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Duke picks up a few more wins

Cliff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:54:26 +0000

I finally got some spare time and updated the ACC, AP and ESPN/USA standings that are posted over on the right side of the blog. Duke comes in at #7 in the AP poll and #5 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Not a bad place to sit in the middle of conference play.

The guys were able to pick up wins over Maryland and St. Johns in the last week. The victory over the Terrapins was very good because it came on the road and in a venue where we have seen the Blue Devils struggle in. The home game against St. Johns could have turned out the same except St. Johns had a strong second half and only lost by seven points. Had Duke locked down on defense in the second half, both wins would have been great. However we really can’t complain picking up back to back wins at this point in the season.

Next game will be Feb 2nd at Virginia Tech. Let’s keep up the momentum and pick up another ACC conference win!

@justdukecom

Why Duke has been struggling

Cliff — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:32:20 +0000

So the guys haven’t been playing well as of late. Close calls in conference games isn’t new but the way things are happening is new. The one thing that is really standing out to me is the lack of defensive play. Guys are not getting back, not communicating and thus playing like crap on the defensive end of the court. opposing teams with quick guards have been able to get into the lane either knock down shots or dish it off to their teammates for layups. Time to lock down on the defensive end guys.

One other thing we have noticed as fans is lack of a true leader out on the court. There isn’t that Jon Scheyer or Nolan Smith. Someone the guys can really look up too. The team is so young that mistakes will happen but you are in conference play now so it’s time to cut back on those mistakes and not get in such a hurry. Let the game come to you and good things will happen.

Tonight, Duke is favored by 23 points over visiting Wake Forest. Time for the guys to lock down on defense and let the game come to them on offense. Settle down, knock down the open shots and pick up another conference win!

@JustDukeCom

Not a good night for Duke

Cliff — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:58:31 +0000

It wasn’t a good night for the guys last night in Philadelphia. Playing in front of a large crowd at the Wells Fargo Arena, Duke had a very poor defensive performance and lost to an unrated Temple team 78-73. Duke had beaten Temple the last nine times but on Wednesday night it was a very different Duke team out there. You just don’t see them get beat over and over on the defensive end of the court. I have a feeling today’s practice / film session is not going to be a fun one.

The offense was fueled by the Plumlee brothers as Miles scored 17 and Mason chipped in with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Austin Rivers also finished with 12 points.

I do have to say that Austin needs to slow down a little bit and not get in a hurry to attack the basket so much. He gets close to the big guys and can’t finish over the taller players. That’s one difference he will have to learn at the college level.

Where was Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins?

ACC Conference play will start up Jan 7th against Georgia Tech on the road. I have a feeling Coack K will have the guys ready to go and we will see the guys back playing “Duke Basketball”

Cliff – @JustDukeCom

Maui Invitational Winners and First Loss of the Season

Cliff — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:12:02 +0000

Wow, where does time go? With the Thanksgiving Holiday and be being out of town for four days I wasn’t able to watch the Maui Invitational as much as I would have liked. Watching games at a bar is no where near as fun when you try to really get into the game and keep track of what is going on. It was great to see Duke stay undefeated in the tournament as they beat a fiesty Kansas squad in the finals.

On to Tuesday night when Duke suffered their first loss of the season when they traveled to Columbus, OH to take on Ohio State. With Lebron James, DeWayne Wade and a lot of former Buckeye players on hand, the Buckeyes cruised to a 85-63 victory over the Blue Devils. It was pretty ugly early on as Ohio State jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead and never looked back. You could tell that Coach K wanted to pound the ball down low with the Plumlee brothers and hopefully pick up fouls on Jared Sullinger but that didn’t work at all.

The one bright spot was freshman Austin Rivers who led Duke with 22 points. Rivers still had some forced turnovers as he attempted to drive the lane but I like the way he plays aggressive and gets to the foul line.

