Kyle Singler led the team in scoring, with his routine near-triple-double: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists. Gerald Henderson was equally impressive as a passing swingman, scoring 15 points, dishing out 4 assists, and grabbing 8 boards. Emblematic of Duke’s versatility was Singler standing at the top of the key, feeding starting point-guard Nolan Smith on the low-post for several nifty layups. The starting five looked comfortable, smiling often and communicating on the court as they steadily built the second-half lead. As promised, Coach K played former starting point guard Greg Paulus alongside Smith, his replacement, on several plays, and occassionally slotted shooting-guard Jon Scheyer to the three-spot against a small VT team. Even with three guards on the court, Duke succeeded in driving–and passing–inside.

Perhaps more impressive, Duke looked like a cohesive unit, even while rotating out three centers and two point guards. When starting center Brian Zoubek (6 points, 4 rebounds) missed a wide-open layup, on an excellent feed from Scheyer, both Paulus and Smith patted him on the back, and Smith held his neck with encouragement. Even Coach K joined in the body language of camaraderie, stepping onto the court and offering Paulus an emphatic high-five after he hit a crucial three late in the game (his only points).

Next up for the Blue Devils is Davidson, whose star player, Stephon Curry, Coach K said on Sunday may be the best college player in the country–and certainly the best guard. Depending on Curry’s performance Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke may be gritting their teeth and smiling less. No doubt, it’ll be an exciting match.

Oghobaase, a native of Houston, Texas, had submitted his name for the NFL draft advisory board to review his draft prospects for the 2009 NFL draft.

“When we arrived here, we set some goals both academically and athletically, and we have some unfinished business on the field,” Oghobaase said in a statement. “We want to continue to turn things around for the program, and we have a great foundation for success.”

Oghobaase, a red-shirt junior this season, recorded 51 tackles and six sacks. He has finished the requirements for his sociology degree and study for a second degree.

“I was dissatisfied with receiving honorable mention All-ACC last year,” Oghobaase said. “I am highly confident with another year of development I can earn first team all-conference, All-America and defensive player of the year honors.”

Head coach David Cutcliffe said that he is thrilled to have Oghobaase return.

“I think he probably shocked some people when he chose to come to Duke four years ago, and I think this decision will probably shock some people,” Cutcliffe said. “Choosing a college to attend isn’t a four-year decision, it’s a forty-year decision, and Vince wants to make sure that his total college experience is the best it could possibly be.”

The story of Wednesday night’s game was Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s decision to start a group of B-Teamers, led by now-backup point guard Greg Paulus: David McClure, Miles Plumlee, Martynas Pocius and Elliot Williams. The starting nods were mostly nominal, as Duke’s “bench” scored 72 points, including 12 or more points from each of its traditional starters. After the game, Krzyzewski said the move was intended to boost his backup players’–and in particular, Greg Paulus’–confidence. Paulus played well, going 4-8 from three-point range, and finishing with 12 points and 3 assists. But, sophomore point guard Nolan Smith was the star of the night, mimicking Paulus’ stat line and commanding a true presence on the court.

“Clearly against Michigan, we had a lot of trouble with the zone,” Smith said after the game, referring to Duke’s first loss of the season. “Against the zone [tonight] we settled down–and had only three turnovers as a team in the second half. I had the ball in my hands, and I calmed down. When the point guard was calm, I feel like the team was calm. Everything just ran smoothly in the second half.”

Saturday’s game against undefeated, No. 7 Xavier will provide the team’s toughest challenge yet. If Paulus can head up a talented, though relatively untested, group of backups to complement Smith’s starting five, the Devils may be ready to reclaim their spot among the top five teams in the country. If anything, Wednesday night’s showcase was a reminder that Duke has depth at every position–it’s just a matter of how well they can use it.

Reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough will attempt to smash UNC-Chapel Hill’s 30-year-old scoring record against Evansville Thursday night in Chapel Hill.

Hansbrough needs nine points to pass Phil Ford — now an assistant for the Charlotte Bobcats — who amassed 2,290 points at Carolina.  

A ceremony is planned to honor the humble Hansbrough who seems the least likely to own UNC’s all time scoring record, especially considering the likes of Jordan, Worthy, Stackhouse, Carter, Jamison and Ford who all starred in Chapel Hill.

“No one would have thought that some big kid from Poplar Bluff, Mo., who can barely chew gum and walk at the same time would be able to do it,” former Tar Heel forward Sean May told the News & Observer.  ”But, that just shows his heart and his passion for the game — just like Phil when he was playing.”  

Hansbrough is also chasing J.J. Redick’s ACC scoring record of 2,769 points set in 2006.  With 2,282 points, Hansbrough needs 487 points to tie the former Duke star.  

The Tar Heels are scheduled for 21 more regular season games, and Hansbrough is averaging 22.8 points per game.  If he maintains that average, Hansbrough will finish the regular season by scoring close to 479 points with the ACC tournament and a likely strong run in the NCAA tournament looming for the Heels.  

All of this depends on if Hansbrough avoids injury — a huge concern for the Heels considering his shin and ankle injuries — and, more importantly, if my addition and subtraction skills are still in line from elementary school.  

You might want to double check it yourself.

The talk surrounding UNC should strike a specific memory for the Tar Heels.

