Mark's take -  The Wolfpack got a much needed win versus Florida State and hope to carry that momentum into the Duke game.  It's no secret that the Pack has plenty of weapons inside where they have an abundance of depth.  Their achilles thus far has been the perimeter, but they have got some adequate play of late.  The player Duke must watch out for is Senior, Gavin Grant.  He makes the Pack tick and if he's on, they can be formidable.

The Blue Devils refused to look ahead despite some in the media trying there best to get them too.  If the Blue Devils are hitting from the outside, they'll be tough to beat.  It will be important for the Dukies to run at will in order to offset their height disadvantage.  Hopefully, the students wearing "green" in a show of activism will not effect the homecourt edge.  While I have seen a lot of activism since the sixties, I am torn on whether disrupting the wearing of royal blue is the way to get a point across.  Part of me thinks it is an the expense of the home team and they are cheated out of being the center of attention.  On the other hand, I am big on freedom of speech.  Still, I'd rather see Cameron blue.

Duke will focus on the task at hand.  Duke 86 NC State 71

Bob's take - from a statistical perspective, State is having a terrible season. The ACC tracks 17 categories and State is dead last in six: scoring offense, scoring margin, rebounding margin, steals, turnover margin, and offensive rebounds. They are in the bottom fourth of three more categories: three point FGs made (11), assist/turnover ratio (10), and assists (10). Meanwhile, Duke leads the ACC in four categories, is second in another four, and is in third place in one more. These statistic go a long way in explaining why Duke enters the game a 17 point favorite.

However, the game is decided on the court so the Blue Devils are going to have to beat the Wolfpack on the court, not in the statistician's spreadsheets. The Wolfpack are not going to roll over so the Blue Devils need to be prepared to execute for 40 full minutes.

State is big inside but they lack a reliable point guard. Last season Duke soundly beat State during the regular season, but State won when the two teams matched up in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The difference? Point guard Ensin Atsur did not play in the regular season game as he was out with an injury. Atsur has graduated and State has not adequately replaced their floor general. The key to this game will be Duke's perimeter defense and the ability to convert turnovers into transition points. I sound like a broken record with this same pre-game analysis, but the fact is Duke's strength is their perimeter defense. State's big front line players cannot score without the ball and Duke's strategy will be to deny them the ball by exploiting State's turnover tendencies.

On offense, Duke will attack the 3-point line and the rim. The key will be to keep State off balance, which will result in their defense not being able to counter either of Duke's strengths. I am anticipating Duke lighting it up from behind the 3-point arc and scoring lots of points in transition. This should be an exciting game and I am looking forward to seeing freshmen sensations Kyle Singler and J.J. Hickson go head-to-head.

My prediction: Duke 87 - State 66

N.C. State Off vs. Duke Def	Duke Off vs. N.C. State Def
67.4 Pts F 65.2 Pts A 45.6 FG% 41.7 FG% 32.4 Reb. 31.9 Reb.	85.2 Pts F 65.3 Pts A 48.5 FG% 40.0 FG% 31.9 Reb. 32.2 Reb.

Game Quick Facts
TV: Raycom; Bob Rathbun (play-by-play), Billy Packer (analyst). espn2; Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst).

Radio: Duke Radio Network (flagship WDNC 620 AM in Durham); Bob Harris (play-by-play), John Roth (analyst) and Matthew Laurance (sideline).

All-Time Series: Duke leads the all-time series, 132-96. The Blue Devils have won 10 straight in the series at home and are 43-23 all-time at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Blue Devil Bits• Duke is 17-1 overall and 5-0 in the ACC, following a 93-84 road win over Maryland on Sunday. N.C. State is 13-6 overall and 2-3 in league play following a 69-66 win at Florida State on Saturday.

• Duke is ranked third in both the AP poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. The Blue Devils have spent 227 weeks ranked in the top five of the AP poll under Coach K. N.C. State is unranked in both polls.

• Senior DeMarcus Nelson went 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-8 from the foul line while scoring a career-high 27 points in Duke’s win over Maryland. He also led the Blue Devils in rebounds (7), assists (4) and steals (4). Nelson tallied 19 of his 27 points in the second half as Duke overcame a nine-point halftime deficit.

