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

Posted On: January 2, 2011 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Duke opened up the 2011 ACC Conference season with a 74-63 victory over the visiting Miami Hurricanes on Sunday night. Things didn’t look good from the start as the Blue Devils were cold on the offensive end and were picking up fouls left and right on the defensive end.

Things quickly turned around however when Senior guard Nolan Smith was called for an offensive foul at mid-court that he did not think should have been a foul. Nolan showed some emotion after the whistle but calmed down quickly and then got hot from beyond the arc as he scored the teams next 13 points. Smith finished with a team high 28 points and stepped up big when the team needed him the most.

Smith got helped out by Andre Dawkins who scored 16 points and Kyle Singler who chipped in with 14 of his own. It wasn’t a hot shooting night for the Blue Devils but they did enough to secure the victory while the defense picked up the rest.

Duke got pretty lucky that Hurricane player Reggie Johnson was in foul trouble most of the game. Johnson played great with the ball as he led Miami with 22 points. Had the Canes been knocking down their three point shots (1 of 10) this game could have been much different.

It wasn’t pretty but I’ll take a conference win any way they will come by. This just assures the team that they need to come out and play with high intensity and emotion no matter who the opposing team is. Look for a better effort on Wednesday as the Blue Devils face off against UAB.

- Cliff @justdukecom on Twitter

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: December 29, 2010 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Coach Krzyzewski moved into 2nd place on the all-time win column as Duke rolled to a 108-62 victory over North Carolina-Greensboro. Seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler made sure that the Blue Devils would have no problem getting the win for Coach K as they tallied 26 and 27 points.

Some fans thought that Duke would come out flat after having the past eight games off from games but that was not the case. Smith and company came out of the opening tip-off and dominated the game from the very beginning.

It was the Smith and Singler show but Miles Plumlee had three thunderous dunks and Andrew Dawkins had a nice thrown down as well.

Hell of a game for the Blue Devils as they came out and dominated just like they should in a game like this. Up next will be a game with Miami on Jan 2nd.

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: December 1, 2010 By: Cliff Comments: (1)

Kyrie Irving stole the show Wednesday night and showed people why he could end up being the number one pick in the 2011 draft as the Freshman point guard led Duke to a 84-79 win over Michigan State. The two teams were playing in the ACC/Big10 Challenge which the Big10 won but it sure lost this biggest game of the challenge. Duke improved to 11-1 all-time in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games, including 3-0 against Michigan St.

Irving was the main man has he led the Blue Devil attack with 31 points. He became the fourth Duke freshman to score 30 points and the first since J.J. Redick in 2003. I love the fact that Irving isn’t scared to drive to the basket and get fouled. He knocked down 13 of 16 free throws in the game. Dude can shoot it from beyond the arc, down low and from the free throw line.

Irving wasn’t the only Duke player scoring in double figures as Nolan Smith chipped in with 17 and fellow Senior Kyle Singler added 15.

It was a fun night as I watched the game and tweeted throughout the entire game. We added some new followers and followed a few new Duke fans as well. It’s always great to communicate as the game goes along with other Duke fans. Make sure to add @justdukecom if you are on Twitter!

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes

Posted On: November 16, 2010 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Duke had no problem against Miami of Ohio Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was the Blue Devils second game of the young season but it was a game they could have probably not played Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler as the younger guys had no problem scoring points and playing defense as the Blue Devils won 79-45. This team really excites me as you have Seth Curry dropping three balls and Kyrie Iriving pushing the ball up and down the court setting up players when he isn’t taking the ball all the way to the basket. It’s going to be a great year Duke fans!

Curry led the team with 17 points as he showed off his sweet stroke all game long. I love the fact that Seth comes in off the bench to give Nolan a breather at the two spot. The combination of Smith and Curry is a lethal combination.

One player that also stood out last night was Ryan Kelly who got the start at the center position over Miles Plumlee. Kelly grabbed some big rebounds and even knocked down an open three in the game.

Mason Plumlee added a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

As you can see, this Duke team can basically play ten deep and where out teams just like they did against Miami. I see this team pulling away late in games due to the depth and lock down defense that they have showed in both games thus year.

Buckle in for an exciting season Duke fans. It’s going to be a lot of fun as the guys try to make it back-to-back championships! Follow us all year long on Twitter as well @justdukecom

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Game Notes