Remember Illinois of 2004? Remember their beat down of Chris Paul and Wake Forest Dec. 1, 2004?

Yeah, they won by 18 points and made then number one Wake Forest — a team that beat the Heels that season — look like Forest Tech.

The entire season revolved around whether or not Illinois would go undefeated and whether or not anyone could upset them.

Then a magical Ohio State three pointer ended the talk of an undefeated season. Then Illinois nearly lost to Arizona in a Elite Eight game for the ages. Who doesn’t remember Powell missing a three and following his own shot for a dunk?

Although the Tar Heels have shown the capability of having a spectacularly special season, there aren’t and never will be any gimmies in college basketball.

So, what if Carolina goes undefeated in the regular season?

Nearly every sports analyst will dismiss the possibilities of this simply because the odds are close to zero.  Seven teams have run the table in college basketball and won the NCAA championship:  San Francisco in ‘56, UNC-Chapel Hill in ‘57, UCLA four times and Indiana in ‘76.  

The 1957 Tar Heels and the 1976 Hoosiers played the most games of the seven, winning 32 games.  In today’s basketball world, a team would have to win approximately six or seven more games than in the past as the champions normally play 38 games or so.  Similar to football, the added depth and resources around the country and the increase in basketball popularity has created extreme parity in the sport, especially considering many of the best players jump to the NBA.  

Do you think Duke would have lost many games if Kobe Bryant laced up for Coach K?  

Illinois and Memphis both have come close in the last decade to running the table, however with just a little luck a team like Carolina even in this day and age has the opportunity to run the table.  

Just consider last season. Carolina lost two games during the course of the regular season — but they easily could have lost five or six. Ellington’s three at Clemson and Hansbrough’s baseline shot against Virginia Tech won games that would have gone either way. 

Certainly, Carolina has a wealth of more experience now. However, UNC faces Wake Forest once on the road this season (2004 anyone?). UNC also plays Duke and Miami twice, of which both are nationally ranked teams. 

The Heels travel to College Park, Blacksburg and Raleigh, places where Carolina has lost recently in the last few seasons.

There is no doubt that Carolina improved dramatically this season with the development of players like Deon Thompson, Ty Lawson and Danny Green and the upgrades at the point guard position with Bobby Frasor back and Larry Drew playing better than Quentin Thomas ever did. Carolina at most should lose a few games, barring a healthy team. That’s a big if.

I think the Heels must lose in the regular season to have a shot at the title.

I know, that makes zero sense.  Why should a team have to lose in order to win six in a row come March?

It’s simple; teams learn more from losses than victories, Dean Smith said in “The Carolina Way.”  Sure, this teams has losses to reflect — notably the Georgetown and Kansas games — but none of those will be fresh on their minds after a long season.

I tend to trust Dean. He has 879 told-you-sos.

UNC’s loss to Georgia Tech in the 2005 ACC tournament propelled that team to the title. It re-motivated them to play harder, smarter and faster — the three ingredients to Roy Williams’ system.

An upset to an inferior team might not be a great way to lose to, but UNC fans should wish for a painful loss to a good team that will keep the team hungry in March.

Definitely not Duke though.

If Carolina manages to run the table and enters the tournament as the biggest favorite to win the title in X years, I fully expect them to lose.

It would be the perfect sports story. Just like the Patriots losing to the Giants and countless other upsets. You can’t count out baby-faced Eli Manning in a one-shot deal.  Or Stephen Curry.

No team of 20 something year olds can manage the pressure without any lessons or fear from defeat fresh on their minds. Heck, no NBA team could handle that.

So, to answer the question of what if UNC runs the table, I would humbly say that the Heels’ chances of cutting down the nets in Detroit would be severely harmed. 

Disagree? let me know about it.

Last night in Ann Arbor, however, was a different story. Michigan forward DeShawn Sims (who scored 10 points off the bench in the teams’ previous meeting) overpowered Duke’s inside defense, and came away with a career-high 28 points, en route to a 81-73 victory over the previously undefeated Blue Devils. Meanwhile, Kyle Singler, Duke’s star forward, was three assists shy of a triple-double, but was uncharacteristically dismal from behind the three-point arc, going just 1-for-9. Despite solid offensive performances from the Duke starters, Saturday night’s loss was a reminder of the team’s defensive achilles heel–and what can happen when one shooter is off.

Also of note: Former starting point-guard Greg Paulus played just 10 minutes, and in that time, took, and missed, four three-pointers. It appears Coach K isn’t afraid to keep Paulus on the bench, even in close games–and certainly not when he’s missing shots.

Next up: UNC-Asheville at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 17. The Bulldogs have lost five in a row, but last night, forward Reid Augst dropped 29 points against Big South conference leaders Virginia Military–a stat that should be concerning for the Blue Devils. Nevertheless, we anticipate a strong return to form at home.

Up and away: Balloons float above Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday, as N.C. State sealed its bowl bid with a 38-28 win over Miami.