• Gerald Henderson matched a career-best with 23 points, including 16 in the first half, against Maryland. The Merion, Pa., native went 9-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line while adding five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a career-high 33 minutes of action.

• Freshman Nolan Smith added 14 points and six rebounds, while Greg Paulus also reached double-figures with 12 points against Maryland. The point guard duo is averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in ACC play.

• Duke forced 22 turnovers on Sunday and posted a 29-12 advantage in points off turnovers. The Blue Devils have forced at least 20 turnovers in a game 10 times this season, including each of the past three games. During the last three games, Duke has forced 65 turnovers, while committing just 33.

Numbers Game• 4 Duke has not allowed more than four made three-point field goals in its five ACC games. They are holding opponents to an ACC-low .266 (17-of-64) three-point field goal percentage.

• +5.61 The Blue Devils lead the ACC in turnover margin (+5.61) while forcing a league-high 19.5 turnovers per game this season. Over the last three games, Duke has a +10.7 turnover margin, while forcing 21.7 turnovers per game.

• 9 Duke has recorded 10 or more steals in a game nine times this season, including five of the last six contests. The Blue Devils are averaging 8.72 steals per game for the season and lead the ACC with 11.40 steals per game in conference-only contests.

• 9.4, 3.8, 3.4 Nolan Smith is averaging 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in league play. He is shooting 50.0 percent (17-of-34) from the field and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line versus conference foes.

• +20.0 Duke leads the ACC and ranks third nationally with a +20.0 average scoring margin. The Blue Devils have won eight games by 20 or more points and have won 14 games by 10 or more points.

• 22.5 Over the last four home games, DeMarcus Nelson is averaging 22.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He has scored 20 or more points in all four games and is shooting .711 (32-of-45) from the field and .611 (11-of-18) from three-point range during that stretch.

• 23 Junior Greg Paulus has made his last 23 free throw attempts, including a perfect 14-for-14 in five ACC games to lead the conference.

• 23.6 Duke averages 23.6 points per game off turnovers and has scored more points off turnovers than the opposition in 13 of 18 games. The Blue Devils have scored 91 points off 65 turnovers in the last three games (30.3 ppg.).

• 58.6 Duke is shooting 58.6 percent (112-of-191) from inside the three-point line in ACC play. The Blue Devils are shooting just 32.5 percent (39-of-120) from three-point range in conference play, after shooting at a 42.2 percent (119-of-282) clip behind the arch in non-conference action.

• 85.2 The Blue Devils are averaging 85.2 points per game to rank fourth in the nation and second in the ACC. Duke has five games this season with 90 or more points.

• 228 Duke and N.C. State have met 228 times on the hardwood with the Blue Devils owning a 132-96 lead in the all-time series. The Duke-Wake Forest series is the only matchup in ACC history with more games played (230).

• .592 Gerald Henderson is shooting .592 (29-of-49) from the field in conference only games this season. His field goal percentage is the second highest in the ACC and he also ranks 12th in scoring at 16.0 points per game in ACC contests.

• 719 Mike Krzyzewski is tied with former UTEP coach Don Haskins for seventh all-time on the list of most wins by a coach at one school with 719. 

Cameron Going GreenOn Jan. 31, Duke University will participate in Focus the Nation – a national teach-in that will engage millions of students and citizens around global warming solutions. The day’s activities feature events across campus including expert panels, a sustainability fair on the Bryant Center Plaza and a green democracy roundtable with North Carolina elected officials. The day will culminate in a carbon-neutral Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where much of the Duke blue will turn green. The famed Cameron Crazies will get free green t-shirts emblazoned with the Green Devil and the slogan, “Bleed Blue. Live Green.” The pep band’s blue and white crew shirts will be swapped for green and white, and the Blue Devil mascot will don a special green cape for the occasion.

The Reno Gazette-Journal has updated their high school basketball power rankings and Reno High School, which features future Blue Devil Olek Czyz is at the top. The Reno Huskies are now 8-0 in Sierra League play. Czyz scored 21 points in Reno's 71 - 48 victory over South Tahoe on Tuesday evening.

