Posted On: March 8, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (2)

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the site as I’ve been very busy with work, the little kid and trying to get things done around the house. Just haven’t had time to update the blog but have still watched the games of course. Nice win on Senior night for the three Seniors but then a lackadaisical game on Saturday against North Carolina. It’s always tough to play at the Dean Dome but it was kind of embarrassing watching the guys play that game and be down by 10 points for pretty much the entire game.

North Carolina may have won the regular season ACC crown, but the tournament is a whole another ball game. Things get started today and Duke will play the winner of the NC State vs Maryland game. I expect Maryland to come away with a victory over NC State and then face Duke on Thursday. We may just see another Duke vs Carolina rematch in the tournament which will settle the 1-1 series tie for this season.

I’m really looking forward towards the tournament and will try keeping up with it as much as I can here at work and then at home in the evenings. Expect to see some upsets but they won’t be as “big” of ones as the conference is down this season. Should be an interesting tournament and hopefully the Blue Devils can get back on track and win the tournament crown and head to the NCAA Tournament on a high note.

- Cliff @justdukecom

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: February 23, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (3)

Senior forward Kyle Singler had struggled the previous five games but he sure came out of the slump Wednesday night against Temple. Singler took the ball to the basket early in the game and got to the free throw line to get things going. When the final buzzer sounded, Kyle finished with a team high 28 points and six rebounds and Duke beat Temple 78-61.

Nolan Smith didn’t score over 25 but added 15 points and six rebounds to go along with four assists. It wasn’t Nolan’s average game but Kyle was there to pick things up on offense. That’s exactly what the team needs when Nolan isn’t shooting the ball to well.

I’d still like to see the Plumlee brothers be able to score from down low on the block. Throwing up a wild hook shot or traveling every other play does nothing. Control those feet and let’s see some moves from the brothers.

Up next is a road game Saturday night against Virginia Tech. Expect this to be a tough game and a loud crowd up at Va Tech. Game time is set for 9 pm so it’s a late one for everyone on the East coast.

- Cliff @justdukecom

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: February 16, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (1)

Once again the Duke Blue Devils started off an ACC game playing sloppy on the offensive end and once again it was the defense that pulled through to get the victory. I’m not sure what’s going on with the slow starts but something needs to change soon because one of these times the opposing team is going to shoot the ball well and we will be looking at another Blue Devil loss.

On Wednesday night, the guys struggled early on as they visited the Virginia Cavaliers. Without Senior guard Nolan Smith, this probably would have been a loss but Smith stepped up and had 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead the fifth-ranked Blue Devils to a 56-41 victory. It was the lowest scoring game for Duke all season long and Kyle Singler struggled once again. Singler finished with just two points.

Virginia often used a f our guard setup as they don’t have very many big guys. Luckily for Duke, Virginia shot just 3 of 12 from behind the arc or this would have been a different game.

A win is a win and especially on the road but Coack K and the guys need to come out and play better. Hopefully in the next game they will come out running and knocking down some early shots to get some confidence. Especially Mr. Singler because he is going to have to step up if the guys plan on making a deep run in the tournament.

- Cliff @justdukecom

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: February 9, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

It was another classic Duke / North Carolina showdown Wednesday night in Durham as Duke rallied to beat Carolina 9-73 in front of a jam packed Cameron Indoor Stadium. Things went bad for the Blue Devils right from the opening tip off as the Tar Heels pretty much made every basket and grabbed every rebound as they jumped out to a double digit lead. UNC would dominate the first half and take a 43-29 lead in to the locker room but that is where things turned around for Duke.

I don’t know what was said at halftime but I’m sure it had something to do with getting a rebound and driving to the basket rather than jacking up quick three point shots. The Blue Devils came out on fire in the second half and quickly cut that Tar Hell lead in half behind great defense, rebounding and getting the ball inside with Kyle Singler.

It was around the eight minute mark when Duke finally took the lead behind Seth Curry who caught “NBA JAM ON FIRE MODE” and scored seven points in one minute. It was like Seth was out there shooting like his older brother for a while. Curry finished the game with a season high 22 points but he was not the player of the game for Duke.

Senior Nolan Smith who said this game was the biggest of his career dropped down a career high 34 points. Twenty two of his points came in the second half but it was the first half where he kept the Blue Devils in the game. Without Nolan knocking down shots in the first half, Duke would have been looking at a 20 point deficit going in to the locker room. Nolan knew he had to do something early when the team was struggling and that is when the Senior stepped up big time.

With the win, Duke extended its home win streak to 33 games, the longest active home win streak in the nation. The Blue Devils are 62-2 at home since the start of the 2007-08 season, with the only two losses coming to North Carolina.

- Cliff @justdukecom

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: February 2, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (3)

Some people thought that Duke would have problems on the road against Maryland but for the most part, they pretty much dominated this game on the scoreboard. They might not have dominated down low, but they dominated where it matters which is on the scoreboard. The 80-62 final score showed just that.