If you’re a fan of ACC basketball and football, you’ve got every right to feel good about the local state of things heading into next week, when the league’s men’s basketball teams square off against the Big Ten and the league’s football victors battle for the ACC Championship in Tampa Bay: UNC’s bowl-bound football team beat Duke in Durham, but it was actually a decent game, at last more than a pairing of the mediocre versus the vanquished. After crushing a ranked Notre Dame in Hawaii, UNC’s Tar Heel men look, as billed, fairly unstoppable. (About this whole Wolfpack basketball thing, though, well, we’ll have to see.) And both N.C. State’s football team and Duke’s men’s basketball team began to answer questions that have, respectively, spoiled or threatened to spoil their seasons. That is, N.C. State has a freshman quarterback in Russell Wilson who might fulfill Tom O’Brien’s “best program” promises. And Duke basketball might—possibly, maybe, perhaps—have some big man action this year on the court.
Let’s start with N.C. State’s victory Saturday against Miami, since it meant the most for a team that’s had more than its share of athletic woes recently. The victory at home pushes the team to 6-6 for the season, sealing its bowl eligibility and ending the regular season on a fourth consecutive win after State dropped four in row following a promising win at home against East Carolina back in September. After defeating the Pirates, though, freshman quarterback Wilson missed the following game versus South Florida. That rainy 41-10 rout at home—where everyone who wasn’t a USF Bull looked pretty bad—sent the Wolfpack into a four-loss spiral that had folks questioning Tom O’Brien’s competence and future. Wilson was the starter for those losses, but he often seemed like Herbert Hoover circa ’29 at the helm, a promising enough sort who’d been handed a deflated sack of worries that weren’t his own.

But now that Wilson and his Wolfpack have won, they look like a well-built machine, powered by one of the strongest new engines we’ve seen in a while. Against Carolina, Wilson was stunning. On Saturday, he gained 113 yards on foot (a penalty negated another long run) and threw for 220. He rushed for one touchdown and threw for three. His play-action and ball fakes were crisp, and his efforts to create second chances and to find first downs were remarkable. Wilson now holds the school’s record for most consecutive pass attempts without throwing an interception. And he’s got support O’Brien gave junior halfback Jamelle Eugene more work than senior Andre Brown on Saturday, as if he wanted to test next year’s backfield against a strong Miami. If it was a test, Eugene and Wilson passed handily.

State has looked good at times this year (and miserable only on occasion). But they’ve looked mostly splendid during these past two weeks. More importantly, they look meticulously coached. The box scores could tell you as much, I suppose, since they’ve taken both of those games against good opponents. But the real proof comes through the subtleties on the field, as when the State defense relaxed on a 3rd and 8 Saturday, allowing Miami quarterback Robert Marve to complete a short pass to Graig Cooper. But two defenders expertly stood between Cooper and the marker, State’s cognizance forced a punt and maintained their 7-0 lead into the next stand. Even though the Miami kicking teams the ball away from Andre Brown with pooch kicks and skid balls, State’s special teams were solid, too. What’s more, State only earned two penalties against Miami and allowed offered only one turnover to Miami’s four. That’s discipline.

Sure, the team’s still got holes: Miami’s 96-yard pass up the middle for a touchdown Saturday represents what’s been a sizable soft spot for the team most of the year, and Miami broke the ranks of the offensive line too often for hurries, sacks and tackles for loss. Still, it was hard to leave Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday without intuiting that the recent past and the next several years of N.C State football would have looked and will look awfully different with a healthy Russell Wilson behind center—and that Tom O’Brien is finally putting positive force behind a program long wafting in the doldrums.

Brian Zoubek scored six in 13 minutes Friday. Enough? (Photo by Jeremy M. Lange)

Similarly, the key question for Duke’s men’s basketball team remains the same as it did last year: Who’s going to play center, and will that player be any count? Until Friday’s home game versus Duquesne, it didn’t seem as if the Devils had an answer. Juniors Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas (listed as a forward) had combined for only 16 percent of the team’s offensive output and less than 25 percent of its total rebounds against generally shorter opponents. On Friday, though, the Devils improved to 7-0 as a fiery Thomas dropped 21 points over the Duquesne Dukes. Though Thomas didn’t start and only played 17 minutes, he executed with a confidence and swagger that’s been markedly absent from Zoubek’s game during his three years at Duke. But Zoubek looked OK on Friday, too: Though the starter scored only 6 points in 13 minutes, he nabbed a loose ball at one point, sprinting down the court and sinking a difficult lay-up under pressure. Granted, he got blocked during the next trip down the court….

Still, Duke’s biggest weakness in a roster that’s absolutely packed with talent (New Chinese proverb: “If Greg Paulus is your sixth man as a senior, look up.”) didn’t look so obvious Friday. It should be an interesting season.

Virginia Tech and Duke’s respective offensive squads discovered new levels of ineptitude Saturday, playing in a contest so boring that it made even the perpetually-raucous Hokie faithful go listless.

For its part, VaTech surrendered five turnovers in the first six possessions, a feat that would have likely doomed them had they been playing Duke, who managed just 134 total yards of offense in the 14-3 loss, thereby extending the losing streak to a robust six games.

Here’s how it happened:

With Thad Lewis sidelined since the opening drive of last week’s loss to Clemson, Duke’s hopes rested on backup QB Zack Asack.

Coach David Cutcliffe later said that the team couldn’t get anything going through the air, making it unclear as to whether or not he just didn’t trust Asack, or if the mighty Hokie Defense is so good that it entirely shut down an integral facet of the Duke offense.

Duke, relegated to relying on their QB’ legs even on 3^rd and long, struggled like a J.V. squad scrimmaging against their Varsity betters.