The guys could use some much needed rest. That game was their eighth in 18 days and that included the long trip to Hawaii and back. The team will play again on Dec 7th when Colorado State visits Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Coach K gets win #903

Cliff — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:26:19 +0000

Congratulations to Coach Krzyzewski as he picked up his 903rd win in NCAA basketball and passed up his mentor Bob Knight with the most wins in NCAA basketball history! With the Blue Devils coming into the game 2-0 and playing in “Cameron North” also known as Madison Square Garden, ex players and friends/family attended to watch Duke beat Michigan State 74-69. It was a great win for the team and one that Coach K wasn’t sure if they would pull out while he thought things over at half time.

The Blue Devils led 34-33 at half after playing a very sloppy first half. Turnovers and Spartan offensive rebounds really had everyone thinking “What the heck is going on?”. It was a good thing that Andre Dawkins was hot from beyond the arc in the first half or Duke would have found themselves down by 7-8 points. Dawkins finished with 26 points with 18 of those points coming from three point land.

Seth Curry had great game overall as well as he poured in 20 points, grabbed 7 boards and also dished out four assists.

I really thought Mason Plumlee and Austin Rivers rushed things when they had the ball in their hands. I love the fact that Rivers tries to attack the basket, but he will have to learn when to pull up and take a mid range jumper or pass the ball off before getting close to the big guys. It will come with the youngster I have no doubts about that.

Overall Duke should have probably won this game by 8-10 points which they led by most of the second half but some bone headed plays in the final few minutes made the game appear closer than it really was. Gotta play the full 40 minutes which I’m sure Coach K and his assistants will stress this week during practice.

Up next for the Blue Devils will be a game on Friday against Davidson. Tip-off is set for 6 pm EST.

John who writes here on the blog was able to travel to New York City for the game last night and met a lot of former Duke players and watched history happen. I’m glad John had a great time. He has been posting pictures etc of his trip on twitter so make sure you follow us both. @JohnnyDukes32 and @JustDukeCom

Irving, Smith and Singler picked in NBA Draft

Cliff — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:47:33 +0000

Duke was well represented in the 2011 NBA Draft Thursday night. Kyrie Irving was the number one overall pick in the draft and will be playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Senior guard Nolan Smith was the next Blue Devil to get picked as the Portland Trail Blazers selected him with the 21st pick in the first round. The third player to be selected was Senior forward Kyle Singler will be playing up in Detroit with the Pistons. Singler was picked 33rd overall and taken in the second round.

Irving was the first Blue Devil to be selected first overall since Elton Brand was selected number one in 1999.

Singler did slip a little bit from most draft selections that I had read. Irving and Smith went pretty much where people thought that they would. Congrats to all three players!

Jeff Capel returning to Duke

Cliff — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:18:47 +0000

Coack K announced on Sunday that former Duke player Jeff Capel would be returning to Duke University. Capel will take over one of the assistant coach positions as Nate James moves into a special assistant role. Capel was most recently let go at Oklahoma where he compiled a 96-69 record with the Sooners. He helped recruit Blake Griffin and that’s when most of his wins came from while in Norman.

Capel was once the youngest D1 head coach in the nation when he made his first stop with VCU in 2002.

When Capel had a Duke uniform on as a player, he scored 1,601 points, 433 assists and 220 three-point field goals in his career. Most fans remember his half court shot against North Carolina that forced over time in 1995.

Thoughts from Coach K:

“We are excited to have Jeff joining our staff,” said Krzyzewski. “He is an outstanding coach and will be a great fit in our program. Jeff has been a highly successful head coach at the Division I level and he will continue that here at Duke. Adding a coach of his caliber will make everyone in our program better.”

Welcome back Coach Capel!

Kyrie Irving headed to the NBA

Cliff — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:26:38 +0000

It’s a one and done for Kyrie Irving and the Duke Blue Devils. Irving announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving Duke and entering the NBA draft. He will also hire an agent so any second thoughts him coming back our out the window. We hardly got to see Kyrie play due to the toe injury but the third of the season that we got to see him he averaged 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Pretty damn good numbers for a true freshman.