Elliot Williams remains sidelined in Memphis with a sore knee. St. George's continues to win with Missouri recruit Laurence Bowers stepping up and handling the scoring load. Bowers scored 21 points as St. George's defeated Harding 54 - 53.

Looking at Class of 2009 prospects, DeShawn Painter scored 19 points as Booker T. Washington defeated Norview 67 - 59. The win places BTW back into first place in their district standings. Mason Plumlee led all scorers with 21 points as Christ School defeated Forsyth Country Day 76 - 50 on Tuesday.

For the Class of 2010, Brandon Knight is a Top Five rated target. He scored 10 points in Pine Crest's latest victory. Two more 2010 names have recently surfaced, Josh Hairston and Eric Atkins.

Brett Friedlander ask the question, What is a Blue Devil, anyway? His article provides an interesting exploration of the details behind the nicknames of ACC schools. Bryan Strickland has an article over at the Herald Sun that discusses Coach K's technical foul in the Maryland game and contains this quote, "My team has to see me fight for them," Krzyzewski said. "We're in this together. It's collective responsibility." The News & Observer's "Around the ACC" has a discussion on Duke's success this season. Jake Lloyd, over at WRAL, says, Blue Devils Having Fun During Successful Season.

In football news, Eron Riley and Austin Kelly were arrested following a recent incident. On a more positve note, Duke has achieved some significant recruiting success. Details are in the articles here, here, and here.

J. Mike Blake of WRAL writes, Close Games In ACC Play The Norm. On the National front, Seth Davis has penned some thoughts on early indicators for bracket projections.

Duke got a shot in the arm in recruiting when Sean Renfree chose the Blue Devils over Arizona State.

Quarterback prospect picks the Duke Blue Devils over Arizona State

        

Click Here For Picture Gallery 

(Best viewed in slideshow mode after going to link)

     

 

ESPN Camera crews were in place while Rebbecca Lobo could be seen going over her pre game notes.  The press room was filled to maximum and the Vol's even had their own TV crew present.  In fact, several writers who normally only cover the men's games suddenly appeared.  The reason for all the activity?  It was 23 minutes before tip off of the Tennessee at Duke Women's game.

The Orange Nation poured into and around Cameron, some trying to score last minute tickets to the sold out event.  Outside, scalpers were asking 75.00 a piece for prime tickets  This would be another game in the outstanding series where Duke held a slim 5-4 edge coming into the game.

The Vols were set to avenge a four point loss to the Blue Devils in last season game.  Both teams were feeling each other out early.  Duke came out playing tenacious defense and controlled much of the first half, but Tennessee closed hard and they went into the locker rooms with the score deadlocked at 33 apiece.  The Devils held All American Candace Parker to 6 first half points, but after the break that changed. 

Parker came alive in the second half and ended the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds.  But the real thorn in the Blue Devils side was freshman sharpshooter Angie Bjorklund who nailed three key three pointers on her way to 13 points.  Add to that the most telling statistic of the game which is that the Vols had 22 second chance points to zero for Duke.

Despite that glaring stat, Dukes defense helprd them hold their opponent to 40% from the field.  In fact, Tennessee turned the ball over 23 times which led to 29 points for Duke, yet the still managed to pull out the win.   Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said, "Great teams find a way to win" when asked of the turnovers.

Duke was led by Chante Black who tallied 13 points as did superb freshman Jasmine Thomas.  The game was close the whole way despite just five lead changes.  The loss ended Dukes 24 game homecourt winning streak and ties the series at 5-5.  The game was the ninth sell out in women's basketball history.

Abby Waner hurled up a desperation 65 foot shot which would had tied the game at the buzzer but it rimmed out.  Abby moved to fourth on the all time three point shots, having made a key three to tie the game.

"I thought we did pretty well up until the end.  I thought we should have come out a little bit more aggressive," said Chante Black.  You could certainly point to Tennessee scoring the first seven points as a culprit, or the lack of rebounding on the Devils part.  Either way, Duke seems to be getting better with the tough lessons learned and they played tough against the number two team in the country all night long.