“You can’t beat a team like Virginia Tech by just rushing the ball,” said ESPNU color man Bob Davie, marking the first time that Bob Davie has ever had an accurate observation about anything football related.

Whatever Cutcliffe’s reasoning, he proved Davie right. The Duke O didn’t convert a first down during the entire first half. And Asack didn’t notch a completion until midway through the fourth quarter, after which he threw two lame duck passes. Both were, unsurprisingly, picked off by VaTech’s stereotypically hawkish secondary.

Tech’s own backup, Sean Glennon (who appeared in relief after redshirt freshman Tyrod Taylor got the hook) fared only slightly better, leading Vatech 87 yards for a touchdown, the only significant drive of the evening by either team.

Duke faces North Carolina Saturday at home to close out the season. A win might bring some vindication for all that talk about changing the losing culture, and perhaps even some momentum going into next season. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, they play a North Carolina team led by a man who, after last week’s debacle, is obviously in need of a punching bag.

“I had to pick it up vocally,” Smith said after the win. “I realized, the day without Greg in there, I had to speak.”

Though his stat line may not have shown it, Smith demonstrated confidence on Sunday as a playmaker on the court. Described by teammates as quiet, Smith–with some encouragement from Krzyzewski–began to order the troops.

“He led our team in the second half,” said power forward Kyle Singler (13 points/5 rebounds/3 assists), who was tournament MVP in the Coaches v. Cancer Classic. “Nolan I think matured, and took a new step tonight.”

Indeed, when asked if he planned to keep the starting five of Smith, Singler, Scheyer, center Brian Zoubek, and small-forward Gerald Henderson (who had a breakout performance in the Coaches v. Cancer Classic semifinals, scoring 20 points against Southern Illinois), Krzyzewski replied, “Well, yeah. We’re 6-0.”

He was quick to add of Paulus, who is nursing a bruise on his forearm, “Greg is a huge part of us being a successful team–we just got to get him healthy.”

But all eyes are now on Smith, whom Krzyzewski said he wants to “keep developing” at the point.

“Last year, he didn’t have to do this, as the primary guy, and all of a sudden it’s the fourth game in a row” as starter, he said.

Sunday’s game also saw the development of two emerging talents: Williams, who previously had been assigned to forward and showed Sunday that he can also run the point, and freshman center Miles Plumlee. Plumlee looked tentative under the hoop–and, at one point, Henderson stomped his foot and yelled “come on” when he balked on a cut–but he began to find a groove, thanks to razor-tight passes from Henderson and Wiliams. Plumlee’s soft touch could provide some much needed backup at the 5 spot, but he’ll have to move more quickly on both ends–and not look like a deer-in-headlights–to be successful this season.

“He’s a kid who could really shoot up quickly, once he feels comfortable on the court,” Krzyzewski said.

Finally, Duke demonstrated perhaps their greatest strength on Sunday: the ability of its guards, and small forwards, to drive to the basket. Scheyer, Henderson and Smith–along with the critically-underused sub Martynas Pocius–all made strong takes from the top of the arc. The inside-outside game still needs work, but against weak defenses (read: not Rhode Island), slashing has been surprisingly effective. When used sparingly, it could prove to be a secret weapon in conference play (and a welcome change to Duke’s tendency, in the past, to hang out behind the three-point line).

Fittingly, Kyle Singler–who turned out a solid 25 point/5 rebound/5 assist performance, and is one of Duke’s brighest spots this year–gave his team both leads. After Duke had whittled a 12-point deficit down to one point at halftime (thanks, in part, to several hard-charging drives by Jon Scheyer, who had 23 points, 13 from the line), Singler scored the first basket of the second half, giving Duke a precarious 35-34 lead. Then, after Rhode Island dominated for much of the half (you read that correctly), Singler hit a pair of free throws at the 57-second mark, putting his team up 78-77. After one more lead change, Duke prevailed, 82-79, in a game that Coach Mike Krzyzewski described as “the best game yet in college basketball” this year.

Singler’s greatest contribution, however, was not his shooting. It was putting a stop, finally, to URI’s indefatigable shooting guard, Jimmy Baron–who went 7-for-8 from behind the arc in the second half alone. (His one missed three was a desperation shot from half-court as time expired.) When air-tight defense from Scheyer, and then Greg Paulus, could not contain Baron’s long-range theatrics (including a thirty-footer that silenced the crowd), Krzyzewski put his 6-8 sophomore on the guard–resulting in a blocked shot, and the end of the line for Rhode Island.

“Baron had one of the great halves of any kid here, that we’ve played,” Krzyzewski said after the game.

Indeed, Baron’s performance, really, had nothing to do with Duke: his shots were going in, no matter what. More troubling was Duke’s inability to contain 6-8 power-forward Delroy James, who scored at will by cutting through Duke’s defense, pulling up, and knocking down short-range jumpers. By the end of the game, he had 21 points, on 9-for-12 shooting. Singler couldn’t stop him, and Krzyzewski didn’t even try putting a back-up big man on him (or starting-center Brian Zoubek, for that matter). As we’ve noted here before, Duke is facing some serious trouble at the 4 and 5 spots. Lance Thomas is serving capably as a backup forward/center who can score quickly (though not from the line; he was 0-for-2 Sunday), if not dominate defensively–but the rest of the pack, Singler excluded, has yet to turn out a convincing performance down low, on either end of the court.

