duke won them all and dominated in free throw rate, 66% to 24%.
Three-point shooting is a big part of Duke’s offense but unlike other years, they have two players in Austin Rivers and Seth Curry who can get into the lane and score or get fouled. A number of Rivers’ drives left him open at the rim but for one reason or another, couldn’t finish. While Miles Plumlee was a big factor on the boards grabbing 15, his younger and more talented brother Mason had a game to forget for most of regulation. This is Mason’s fourth straight subpar performance (he’s shot 36% and averaged 5 points since the Maryland game) and simply put, Duke will need him to shoulder some of the load when they go cold from deep like they did tonight.
HIGHLIGHTS Read more
Duke trying to keep atop the ACC against Virginia Tech today at noon
By Ray Horn — Duke’s 74-66 win in Tallahassee against Florida State may have been their best performance all season long. I think the 8 point margin isn’t as indicative of how well Duke played. I personally thought Duke got the short end of the whistle for most of the game. That’s not to say that Duke didn’t get some questionable calls in their favor because they did, but Florida State seemed to get away with a lot things that Duke didn’t. I think this game goes on what I’ve been saying for the past couple of weeks now. Duke has a 7 man main rotation with Josh Hairston and Quinn Cook seeing spot minutes. Offensively Duke is always going to feed their hot hand which was Andre Dawkins last night, but the focal points of the offense are Seth Curry and Austin Rivers. Rivers is continuing to really play at a high level in all facets and although Curry struggled shooting the ball last night he really stepped up in the clutch. Ryan Kelly and Miles Plumlee both played good defense and contributed offensively. The main issue going forward is the play of Mason Plumlee. He knows he’s struggling and it has really shaken his confidence, you can see it in his face. I know the Blue Devils are playing really well right now, but to reach their ultimate goal, Mason Plumlee has to go back to being a beast in the paint.
It’s a quick turnaround for the Blue Devils with a noon tip-off against the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies come in with a record of 15-13 and 4-9 inconference play. Don’t let the record fool you, the Hokies could very easily be 9-4 in conference play. Five of the Hokies losses in ACC play have come by a combined 12 points. One of the Hokies not so close games came in their first meeting against the Blue Devils, with Duke winning 75-60. The Blue Devils got good performances from all of their roster, especially from Rivers and Kelly. Virginia Tech had some success going inside during the first half, but they cooled off and Erik Green was the Hokies only source of offense for most of the night. Virginia Tech has continued their solid play on the defensive end of the floor, but has also continued to struggle on the offensive end. This is definitely a trap game considering Duke is coming off short rest, off a big road win and has struggled in Cameron Indoor Stadium so far this year.
Scouting Report
PG- #11 Erik Green Jr. Game 1- 36min, 17pts, 7reb, 1ast
Green is the Hokies’ best player and plays the most important position, point guard. But he is not a traditional point guard; he is going to look for his shot more than distributing the ball. Green has very good size for a lead guard at 6’4” and can play good defense. On the offensive side of the ball Green likes the mid range pull up as well as knocking down the three and getting in transition. Shutting him down has to be Duke’s number one priority.
SG- #5 Dorenzo Hudson Sr. Game1- 27min, 6pts, 1reb, 1ast
Hudson was the team’s sixth man, but has returned to the starting lineup. Hudson also has good size at 6’5” and is strong and athletic. Hudson will slash and shoot, but he doesn’t shoot it well at 31 percent. A good perimeter defender, he will most likely spend a lot of time guarding Austin Rivers. Hudson is a real nice all around player although he struggled in the first matchup. Read more
Duke vs. Virginia Tech: By The Numbers
After knocking off the Florida State Seminoles on the road Thursday night, the Duke Blue Devils (24-4, 11-2) return home to play host to the Virginia Tech Hokies (15-13, 4-9) on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils enter Saturday’s contest now in sole possession of 1st place in the ACC (they own the tie-breaker over North Carolina) after the crucial road win over Florida State. Duke now goes from possibly their biggest of the year, thus far, to now meeting a Virginia Tech team that has had a very, difficult season. They have lost 6 of their last 10 games and sit at 9th place in the conference. The Hokies are led by junior guard Erick Green who is averaging a team best 15.7 points per game. Green scored 17 points in the first meeting against Duke. The Blue Devils will come in ranked #4 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and #5 in the AP Poll. They sport a 68-24 all-time record when ranked #5 in the AP Poll. Saturday’s game will be broadcasted on the ACC Network as well as ESPN3 with the tip-off set for 12:00 PM ET.
Duke-Virginia Tech Series
• Duke and Virginia Tech have met 46 times heading into Saturday’s game with the first meeting between the two schools coming on Feb. 16, 1912.
• The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 38-8, including a 9-3 ledger since the Hokies joined the ACC.
• Duke won the previous meeting this season 75-60 in Blacksburg, Va., thanks to an 18-point effort from freshman Austin Rivers. Duke has won two in a row in the series and six of the last seven meetings.