The Duke Women face Tennessee tonight in Cameron Indoor Stadium before a sell out crowd.  Needless to say, this will be quite a test for the Blue Devils.  In this link Jim Sumner talks about the game and the series.  Vol's Coach Pat Summitt was upset by some of the cheers from the Cameron Crazies and has threatened to cancel the series.  Surely, there is some middle ground we can find to continue one of college basketballs better rivalries.  Here is more on the situation from the Vol's perspective.  GoDuke.com previews the game in this link.  The Blue Devil Nation will be covering tonights game, so check back in this evening.

The Baltimore Sun claims the Terp's went but halfway in their effort to upset the #3 rank Duke Men's team.  I prefer to think Duke went all the way to secure a 5-0 conference record atop the ACC.  Here are the updated season stats which shows the balance on this seasons team.

DeMarcus Nelson had a sensational game last night and has been the clear leader of this season Blue Devils team.  Some of you may remember that I broke Nelson to Duke on the Duke Basketball Report several years back.  Here is an article which talks of recruits signing early and relives Markies visit to Duke that weekend and his meeting with Coach K.  The rest is history.

ESPN chimes in on the prospects of the 2008 Men's LAX season.  They examine how the fifth year seniors will try and help the Blue Devils win the title as well as what it will be like to be in the spotlight all season long.

New Football Coach David Cutcliffe is hot on the recruiting trail.  He hopes to boost interest in Duke Football.  If his new staffs work ethic is any indication, then consider it done. When he was introduced as the new Duke coach, he said he would go to Malls to greet people if that's what it took to get more people in the stands.

Duke 93  Maryland 84

Duke outscores the Terps by 18 in the second half with help from DeMarcus Nelson's career high 27 points.  The Blue Devils sit alone atop the ACC at 5-0!

"We came out in the second half with the mindset that we are going to attack them and whatever it takes we were going to win." - Duke Senior Captain DeMarcus Nelson

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Facing its biggest deficit of the season in a hostile environment, No. 4 Duke showed its resilience in denying Maryland another upset.

DeMarcus Nelson scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, Gerald Henderson added 23, and the Blue Devils rallied to beat the Terrapins 93-84 Sunday night.

Duke (17-1, 5-0 ACC) had not trailed by more than six points in any game prior to falling behind 51-42 at halftime. But the Blue Devils fought back in front of a boisterous sellout crowd hopeful of seeing Maryland earn its sixth win in eight games against its hated rival.

James Gist scored 26 and Bambale Osby had 20 points and 15 rebounds, both career highs, for the Terrapins (12-8, 2-3).

Maryland was coming off an 82-80 win on the road against then-No. 1 North Carolina. That was eight days earlier, and unfortunately for the Terrapins, the momentum generated from that breakthrough victory could not be sustained.

Duke led by 2 before baskets by Henderson and Nelson ignited an 8-2 spurt that made it 83-75. A 3-pointer by Gist got Maryland to 84-81, but Nelson made a driving layup for a 5-point cushion with 61 seconds to go.

The Terrapins would get no closer than 4 points.

Duke launched its comeback at the outset of the second half by making three straight baskets, two by Nelson. A three-point play by Nelson got the Blue Devils to 57-55, and minutes later a 3-pointer by Kyle Singler put Duke up 64-63.

Greivis Vasquez answered with a layup and an off-balance baseline jumper, but Terps reserve David Neal missed a layup and the Blue Devils used a 3-pointer by Greg Paulus and two foul shots by Nelson to move back in front.

The Terrapins would not lead again.

Despite forcing 13 turnovers and getting 16 points from Henderson, Duke trailed at halftime for the first time this season.

The crowd was in a frenzy at the outset, and a quick start by the Terrapins only raised the volume. Maryland made its first four field goal tries, including three straight layups by Osby, and a 3-pointer by Vasquez made it 11-5.

The Terrapins opened 7-for-10 from the floor but had five turnovers in the opening seven minutes and fell behind for the first time when Henderson made two foul shots for an 18-16 advantage.

It was 29-25 before Landon Milbourne hit a 3-pointer to spark a 10-0 run that put Maryland back in front. Gist had two dunks during the 90-second spree.

A technical foul on the Duke bench helped the Terrapins close the half with a 9-2 flurry.