Tomorrow’s game vs. Southern Illinois, in the semi-finals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, will be Duke’s biggest test yet: can they bounce back from a humbling near-loss, and step up their game in the paint?

“Each game presents a different style,” Singler told the Indy. “This game, I didn’t have any open shots. What was there were put-backs and points at the line.”

Overall, though, Duke shot just over 50 percent at the line—including an abysmal 1-for-8 from the explosive junior power forward, Lance Thomas. Coach Mike Krzyzewski attributed the low free-throw percentage to players “losing a bit of concentration” once the clock was stopped.

“It’s November 11,” he said. “The familiarity of playing hard, and stop-action, is something you have to get used to.”

But when the clock was running, the Blue Devils were unstoppable. Singler, it appeared, was everywhere at once. In one series, he scored baseline, then grabbed a one-handed rebound on the opposite end, drove the ball up himself, and dished it to shooting-guard Jon Scheyer for a three. Later, Scheyer stole the ball at mid-court, and gave it back to Singler for a dunk. (Scheyer had 8 points, 3 steals, and a team-high 7 assists.)

Sophomore Nolan Smith, who started over senior Greg Paulus at point guard for the second game in a row, had a solid showing of 13 points, including a breakaway one-handed dunk, though no assists. Scheyer, and others, were there for the extra pass, and Singler was often in place to help himself to a put-back in the paint. In one notable play, Paulus—who made an immediate defensive impact when he entered midway through the first half, despite modest offensive numbers (11 points, 1 assist)—lobbed a cross-court pass to Smith, who missed the shot, but was greeted with a hug by Paulus. If there’s any love lost between the competing point guards, neither of them show it.

After the game, Krzyzewski deflected a question about whether Smith had earned a permanent starting role at the point, noting that Paulus was still recovering from a knee injury. He added that the two guards will share time in the backcourt, though he did not speculate where Scheyer, the team’s lanky shooting-guard, would fit in. Because of Scheyer’s size—at 6-5, a mere 185 pounds—most match-ups will force Krzyzewski to rotate the three players, and Scheyer should see heavy playing time. A diminishing role for Paulus—the team’s leader—may be inevitable, as long as Smith can prove himself as a playmaker.

“We feel good about what’s happening at that position, but also, that those two kids can play together,” Krzyzewski said of Smith and Paulus, hinting at a possible transfer of power between the ACC’s leading active assist-maker and a potential future star.

He added of Paulus, who he said was not yet at “100 percent:” “He’s coming on. He’s won a lot of ballgames for us, and he’s in a position to win a lot more for us.”

Note: On Tuesday, the Duke student section (comprised of self-styled “Cameron Crazies”) lived up to its reputation for noisy irreverence, picking on individual Georgia Southern players until the final minute of regulation. In a game that contributed to cancer research (the 2K Sports Classic benefits Coaches vs. Cancer), and was a blowout by the end of the first half, hecklers paid a curious amount of attention to the visiting team’s genetic characteristics. Georgia Southern was far shorter than Duke, particularly when it came time for both teams to clear their benches. (This season, Duke boasts an excess of inexperienced big men competing for playing time, while Georgia Southern has plenty of undersized guards at the end of the bench.) Thus, in stadium-wide cheers penned on a white board behind the press section, six-foot guard Antoine Johnson became “Little Johnson,” and 5-10 freshman backup Blake Thompson was called “Tiny Tim.” When 6-2 guard Willie Powers dunked, one student inexplicably yelled, “You’re still short.” Careful not to discriminate, the section devised a deafening chant of “Shrek” (along with variations of “ogre” and “oaf”) for Krzysztof Janiszewski, Georgia Southern’s brawny, seven-foot backup center. Not your typical peanut gallery, Cameron’s student section is notable for its relentless cohesion of heckling, a product of its unusual proximity to the court—and, as it turns out, an investment in white boards and dry-erase markers. Unlike the sport they were watching, everyone in the crowd had a shot at becoming a cheerleader.

It’s the sort of game, you know, where, during the post-game press conference, the visiting team’s head coach, Greg Nibert, said: “It’s a dream for our program to come in here and play on the opening night of college basketball. They’re awesome. He’s awesome. Their players are awesome. And we couldn’t be more thankful to have this opportunity.”

But the mildly worried chant came from the crowd with 8:31 seconds remaining in the first half. Duke was up 17-11, but it was a hard-won lead for the No. 8 team in the country. Starters Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler had missed easy shots, and Nolan Smith and Miles Plumlee had both committed turnovers. PC Sophomore Al’lonzo Coleman, a Vance High School graduate, was giving Duke fits down low, moving Singler and Plumlee mostly at will. By the time the kids got to chanting, Coleman had dropped three field goals on the Devils.

The Devils responded to the chant much as you’d expect, though: Jon Scheyer hit a jumper one second later, sparking a decisive 19-0 Duke run, and Duke maintained its impressive lead the rest of the night. Its corner-blocking defense forced 28 turnovers and plenty of points in transition. Duke out-rebounded Presbyterian 3 to 2, too, grabbing 30 defensive and 14 offensive boards. Despite several rough streaks and 21 turnovers, the Devils nearly doubled Presbyterian’s score by game’s end, advancing to tonight’s second round versus Georgia Southern as expected.