• The Blue Devils are 15-1 against the Hokies in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• Mike Krzyzewski is 9-3 at Duke against the Hokies, including a 4-1 record in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• Six of Duke’s last seven wins over Virginia Tech have been by at least 12 points. Duke’s last three losses to Virginia Tech have been by no more than four points.
Numbers Game
• Duke is the only team in the NCAA to rank in the top 5 in RPI, Strength of Schedule as well as the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Duke has three wins against top 10 teams in the RPI.
• The Blue Devils are 12-2 at home this season with both losses coming against ACC teams. Duke has not lost more than two games on Coach K Court since the 2006-07 season.
• With Thursday’s win at Florida State, Duke has assumed first place in the ACC standings.
• Duke has been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll for 90 straight weeks, the third-longest streak in NCAA history.
• The Blue Devils are 13-3 on the year in games decided by 10 points or less. The Blue Devils have six wins in ACC play by less than 10 points. Duke’s 13 wins by 10 points or less are tied for the sixth most in school history.
• Duke averages 25.5 points per game off the bench with 11 games with 30 or more bench points. The Blue Devils have had a double-digit scorer off the bench in 21 of 28 games this season.
• Only four Duke teams have won their first seven ACC road games. The Blue Devils are 7-0 in ACC road games, joining the 2005-06, 1999-2000 and 1998-99 teams as the only groups to win their first seven ACC road contests. Duke has not gone undefeated in ACC road games since 1999-2000.
• Duke has hit at least eight three-pointers in seven straight games. During that streak, the Blue Devils are shooting 37.8 percent from three-point range while averaging 30.4 ppg. from three-pointers.
Duke Player Statistics
• Andre Dawkins leads the ACC with a .422 three-point shooting percentage. Dawkins is 65-of-154 from beyond the arc this season and ranks third in made three-pointers.
• Austin Rivers leads Duke in scoring at 15.2 points per game and has reached double figures in 24 contests. He is attempting to become just the third Duke freshman to lead the team in scoring.
• Miles Plumlee is averaging 9.0 points and 11.5 rebounds over his last four games. He has two double-figure rebounding games and two double-figure scoring games during that span, including a Coach K-era record 22 boards against Maryland.
• Seth Curry has made 16 consecutive free throws and 35 of his last 38 free throw attempts. He ranks second in the ACC with an .884 free throw percentage, which would rank as the seventh highest single-season mark in school history.
• Duke has had at least four double-figure scorers in 16 games this season. The Blue Devils are 15-1 when at least four players score 10 points.
• Seven Duke players have started at least 10 games this season, tying the school record. Duke last had seven players with at least 10 starts in 2008-09.
• In the first meeting this season, Austin Rivers led Duke with a game-high of 18 points as Duke prevailed in Blacksburg, 75-60.
Project defensive scoresheet: Duke 75 – BC 50
By Tommy D — So which team was it that was going to show up this time? Was it going to be the squad that has registered scintillating victories over four of the top 11 teams in this week’s national polls, none of which were played at Cameron? Or the team that was beaten on its own sacred floor by two football schools within a few weeks of each other? The team that fell behind by 20 on that same floor against NC State a few nights earlier, or the team that stormed back to snatch away the key ACC win as the field reached the top of the stretch? Would it be BC’s turn to perplex, aggravate, confuse, and frustrate the Duke faithful, raising sphygmomanometer readings across Blue Devil Nation (God, I hate that term)? Uh, no.
So yes, the overall DRating for the team is excellent. Best since I’ve been charting. And everyone, with the surprising exception of Miles Plumlee, had an outstanding DRating as well. Miles’s number would normally lead the team, but not today. I didn’t think BC’s bigs looked like much, to be honest, but they got a number of shots against Miles to go, so his numbers got hurt. So did Miles himself. Did you see that strange rounded thick scratch he got around his eye when he got raked in the first few minutes? Looked kinda like the Tyson tattoo, didn’t it?
It was nice to see Andre Dawkins participate in the strong defensive numbers. Even better than that, though, he was paying attention the whole time, consequently giving up only one basket, and he was aggressive. Loved his five defensive boards.
Duke gets revenge in Tallahasse beating FSU 74 – 66
This game had been circled on the calendar since January 21st, when Florida State came in to Cameron Indoor Stadium and stopped Duke’s home winning streak at 45 games with a last second shot by Michael Snaer. The Blue Devils traveled down to Tallahassee and took care of the Seminoles by 8 points, although the game was only that close for short periods of time.
Thriving off of 22 points from Andre Dawkins on 6-9 3-Point shooting, Duke punished the Seminoles from beyond the arc, knocking down 13-28 for over half of their points. Those 28 three-pointers were 4 more than their 24 2-point field goals, marking only the third time Duke has shot more threes than twos this year. The other games were against UNC and Michigan State, both big wins away from home. The Blue Devils coaching staff has done an excellent job this season, and it’s clear the team game plans to shoot more threes against teams whose strength is their big guys.
Looking at the Four Factors, Duke won three of four, only losing in the offensive rebounding percentage category. However, since they were shooting so well, that didn’t impact the outcome of the game as much as it would have otherwise. This was a truly impressive offensive performance by Duke’s perimeter against a very good defensive Florida State team. Read more
