Posted On: January 6, 2007 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Despite 22 points from DeMarcus Nelson, Virginia Tech defeated fifth-ranked Duke in overtime by a 69-67 score on Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  The Blue Devils fall to 13-2 overall and 0-1 in ACC action on the year.

I wasn’t ablt to watch as much of the game as I had hoped but it clearly looks that tournovers hurt the Dukies once again.  First half was terrible for McRoberts and Paulus.  I say you put Josh down on the low block, allow him to work a defender and attack the basket.  That is how he gets most of his points and he needs to do that 10 more times a game.  He needs to step up and be the leader for this team.  Paulus on the other hand needs to calm down and play a slower paced game, he had three good games before this one but once again he failed to lead and control this team and it showed in the lose.

Nelson was a bright spot, but was also caught up in foul trouble.  He needs to understand that he has to be on the floor to help the team win and picking up fouls early in the game really hurts the team.  Play under control, and know you have to be out there for the entire second half.

Duke fans better be ready for some more loses in ACC play for this Duke team.  It’s going to take more time for this group to gel together.  Maybe just maybe, they can make a sweet 16 run in the Big Dance.  That would be a great accomplishment for this Duke Team.

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: January 6, 2007 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

The Dukies are ready to get started in their quest for another ACC Championship and it begins today against Virgina Tech.  Duke played Virginia Tech in its ACC opener in 2005-06 and was on the brink of losing before Sean Dockery made a 40-foot heave at the buzzer to give the Blue Devils a stunning 77-75 victory.

The Blue Devils are 20-6 in league openers under Krzyzewski and 39-14 all-time. They are 73-7 at home in the ACC over the last 10 seasons and haven’t lost more than two conference games at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1995-96.

Look for an exciting game today, as tipoff is in just under two hours.  I expect it to be a pretty close game with Duke winning by 5-7 points.

Looking for Duke Tickets? Then you have got to check out StubHub!

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: January 3, 2007 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Josh McRoberts scored a career high 21 points last night to lead the Blue Devils past Temple 73-55.  McRoberts also had nine rebounds, four assists, and four blocked shots.

The Blue Devils closed the first half with an 18-4 run, turning a 24-17 deficit into a 35-28 lead at intermission. Midway through the second stanza, Temple cut the lead to eight at 47-39, but DeMarcus Nelson scored six points and McRoberts buried a three-pointer in a 9-2 Duke spurt that pushed the advantage to 15 at 56-41 with 9:08 left. Temple would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Duke will now open up their ACC Conference schedule when they play Virgina Tech on Saturday.  Tip off is set for noon eastern time.

If you are looking for ACC conference tickets, you have got to check out StubHub.  StubHub offers tickets from other fans and it is 100% guranteed unlike some of the ripoff artists that sell fake tickets on ebay.  Trust me when I say StubHub is the best for ACC Tickets!

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: January 2, 2007 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Long before Gerald Henderson arrived in Durham to play basketball, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told Henderson he thought he could be one of the best Duke players ever.That’s qualifies as marquee billing, high praise, and great expectations coming from a guy who coached Grant Hill, Elton Brand, and J.J. Redick.

But that potentially stellar career is just now gaining traction. With the fifth-ranked Blue Devils recently going to a four-guard lineup, Henderson has started the past two games.

Henderson, a freshman who is averaging 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds, likely will start his third straight game and his sixth this season when Duke plays Temple at Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight at 7.

“He’s done a good job,” Krzyzewski said of the Pennsylvania native who grew up attending John Chaney’s basketball camps at Temple. “He’s a kid that did not have a preseason. There’s a certain amount of toughness, conditioning and skillwork you get from the last week of August to the middle of October.”

Henderson wasn’t healthy this summer. He started practice in October still nursing nagging hip and ankle injuries. When the season began, Henderson said he was about “80 to 85 percent” healthy.

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Category: Duke Basketball