Still, Coleman’s performance for Presbyterian is noteworthy. He stopped moving early on, scoring only 7 more points after those initial 6 before fouling out. But he looked like an early indicator of the type of disruption big men could cause for Duke again all year. It’s not that Duke doesn’t have any big men of its own. It’s actually a relatively tall squad, guards 6-foot-1 Greg Paulus and 6-foot-2 Nolan Smith excepted.

It’s just that, so far, there seems to be no clear big man. Duke’s five players over 6-7 that aren’t the impressive forward Singler (Plumlee, Thomas, Brian Zoubek and Olek Czyz) combined for 18 points, and 11 of those came with 10:15 or less remaining. Bulky junior Brian Zoubek and lanky junior Lance Thomas seem more like freshman or sophomores these days—emotional and big, but rather unrefined. This could work in Thomas’ favor, as his athleticism and fiery on-court manner seem to be the sort of things that can spark a team in tough games down the stretch. He scored 12 points in 18 minutes last night. Zoubek, though, fouled out after seven minutes of play, scoring only 2 and looking mostly like a flustered fish out of water.

“Something’s not right there. The kid’s playing pretty well,” Coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game. “It’s tough to foul out in seven minutes, unless you’re playing hack-a-Shaq. It’s very difficult to do that. I don’t know if it broke a record.”

As Luciana Chavez notes in her sidebar in The News & Observer this morning, Duke will rely heavily on its deep versatility this year: Singler can step outside, and Henderson can rush inside, says Chavez. But you have to wonder how tiring that ruse will get unless a true anchor emerges at some point, holding the team steadfast down low.

In brief: An interesting discussion took place between Krzyzewski and The N&O’s Chavez. After Krzyzewski lamented empty seats at Duke’s exhibition win over Lenoir-Rhyne, the headline for Chavez’s story read, “Empty seats leave Coach K steamed.” Last night, he insisted he was only goofing when he said, “I’ll sell tickets. It’ll be a cool thing. I’ll get my grandkids out there. We’ll put Cameron Crazy wigs on and we’ll get everyone in there.” Coach K wanted to know who’d said he was “steaming.”

Click the links below to listen to the exchange between Chavez and Krzyzewski, prompted by a question from WRAL reporter Bob Holliday.
Mike Krzyzewski on Steaming, Part 1

Mike Krzyzewski on Steaming, Part 2

(From Huffington Post: Former Duke basketball and football star Reggie Love, center and facing)

But we will be: Follow the action right here all season.

Pre-game

Duke loses the coin toss. The Wolfpack captains decide to defer to the second half. The in-press box stats guy announces that Duke has lost each of the 9 opening coin tosses so far in 2008. Do with that information what you will.

Other fun facts: As indicated by the neon orange gameday info sheet just handed to me by the sports info intern, Duke leads this series 39-35, though the Blue Devil’s last victory was waaaaaay back in 1993.

To the game.

First Quarter

Kickoff fielded and returned for decent yardage, the Wolfpack sloppily marches towards the Duke end zone but is stopped at the six yard line. They opt for the field goal. N.C. State 3 Duke 0.

-Hello there Thaddeus Lewis, we hadn’t expected you until the third quarter. You catch us off-guard with your mastery of the out route, and overall competency this early in the contest. And the Duke, uh, faithful loves you for it, at least, what number of them have shown up do. Halfway into the first quarter, as Duke answers with a field goal of their own, there are still empty seats in the stands. Duke 3 N.C. State 3.

-J.C. Neal thinks very little of your kick off return coverage, Duke. The N.C. State safety just burned down the sideline to the tune of 89 yards and a T.D. Also, I think he might have been waving to his mom in the stands, either that or he was flashing his cell phone number to one of the Duke cheerleaders, though he could probably have slowed down to do that and still not have been caught by Duke’s poor kicker. What I’m trying to say is that he’s fast. N.C. State 10 Duke 3

Second Quarter

-Duke’s offense is stymied again deep in the Wolfpack territory. Cutcliffe opts to go for it on fourth down on the N.C. State 11. It might be a bit early in the game for such gambles, but with N.C. State moving the ball at will, maybe he thinks Duke needs to get a T.D. on the board before they go into the lockeroom. Duke falls short, and on the ensuing possession State marches 89 yards in the opposite direction for a touchdown. N.C. State 17 Duke 3.

-An observation: The Duke defensive line is giving N.S. State quarterback Russell Wilson all the time in the world. So far he’s been standing straight up in the pocket and delivering lofting, perfectly placed passes to whomever he pleases. But it wasn’t until just now that I realized he was black. A black quarterback whose coach, based on my observation thus far, has opted to develop his passing skills rather than emphasize his athleticism? Take that Marc Davis.

-A question: Has anyone seen Eron Riley today?

-And we’re back. The pressbox wi-fi crapped out for a few minutes, though you would expect a school like Duke to have only the best in digital equipment. The effects of the Duke lacrosse lawsuit are far-reaching indeed. Ba-zing! What you missed while we were away: N.C. State scored again. As did Duke, bringing the score to 24-10 before the teams headed into the lockeroom for halftime. I had details about each of these scores written out, but they were all lost to the ether. Here’s the abbreviated version: N.C. State: pass, pass, pass, run, through porous Duke defense, amazing grab by big boy tight end. Another pass. Score. Wolfpack fan disenchantment biohazard decreasing from Typhoid Mary-like levels.