Official Box Score   Game Quotes Here   Updated Team Stats

Bob's take - Maryland is big upfront with James Gist (6'8" 235) and Bambale Osby (6'8" 250) averaging 14.8 ppg/7.9 rpg and 11 ppg/6.4 rpg respectively. The Terps like to pound the ball inside to their big guys. They've had eight days to prepare for the Blue Devils after their stunning 82 - 80 win over the Tar Heels on January 19th. Finally, the Terps seem to always play their best against Duke. This will be a tough, physical game and to win the Blue Devils will have to play a complete 40 minutes.

The Terps turn the ball over 16.7 times per game and they are young with seven Freshmen on their roster. Look for Duke to exploit this weakness in the game. Duke will attempt to deny Maryland's big frontline the ball by applying severe perimeter pressure and cutting off the passing lanes. Much like in the victory over Florida State, Duke will convert turnovers into transition points.

On offense, Duke will spread the court and drive the lane in an attempt to draw fouls on Maryland's frontline. Maryland cannot afford foul trouble because their bench is inexperienced. Forcing Gist or Osby to the bench with fouls would result in a big advantage for the Blue Devils. The same goes for Vasquez in the backcourt. This game should be close to the end so knocking down free throws will be vital for success. As always, Duke will take 3-pointers when available, but Maryland is second in the ACC (behind Duke) in 3-point FG Percent Defense.

In the end, Gist and Osby will get their points, but the key to a Duke victory will be shutting down Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. Duke's small line-up will see plenty of action as Coach K will attempt to force Gary Williams to adjust to our style of play. A perimeter oriented game favors the Blue Devils. Duke is going to need Freshman Nolan Smith to have a big defensive game.

My prediction: Duke 76 - Maryland 71

Mark's take -  The keys to the game for Duke is to -

1-  match Maryland's emotion

2 -  be consistent and resilient on offense

3-  connect from the there point stripe and free throw line

4-  keep Kyle Singler out of foul trouble

5-  run at will to offset Marylands bigs from setting up

6- seal cutters from the backdoor on defense, or switch with precision

It'll be a tense, physical game with a lot of emotion dispersed.  I feel Duke is up to the challenge in College Park.  The pick here is Duke 81  Maryland 76

Duke Off vs. Maryland Def	Maryland Off vs. Duke Def
84.8 Pts F 65.1 Pts A 48.6 FG% 36.5 FG% 34.6 Reb. 33.5 Reb.	72.1 Pts F 64.1 Pts A 44.3 FG% 40.9 FG% 33.5 Reb. 31.8 Reb.

Duke vs Maryland game links:

Washington Times

Is Duke up for the challenge?

Tough game ahead

 

Out West, on Friday night, Reno defeated Carson 79 - 56.  Olek Czyz scored 18 points for the Huskies who were led by Austin Morgan's 28 points. On Saturday, Czyz scored 16 points as Reno defeated Wooster by 49 points, 93 – 44.

In Memphis, Elliot Williams remains sidelined nursing a sore knee. In his absence, teammate Laurence Bowers, a Missouri signee, stepped up and led St. George's to a 64 - 60 victory. The linked article contains an update on Elliot Williams’ health.

Leslie McDonald scored on a fast-break dunk to give Briarcrest Christian a 59 - 58 lead, but the Saints couldn't hold on losing to Christian Brothers 62 - 59. McDonald finished with 23 points.

In Norfolk, Churchland defeated Booker T. Washington 53 - 46. BTW made just 2 of 11 field goal attempts over the final four minutes as Churchland finished the game on a 12 - 5 run. DeShawn Painter was held to six points in the contest.

In Asheville, Mason Plumlee scored 14 points as Christ School defeated Cannon School 79 - 62 on Friday night. He also pulled down 11 rebounds. Mason's brother Miles, who has signed a LOI to attend Stanford, scored 35 points in the win. On Saturday, Mason scored eight points as Christ School defeated Rabun Gap 72 – 39. Christ School's game against Spartanburg Day on Thursday will be televised on WMYA (Channel 40) so if your cable service includes that channel check out the game and provide the Message Board a report on Mason Plumlee.

Finally, here is another article on the big American Heritage vs. Pine Crest game down in Florida.

DURHAM, N.C. — Junior wide receiver Eron Riley was named the recipient of the Carmen Falcone Most Valuable Player Award at Duke University’s annual football banquet held on Saturday evening in Durham, N.C.
 
Riley, a native of Savannah, Ga., earned second team All-ACC honors after catching 40 passes for 830 yards and nine touchdowns. In the ACC, Riley ranked ...   more »

Brandon Knight scored 34 points to lead Pine Crest to an 86 - 70 victory over American Heritage. Kenny Boynton was the game's leading scorer with 40 points. Post player Eloy Vargas and point guard Ray Taylor did not play for American Heritage.

The Baltimore Sun is stating that when Duke visits College Park this Sunday, it's a must win game for Maryland and their NCAA aspirations.  You can bet that the Terp's will give Duke their best shot and this game.  In fact, if you think the Virginia Tech game was tough and sometimes intense, wait until Duke steps into an arena with some of the more vile and venomous fans in the land.  The Washington Post is doing their best to pump up the home team with their praise for Duke in this article.

One of Duke's top recruiting targets in 2009 is Kenny Boynton of American Heritage.  Kenny scored 29 points and led his team to a one point victory on Thursday evening.

Here are the official game notes for the Duke-Maryland game.  Duke will attempt to snap the Terp's winning streak in the series.  As I said in an earlier post, Gary Williams has had eight days to prepare his team for this game.

If you want tickets for this Monday's  Tennessee at Duke Women's game in Cameron Indoor Stadium, you are out of luck for it's sold out!  This game and the Maryland game are sell outs and UNC is sure to follow, so get your tickets before it's too late.

Well, you may have read a little bit about Jon Scheyer's faces of late.  Here is more if you scroll down in this article.  This weeks press conference had some good natured ribbing involving teammates Scheyer and Gerald Henderson.  Jon made the comment, "Everybody makes some faces when they play."  Henderson responded, "Yeah, not like yours though."

Former Dukie Carlos Boozer was almost perfect in leading the Utah Jazz to another win.  Meanwhile, his former teammate on the 2001 National Championship team Shane Battier, took one for the team 121 straight starts earlier in the week.

Langdon is a big star on one of Europe's best teams

My buddy, Trajan Langdon is doing well these days too.  His scoring has CSKA-Moscow on top of the Euro League.

Take a look at these pictures of the K Center for Athletic Excellence.  Be sure to look around the Blue Planet while you are there.  This facility should impress recruits and current athletes in a big way.

Duke 81 Virginia Tech 64

The Blue Devil defense shut down the Hokies in the second half

BDN's Player of the Game - Kyle Singler

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Kyle Singler scored 10 of his 16 points during an 18-9 run that gave Duke (No. 3 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) some breathing room early in the second half and the Blue Devils beat Virginia Tech 81-64 on Thursday night.

The Blue Devils (16-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their sixth straight game and for the third time in the past five drama-filled meetings with the Hokies.

Virginia Tech (11-8, 2-3), which has beaten No. 7 Duke in Blacksburg and No. 5 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium since joining the ACC, also lost on the Blue Devils' famous court on a 40-foot heave by Sean Dockery to beat the buzzer in 2005.

This time, Singler and the Blue Devils didn't let it get that close, taking charge with an impressive burst to open the second half and keeping the raucous crowd at Cassell Coliseum waiting to see if the overmatched Hokies could get back in it.

Playing without second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Jeff Allen, who is serving a two-game suspension for making contact with a referee at Georgia Tech on Saturday, the Hokies couldn't, even after getting within 42-41 early in the second half.

Singler answered A.D. Vassallo's 3-pointer to begin the half with one of his own, then had three of the Blue Devils' next four baskets as they built a 53-45 lead.

When a dunk by J.T. Thompson pulled the Hokies to 53-47, the Blue Devils answered by scoring the next seven points, one on a free throw by Singler after Deron Washington was called for an intentional foul for pushing Singler after a defensive rebound by Duke.

The Hokies never challenged again.

Gerald Henderson added 12 points and DeMarcus Nelson and Greg Paulus both had 10 for Duke.

Vassallo led Virginia Tech with 16 points, while Thompson had 13 and Washington 12.

The game was rough throughout, and Nelson, Washington and Malcolm Delaney of the Hokies all fouled out.

The Blue Devils built a 27-16 lead by outscoring the Hokies 21-10 over a 9-minute stretch when the Hokies committed five turnovers. Virginia Tech closed within 39-38 with 55 seconds to go in the half. Duke's Taylor King made it 42-38 at the half with a 27-footer, his third 3-pointer to that point, with 37 seconds left.

Official Box Score Here          Season Stats

The Blue Devil women won big on the road tonight!

ATLANTA (AP) -- Chante Black had 16 points and 13 rebounds and No. 10 Duke cruised to a 73-47 win over No. 23 Georgia Tech on Thursday night.

Duke (15-4 overall, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) jumped to a seven-point lead before the four-minute mark. Jasmine Thomas hit a layup as time expired, giving Duke a 35-23 lead at halftime.

Duke, which beat Georgia Tech (16-4, 3-3) for the 28th straight time, opened the second half with a 15-7 run and led by 25 at the midway point of the half.

Tech, ranked in the top 25 this week for the first time since 1993, had won 18 straight at home.

Chioma Nnamaka led Georgia Tech with 13 points. Abby Waner scored 15 for Duke.

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was named co-recipient of the 2007 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year Award along with USA Women’s Senior National Team head coach Anne Donovan, USA Basketball announced on Thursday. Krzyzewski piloted the USA national team to the FIBA Americas Championship gold medal and qualified them for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
 ...   more »

Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech convinced former Duke commitment Lee Butler to change his mind.  Butler had originally picked Duke, but felt more comfortable in Atlanta.  Duke continues to talk to several key prospects and can certainly get over this loss

Mark's take - Let's face it, the Hokies have been a thorn in the side of the Blue Devils.  Last season they defeated Duke on its home court and Washington dunked over Paulus for good measure.  Surely that game sticks in the mind of the Dukies.

Greenberg has done a good job with his team which owns a 2-2 record in the conference and a win at Maryland.  Yes, they're missing Jeff Allen, but teams almost always rise to the occasion during the first game or two when a player is out.  That said, Duke must be ready for that player who always seems to step up in their system for this game.  Remember Jeff King?

Duke comes into the game on a roll and must get past a hostile ACC crowd for the second time this season.   I think that Duke is up to the challenge and that they are well prepared to show their strengths in this game.  The Blue Devils are pegged an eight point favorite, but I see it more like Duke 79 Virginia Tech 66

Bob's take - Duke heads to Blacksburg averaging 85 points per game. Virginia Tech's Freshman forward Jeff Allen is suspended for elbowing Referee Zelton Steed after fouling out of the Georgia Tech game leaving the Hokies slim inside. It would be easy to connect the dots and conclude that Duke scores over 90 points and wins easily. However, Deron Washington, A. D. Vassallo and the rest of the Hokies will be motivated to ensure the outcome is different.
 
Virginia Tech leads the ACC in scoring defense, but they are not a strong rebounding team, rank 11 of 12 in field goal percentage and average more turnovers than assists. With Jeff Allen on the bench, Duke will try to exploit VT's weakness by pressuring the perimeter and working the glass. On offense, Duke will play Duke basketball and shoot 3-pointers when the opportunity presents itself, but they will also test the Hokies interior defense by spreading the court and driving the lane. Duke is deeper and more talented than Virginia Tech and will leave Blacksburg with another notch in the victory column, but VT will put up a fight and make the Blue Devils earn the win.
 
My prediction: Duke 75 - VT 64

Duke Off vs. Virginia Tech Def	Virginia Tech Off vs. Duke Def
85.0 Pts F 60.7 Pts A 48.7 FG% 39.2 FG% 34.6 Reb. 29.2 Reb.	67.6 Pts F 64.1 Pts A 43.7 FG% 40.9 FG% 29.2 Reb. 31.4 Reb.

Washington Post Preview

Greenberg has built the VT program

Hokies will face Duke guards

Sports Network Preview