Duke Freshman Kyle Singler talks hoops and more during today's press conference -

How many stitches have you had this season?

(Grinning) I'm not completely sure, but probably around thirty.

The last time you said 23 ...

Yeah, I lost count after twenty three.

Is this the first time you have had to body up against big guys like you have?  Does it have anything to do with it?

I'd say it definitely contributes.  Just the amount of the risk.  I am just more in the action ... the elbows.  Sometime I put myself in position.  If you can heal it, I don't mind it.

Jon mentioned hitting a little bit of a freshman wall last season ...  This being the first time you've played in so many big games.  How do you feel at this point of the season?

I feel good right now.  The Coaches have done a good job keeping us fresh.  The same with our conditioning coach.  I feel strong physically and mentally.  Those two aspects are important going into the post season.

Did you think you would play this much going into the season, especially down low?

Coach K told me to just be a player and I'd find myself on the court.   Really I didn't know how many minutes I was going to play.  I'd much rather be out on the court.  Conditioning is a big part in college basketball.  Sometimes you can wear a team down in the second half.  For us, we've done a great time of being in great shape, but still getting our rest, keeping ourselves fresh, our bodies.  We get some extra running in and our conditioning is great.

What are your thoughts on Coach K going for his 800th win, what does it mean? 

It means a whole lot.  Coach K hasn't brought it up.  We don't think he will.  We know we can get him his 800th win and it's a big deal.  I think only five other coaches have reached that point.  It's very important for us to come out and play with a little bit more of an edge and help get that win for him.

How did playing football help you prepare for basketball?

I think sports is general helps  Basically I have played football, hockey and baseball all my life.  I would say each sport has helped me in some sort of way.  I can't really pinpoint which helped the most.

Tell me about the flea flicker?

(Smiling)  The Flea Flicker?

Yeah, tell me about that play (referring to a big one in high school)?

It was like an 80 something yard pass.  My whole career I grew up in fun.  I was very fortunate.

So, did you like the contact in football?

Oh definitely.  I liked playing defense more than anything.  (Paused briefly) I just wish we could hit people out there (on the court, shifting his eyes towards the floor).  This brought a chuckle to the room.  Kyle had the media in his hands at this point.  Kyle played outside LB in HS)

I definitely don't go inside looking for contact.  Basketball has been more of a physical sport in college than I imagined.  In highs school you don;t get that contact, but in college it is very physical.

How will you keep Greg off NCSU's big players when you switch on defense?

We do a lot of switching which creates a lot of mismatches.  We've been doing a lot of work this week with over screens switching as much as we do.  Just looking at matchups it could be a key.  We are just doing the best job we can at minimizing opportunities at getting bad matchups.  Greg just needs to fight over screens and we need to talk more.

What are your thoughts on the Wolfpack?

State is a very good team.  They have a lot of talent on their team.  Definitely at there place it will be a tough game.  It's a great environment to play in.  This game will be a war and we are definitely looking forward to it.

Of the three former quarterbacks on the team, who can throw the farthest?  (Paulus was one of the top ranked players in the nation and Nelson was a stud in California before sitting out his senior season)

We might have to see, but (Smiling) I have no idea, but we'll see.  We'll get out there and the summer some time and throw the ball around.

How far can you throw the ball on the sly?

I'd say about 85 yards.  (Thought a second) Eighty, eighty.