Duke scoring drive: I am Thaddeus Lewis. Coach Cutcliffe says that there are no excuses. Coach Cutcliffe has said that he does not want the Tennessee job. I believe Coach Cutcliffe. I believe in me. Drive. Drive down the field. Score. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Third Quarter

Duke is piling up the stats, but not the points. Another long Duke drive terminates deep in ‘Pack territory, this one on the goalline. After Duke’s triumvirate of running backs fails to punch the ball in, Thad Lewis attempts to force a pass to the back of the end zone. The intended receiver—not Eron Riley, who in the midst of a quiet day—lays out for the ball but to no avail. Turnover on downs. N.C. State ball.

-The difference is defense—N.C. State is stopping Duke when it counts. Duke is going in the opposite direction, letting the Pack score on each of it’s possessions so far. After another workman-like drive, N.C. state kicks a field goal from the Duke 25. N.C. State 27 Duke 10

Third quarter observations: Thad Lewis and Russell Wilson’s total passing yardage is identical despite Lewis having had to wipe off Wolfpack defenders from his uniform after nearly play. Rushing has been a non-factor, though State’s own running back committee has nearly a 100 more yards than Duke’s. Finally, the crowd is starting to thin out, and it’s mostly the folks wearing blue that are leaving.

Fourth Quarter

-N.C. State has played some imperfect, but mistake-free football today and that is not likely to change at this midpoint in the final quarter. They’re smartly keeping it on the ground to milk the clock thereby forcing someone (anyone) on Duke’s side of the ball to make a big play. As per usual, Uber-middle linebacker, Mike Tauiliili, has had a fantastic game, smashing State’s puny human skill players to the tune of 11 tackles. But with less than 5 minutes left in the game, Duke is going to need more than just heroics to pull this one out.

-Duke scores a garbage time touchdown with less than 2 minutes to go, making the score 27-17. Their only hope now is an onside kick, which fails much to the disappointment of the crowd who roared when it look like a member of the Duke’s good hands team had recovered the ball. N.C. State takes a knee on two consecutive plays, and the game is over.

If there is a bright spot here it’s has to be Thad Lewis, who had a monster day with 300 yards passing, two TD’s, another 41 yards on the ground. But before the hosannas get cued up, it’s probably fair to point out that having your QB best your running back corps in total yards gained is not at all a good thing.

Next week: Clemson.

Prior to Bosher’s kick, the game was Duke’s. Deft play-calling and solid rushing by committee members Jackson, Harris and Hollingsworth had given the normally slow-starting Blue Devils an early lead. Led by Mike Tauiliili, the front seven had managed to keep Miami’s youngish but potent offense playing on their heels. But then Bosher tilted the field in the Hurricanes favor, pinning the Blue Devils on their own 11 yard line. It would not tilt back.

Duke’s O sputtered on the ensuing drive. Six plays later, Miami took the lead on a six yard TD pass by precocious redshirt freshman quarterback Jacory Harris. And thus the rout began.

The 49-31 loss leaves Duke with a record of 3-3 heading into next week’s game against Vanderbilt, a team that seems to be staging their own football renaissance. Conference wise, Duke is now 1-2, which is good enough at this point in the season to join the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels in the ACC cellar. So given that, what do we think of the Blue Devils? Much of what I’ve written in this space has been an attempt to determine what progress looks like for a program like Duke’s. Six games in to the season, I’m not any closer to doing so than when I started.

To be sure, Duke lost this game. A second half chocked full of costly penalties, missed opportunities and dropped passes doomed them, making this perhaps more troubling than beatdown by Georgia Tech. There Duke lost by virtue of the athleticism gap. On Saturday, the team simply unraveled against an ACC rival that was ripe for an upset. That does not bode well, which is not to say that the season is lost, I mean, I’ll bury no body before its time, but whatever momentum Duke had following its win against Virginia is at this point a memory. And, as previously stated, there are no more gimmes left on the Blue Devil’s schedule.

What does progress look like for this long beleaguered program? I’m still not sure, the expectations keep on moving. What’s more, this is but the first year of the David Cutcliffe era. But if the team is to retain the attention of its fledging fan base, if the new coaching staff hopes to attract the caliber of talent that will enable the Blue Devils to beat teams that are actually worth a damn, than it’s going to need to show some, and soon.

There were no uncontested shots, and players were not shy about blocking teammates who took too long to shoot, or fouling them hard on breakaways. Players fought through picks, big men dove for loose balls-and, in the case of Martynas Pocius, the junior swingman practiced his best Reggie Miller impression, flopping to draw the foul on a three-point shot. (Yes, there were free throws.) This was not your typical crowd-pleaser exhibition.

The game-like situation showcased the talent of several seasoned players, including a dominant Gerald Henderson, whose 23 points in 30 minutes included several strong takes against McDonald’s All-American freshman Elliot Williams. (It’s worth noting that Henderson will likely get away with fewer left-handed layups throughout the season.) Pocius, who missed most of last season with an ankle injury, and spent the summer training with the Lithuanian Olympic team (he didn’t make the squad), scored 19 points, including three set-up three-pointers, a breakaway dunk, and several hard-charging layups. His triple threat from the perimeter should prove daunting this season, as opponents decide whether to guard the shot or the drive.