I wasn’t able to watch the first half of the game, but watched the second half and Kyle Singler looked great. At one point, he scored eight or nine points in a row coming off screens and knocking down the open shot. Kyle is really showing his mid range game and coming up big. I laugh at people in the media that say he is having a down year. Please…

Nolan Smith once again showed why he is a potential player of the year as he scored 21 points and led the team at the point guard position.

The one problem that the Blue Devils had was stopping Jordan Williams who finished with 20 points and ten rebounds for the terps. He is a big load down load and seemed to either make the basket or get fouled every time he touched the ball.

Facing a guy like Williams in the tournament could cause problems for Duke if that team has other guys that score from beyond the arc and knock down open shots. It’s something to really pay attention to once the brackets come out after the ACC tournament.

That’s pretty much it. Short recap as I get ready to board a plane and get out of this -40 degree weather. Time to head to Las Vegas and warm up during Super Bowl weekend!

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: January 28, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Seth Curry returned to the starting lineup for the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night and the results were successful. The Blue Devils took care of business against the visiting Boston College Eagles with an easy 84-68 victory.Online betting cappers saw Curry be reinserted into the starting lineup for the first time since they were upset against Florida State and he finished with 20 on six-of-nine shooting while playing a total of 33 minutes.

The Blue Devils were never really challenged as they were up by nine at halftime and clearly extended that lead in the second half. The game was billed as a matchup of the ACC’s top two leading scorers but only one of them came to play. Boston College’s Reggie Jackson, who is second in the ACC in scoring right behind Nolan Smith, was shut down for all intents and purposes while Smith finished with a game-high 28. Jackson was clearly the focal point of the Blue Devils defense and they didn’t let him have many clean looks. He finished with just seven points on three-of-11 shooting in 32 minutes of action. His seven points was roughly 13 points off his per game average this season.

While Smith led the way on the scoreboard, Curry was clearly the star of the night. The 20 points scored by Curry represented the most he’s tallied as a Blue Devil and he hit a season-high five three-pointers. Smith’s night wasn’t too shabby either. Along with his 28 points, he dished out eight assists and is still aiming to become the first player in ACC history to lead the conference in both categories.

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: January 19, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

I wasn’t able to put my full attention to the game last night as our daughter is the hospital but I was able to watch most of the first half and parts of the second half. I came away pretty impressed with how the Blue Devils shot the ball, but there is still plenty of work that needs to be done especially on the defensive side in my opinion.

I love the fact that Nolan Smith has stepped up so much since Kyrie Irving went down with the toe injury. You can tell that Nolan has a ton of confidence right now and he pretty much has the green light to shoot whenever he has the ball. Once again Smith led the Blue Devils in scoring with 22 points.

Fellow Senior, Kyle Singler continues to score buckets right behind Nolan as he chipped in with 18 of his own. Singler moved into seventh on Duke’s all-time scoring list with 2,086. He’s 50 points behind Mike Alarie.

Finally, the Plumlee brothers and Ryan Kelly stepped up down low. They grabbed the boards, they blocked shots, and they made the baskets that they should make on a consistent basis. With the guards shooting the ball like they are, the big guys need to play well down low to give the opposing defenders fits just like they did at NC State.

Overall it was a good win for the Duke as they moved to 4-1 in the conference. Anytime you can pick up a road win in the conference it is huge. Up next is an afternoon game on Saturday against Wake Forest. The Deamon Deacons are down this year, so I expect Duke to put up 80+ points and win by 12-15.

Cliff – @justduke.com

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: January 12, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Playing in Tallahassee  is no easy chore for the Duke Blue Devils. Once again the Seminoles knocked off Duke on their home court to give the Blue Devils their first loss of the season. The 66-61 setback dropped Duke’s record to 15-1 on the year and 2-1 in the conference. Sure wasn’t the way Coack K and the team wanted to perform in their “true” road game where they would have to deal with an opposing student section and home crowd.

If you want to pin point one thing why the team lost, you can look at the three point shooting. 11 of 35 shooting from beyond the arc will not cut it. 35 attempts is way to many when you are playing on the road in my opinion. Overall the Blue Devils shot just 31% on 19-61 shots.

So what do you do when you aren’t scoring from three point land? Drive to the basket and get some buckets from your guys down low. Duke does not have that presence as right now the Plumlee brothers aren’t stepping up and are in more foul trouble than anything. Ryan Kelly really doesn’t play down low or have post up moves so I don’t see him being an option.

A loss early in conference play isn’t the worst thing. It will give Coack K and the guys something to learn from and know that they need to bring it every time they take the court. I would expect some hard practices and for the Plumlee brothers to take the initiative and start playing better down low.

Up next will be a game against Virginia on Saturday afternoon. Look for Coach K to have the guys fired up and for the Blue Devils to get back on track.

Cliff – @justdukecom

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes