Taylor King netted 27 points to lead powerful Mater Dei to the Championship game of the Palms tournament in Florida.  He had four three pointers and three dunks and the tournament favorite advanced.

The sharpshooter let the Florida crowds know that he had a great three point shot.

Greg Monroe did one of his first interviews with the Blue Devil Nation at the Peach Jam Festival and claimed then, that he puts his team first.

Greg scored 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and had 7 blocked shots as his team advanced to the title game.

"He had three consecutive blocks in one series of plays," said a source.  The local beat writer went on, "Greg has been the most watched player in the Palms classic, but he defers to his teammates too much."  "If they are to beat Mater Dei, his coach will have to make sure he gets more touches."

Two plays that stood out for Monroe were the aforementioned three blocked shots on one defensive possession, grabbed the ball and then raced down the court and dished off a pass for an assist.

Greg can go with either hand on the court and is a wiry, talented, near 4.0 student.  His versatility was quite evident when I saw him play.  He is a rare breed that has developed skills both inside and out at a very early age.  He is soft spoken and quite simply very polite, possibly due to his upbringing where his Mom keeps him in check.

For the very latest on recruiting, give the gift of information for Christmas, by joining the Blue Devil Nation Premium Newsletter.  You can do so under the menu to your left.  Do not miss upcoming interviews with Patrick Patterson and Drew Gordon and updates on who Duke is really looking at to help them in the future.  Accuracy and speculation await you as seasoned views give you the inside track on what is going on in Duke Athletics.

Madison Square Garden has been the locale for many heavyweight fights, and tonight, two basketball powers, Duke and Gonzaga lock gloves in a game that promises the shed many answers for the successful programs.

Duke struggled with Kent State, perhaps due to exams or their lack of communication on defense, but mainly due to their susceptibility with teams that have a good back court or three guards in the starting five.

Coach K faces a tough challenge in preparing his team for it's second game in three days, against a Gonzaga team that handled UNC in Madison Square Garden.

While Greg Paulus played his best game of the season versus the Golden Flashes, it'll take an even greater effort by him and fellow back court mate Jon Scheyer to neutralize the potent Zag attack.

The Zags are led by Derek Raivio, a tough as nails senior guard that averages 20 ppg.  Then there is freshman Matt Bouldin and Jeremy Parvo, a Chicago native like Scheyer.

Even if Duke finds a way to slow down the talented three, the Zags front court poses major threats, namely Josh Heyvett, who played the UNC front line like a Tiger in their win.

Some may say, hey, the Zags are 9-3, but they have played as tough a slate as they come.  They have wins over #2 UNC, a thrashing of top ten team Washington and they handled ranked Texas easily.

Freshman Jon Scheyer will play against another former Chicago area HS star in Parvo.

Now lets look at the Gonzaga losses to underrated Washington State, giant killer and top ten team, Butler and Georgia.  The Bulldogs loss was shocking, but it was on the road and the Dogs are 8-1.  For that matter the combined records of the three teams they lost to are 29-3.

So what we have here is a solid team that is battle tested and much better than its #22 ranking.

Another interesting fact is that the Zags haven't lost back to back games since the 2002 season and to prove they are no longer flying under the radar, one only has to look at their eight straight NCAA appearances.

Lets take it a step further with another mind blowing stat.  Gonzaga is 8-1 all time versus the mighty ACC.

Henderson needs to let the game come to him.

Duke will have to find some production from the freshman to compete.  Gerald Henderson, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek were all no shows in the last outing and you can throw Marty Pocius in there too. At least one of the aforementioned needs to lift thier game a notch in this contest.

McRoberts is sure to be tested in this game and needs to finish with authority near the basket.  DeMarcus Nelson will have to be on his game, as he will likely draw Raivio defensively.  IOW, our guys will have to play together and this game will surely test their resolve.

Breakdown -

Gonzaga Off vs. Duke Def	Duke Off vs. Gonzaga Def
81.7 Pts F 53.5 Pts A 49.9 FG% 38.3 FG% 35.5 Reb. 25.7 Reb.	69.2 Pts F 68.7 Pts A 47.8 FG% 39.5 FG% 25.7 Reb. 29.2 Reb.

I am hoping the NYC area crowd will keep the Blue Devils pumped up, because in my opinion, Gonzaga is the best team we've played this season and that includes Marquette.  It will take a team effort, as the Zags can go to their bench, but if our leaders, Captains McRoberts, Paulus and Nelson have a big game, I feel we will slip by.  The key will be shuting down Raivio and hitting the boards hard against a great rebounding club.  The game should live up to its billing.

The Pick is - Duke 68 Gonzaga 67

There are several books out on the market, but a Duke Basketball fan is sure to want one of these books in their Christmas stocking.  We have included order information on each, and recommend them all, not because I know the authors, but because they know their subject matter.

Encyclopedia of Duke Basketball by John Roth

You get a lot of bang for the buck in this concise reference guide on Duke Basketball.  It is information overload in the best sense.  John Roth has a winner here.  Click here for an excellent review on this book.  I am enamored with this book and think it should be in every Duke fanatics library.

Tales From The Blue Devil Hardwood by Jim Sumner

In this college basketball series, Jim Sumner recounts the history of Duke Basketball in a variety of informative snippets.  I am currently reading his book on Carolina League (Minor League) History.

100 Seasons of Duke Basketball by Bill Brill

Bill is the Grandfather of Duke Basketball, having written the first book on the Blue Devils history.

Tobacco Road by Al Featherston

Al visits the Big Four past, bringing back the glorious memories of the original ACC, as well as more recent memories.