One of the day’s brightest spots was the mid-range shooting clinic hosted by two forwards: freshman Miles Plumlee, who went 4 for 4 in the first half, including back-to-back turnaround hooks, and sophomore Kyle Singler-last year’s ACC rookie of the year-who went 5 for 5 in the same period, including two threes. It’s unclear how well Duke can play in the paint this season, but their strategy will likely include plenty of range from post players with smooth shots.

The show-stealer, however, was sophomore point-guard Nolan Smith, whose 17 points looked effortless, despite the airtight defense of starting point guard Greg Paulus. Notably, Smith was on the winning side in both halves, and he out-passed Paulus, the ACC’s leading active assist-maker, 5 to 1.

The body language between the two was the most exciting aspect of the scrimmage. Paulus stole a quick glance at Smith after knocking down an early pull-up three. Later, Smith tossed up an alley-oop to Singler, following a turnover by Paulus. At one point, Smith clapped at Paulus, shouting “Come on,” before the play ended with a foul away from the ball.

Following the game, Smith said he “took a summer to find my point-guard skills.”

He and Paulus guarded each other at the point, Smith said, during last year’s practices, and throughout the summer. Before then, he said he had never played point guard.

“Greg and I make each other better every day,” he said. 

It will be exciting to see Smith and Paulus push each other all season. They will also see time together on the court, Smith said, but we’ll be watching to see who runs the offense come March.

Other than that, there aren’t many conclusions to be drawn from Saturday’s 31-3 victory over Virginia—just more questions.

The Blue Devils have quietly managed to climb out of the ACC cellar, but have done so by stepping on the piled carcasses of inferior and failing programs. They picked up their first conference win in 26 tries Saturday, but left the defense to do the heavy lifting while Thaddeus Lewis and the rest of the Duke offense again struggled through the first half. Final stats show that Duke was outperformed in nearly every quantifiable aspect of the game, and before Michael Tauiliili and the rest of the Blue Devil defense harassed Cavalier Quarterback Marc Verica into a second half meltdown, the outcome could have gone either way. And yet Duke won, convincingly.

“We made a lot of mistakes that good teams don’t make,” said David Cutcliffe at the post-game press conference, “But I’m extremely proud of our guys for doing what they needed to do to win.”

So, the Blue Devils are no longer a doormat, but are they any good?

The truth won’t begin to shake out until next week as Duke continues its long march through conference play which, N.C. State notwithstanding, sees them pitted against the class of the ACC.

Enter the North Carolina Business Litigation Report (NCBLR).

You may have heard recently that the legal wrangling between Duke and the University of Louisville has come to a close. Louisville filed suit in 2007 after Duke opted out of playing the final three games of a series that was scheduled to run through 2009. Earlier this summer, Judge  Phillip J. Shepherd of the Franklin County Circuit Court ruled that the Cardinals were entitled to bubkiss.

How, you ask, were Duke’s lawyers able to convince a Kentucky judge to rule in their favor?

By stating the obvious, silly.

From the NCBLR’s report:

…a quick synopsis of Kentucky Judge Phillip Shepherd’s decision is that Louisville was not entitled to damages because the contract said that Louisville could not get damages if it was able to replace Duke with teams of “similar stature.”  The Court observed that “at oral argument, Duke persuasively asserted that this is a threshold that could not be any lower.”

Need that translated out of legalese? No worries, the Report has this easily parsed video of the Duke lawyers making their arguments before the judge.

Now it should surprise no one that the judge found some merit in the Blue Devil’s argument, the crux of which was that Duke football has for a great long time been abysmal, schools from outside the conference only contract with them in order to guarantee their team a win,  water is wet, etc.

No, what’s most striking about this situation is that a circuit court judge, and by extension the sovereign state of Kentucky, has now made a determination of the quality and athletic prowess of  Duke University football.

Granted, we are talking about the Bluegrass state, and really, what the hell do Kentuckians know from good football, anyway.

But let’s forget that for a second and focus instead on what implications the ruling might hold for Duke U. For instance:

Can some intrepid lawyer now successfully argue for the return of his client’s Duke football season ticket money using the Kentucky ruling as precedent?

Spite is one hell of a motivator. Now armed with the knowledge that it is the opinion of the university that they are are losers, does the team do the unthinkable and actually win?

The series between Duke and Louisville was set to run through 2009. If Duke does end up with a winning record in this or the next season, does Louisville have grounds for appeal?

And if the team does, indeed, make significant strides in the next two seasons, does David Cutcliffe give up his virtue to the first suitor who comes calling?

Based on what was said in that video, will anyone blame him?

Whatever. Thaddeus Lewis—he of ACC player-of-the-week fame—scorched the aforementioned porous Navy pass defense to the tune of 317 yards. Under Cutcliffe’s tutelage, the still rawly talented Lewis seems to be blossoming. That and the fact that the team is now in the business of breaking losing streaks (Note: The Midshipmen have taken four of the last five contests.) rather than starting them should I think give the fan base reason to be cautiously optimistic about the team’s prospects.

So to those 10 or so thousand Dukies that did not show up to Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday, and to the ones who did but fled for cooler locales after the first quarter, I’ll say this: Get happy. There are no gimmes on the schedule, and the road to the Orange Bowl (Yeah, I said it.) only gets tougher from here.