I know quite a few Duke fans are mad abot Kyrie’s decision but how can we be mad? Kyrie looked the ultimate teammate out there, gave it his all and it was a pleasure to watch him even if it was just for a short while. He is sure to be a top five draft pick and command multi millions in guaranteed money. Coack K knew when he recruited Kyrie that there was a good chance he would be a one and done player and most fans knew that as well.

Instead of being disappointed, give your praise to the guy for putting on the Duke uniform. I’d like to say thanks to Kyrie, and wish him the best in the NBA.

- Cliff @justdukecom

No Repeat for Duke

Cliff — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:38:54 +0000

Well this isn’t the way that everyone thought the season would end. Not the players, coaches or us fans. Arizona pulled off the upset win 93-77 behind a spectacular performance by Derrick Williams. Williams carried the Wildcats in the first half with 25 points and then it was his teammates who stepped up in the second half when they pretty much knocked out the Blue Devils with their 19-2 run that Duke had no answer for.

Gotta feel bad for Nolan and Kyle as they didn’t want their Duke careers to end like this. Kyle played well as he found his shooting touch but Nolan never really got into rhythm like we have seen him do this season. I’d have to say that it was Nolan’s worst game this season.

One bright spot was Kyrie Irving who finished with 28 points. Irving played a great game but now the question is “Was it his last in a Duke uniform?” Kryie said after the game that he would have to sit down with the coaching staff and his family and would then make his decision but could definitely see himself wearing a Duke uniform again.

Overall I was upset with the loss but not pissed off like a lot of times I am with losses. Arizona flat out outplayed Duke in the second half and Duke did not have an answer. Zona seemed to making everything they shot and forced Duke into bad turnovers. It just wasn’t Duke’s night.

- Cliff @justdukecom

Onto the Sweet 16 for Duke

Cliff — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:14:21 +0000

It’s been a few days since Duke defeated Michigan 73-71 and I can honestly say that my heart is finally done trying to jump out of my chest. They always say “Survive and Advance” and that was surely the case on Sunday for the Blue Devils. A last second wide open shot by Michigan missed and Duke “survived” an upset bid by the Wolverine and moved on to the Sweet 16 out in Anaheim.

Some quick thoughts on the game against Michigan. Duke does not win this game if Nolan Smith does not score 10 straight points in the second half. He basically lifted the team on his shoulders for two minutes and completely took over the game by knocking down wide open shots and sending Tim Hardaway Jr. to his butt on a nasty cross over. Without that 10 point swing, I really believe Duke’s season would be over.

I never ever want to see that 1-3-1 defense again. At least not until Duke has some big guys that can pass the ball without giving it away to the opposing team. There was a reason you didn’t see the Plumlee’s in the game as much in the second half…

Also, can we please not go to the stall game being up so early? I know the thought behind it, but when you are not scoring and being rushed to force up a shot with under five seconds left it’s not the correct move in my opinion.

Ok, so enough about the Michigan game. It’s time to start looking ahead at the Arizona match up on Thursday night out in Anaheim. It’s the late game but the team arrive out on the West Coach Tuesday so hopefully they will have time to adjust to the time change. Earlier Coach K actually told his team to try and stay up later so they can get accustomed to the late game. Expect to see a big Pac10 / West Coast fan base for the games with Arizona and San Diego State both still playing.

Duke is currently favored by 8-9 points depending where you look. That spread is right where the Michigan game was on Sunday so I’m not sure how to take that. Arizona brings a 29-7 record into the game. One thing is for sure, if Duke wants to advance they are going to have to slow down Derick Williams who is average 19 points and eight boards a game. This is going to be a tough match up for Duke I think and I really hope that Kyle Singler has the ability to shut Williams down without getting into foul trouble.

It’s Sweet 16 time and I cannot wait for Thursday night. I think the guys pull out a win and move onto the Great 8.