The Independent Weekly’s commentary on local sports
From the camera of Indy photographer D.L. Anderson: Duke forward Miles Plumlee is fouled hard by Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal in the second half of Thursday’s game, won by the Blue Devils 86-67. Read Grayson Currin’s account of the game here.
Dennis Horner and the kids, Wednesday night after the Wolfpack upset Duke
RALEIGH, N.C.—The N.C. State Wolfpack women’s basketball team went dancing in Raleigh Wednesday night. As hundreds of fans stormed the court before the clock could even expire as the States men defeated the No. 6-ranked Duke University Blue Devils 88-74, the women’s team—who’d been introduced during a time-out—waltzed onto the floor, claimed their corner and celebrated.
“I didn’t know they were going to storm the court,” said a N.C. State Coach Sidney Lowe, smiling about the red-and-white student throng. “When I turned around and saw the kids all over the court the court, I thought, ‘This is what it’s all about.’”
Indeed, Wednesday night’s surprise Wolfpack victory—surprise in the sense that the team picked to finish last in this year’s topsy-turvy ACC outplayed and defeated the team picked to finish first—was a major one for a State team that was close to the ropes. With six losses and a tough slate of conference games in the coming weeks, the win could redirect the Wolfpack season, which, so far, has been full of inconsistent shooting, torpid play and tough losses. Continue reading »
CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/ DURHAM—University of Pennsylvania guard Darren Smith swished a three pointer just nine seconds into his team’s New Year’s Eve contest against the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium Thursday night. But Duke guard Nolan Smith answered on the other end with a three of his own, scoring the first of his team-leading 23 points on the way to a 59-point Duke victory.
Smith wasn’t alone: Five Duke players scored in double digits. Indeed, the contest versus the hustling but very outmanned and interim-coached Quakers often seemed more like a final workout for the Devils before a live audience in advance of next week’s ACC play than an actual regular season game.
To wit, Duke outrebounded Penn 43-25 (and, more impressively, 24-10 in the first half), nabbing more offensive boards than Penn had defensive boards. Led by Smith’s four threes and Jon Scheyer’s triplet, Duke nearly shot 50 percent beyond the arc, compared to Penn’s 21 percent. (Penn’s Smith, who hit that opening shot, only hit one more, when his Quakers were down by 36 in the second half.) Schmingler-Duke’s tripartite scoring machine of Scheyer, Smith and Kyle Singler-combined for 62 points.
It was bolstered by the Plumlee brothers, as tonight’s game gave the Devils the season’s first strong look at the Indiana pair. Among the guests were Denzel Washington (whose son is Quaker freshman Malcolm Washington), and the Plumlee’s younger, taller brother Marshall—himself a hot recruiting property—who watched the action from but a few rows behind their favored team’s respective bench. The brothers have struggled often since freshman Mason entered the lineup last month after a hand injury in a preseason practice caused him to miss the season’s first six games. Since his Wisconsin debut, he’s scored just 14 total points, while sophomore and starter Miles has scored only 25. Thursday, though, Mason bested his season totals with 18 points, adding five rebounds to Duke’s totals. Miles, meanwhile, added 10 points and 9 rebounds. The Plumlees’ defense seemed much improved, too, as well as their connection with their teammates-both brothers connected on several long distance alley-oops with guard Scheyer and forward Singler.
“He’s getting further removed from that wrist injury,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Mason’s performance. “We got significant playing time for all of our bench, and that helps. He missed out on that, and he’ll keep getting better.”
Penn is very much a program in transition following the recent addition of former Penn star Jerome Allen as interim head coach. The Quakers started the season 0-6 under Glen Miller, who was replaced following a five-point loss to Monmouth earlier this month. “These last two games for us have to be viewed as opportunities for us to get better,” Allen said Thursday. “We still have the bulk of our season ahead of us.”
Duke, too: The Devils play the ranked Clemson Tigers (12-2, coming off of a tight Tuesday victory over South Carolina State) Sunday night in Durham. After being the most winning college basketball program this decade with 294 victories, they’ve got a lot of winning to do in 2010.
Duke's Jon Scheyer leaps up in the air to shoot the ball in Duke's exhibition victory over Findlay; Scheyer recorded 19 of the 84 points in the contest. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Duke takes on its second straight high-powered Division II opponent, this time defending NCAA champion Findlay.
Ron Niekamp’s Oilers come in with a serious attitude, along with perhaps 200 Orange and Black-clad fans behind the team bench.
It’s an announced sellout at Cameron, and almost every seat is occupied.
Findlay went 36-0 last season, and is picked No. 4 nationally in Division II. Duke is ranked No. 9 in The Associated Press’ preseason poll.
Duke is much bigger, starting a lineup of 7-1 Brian Zoubek at center, 6-10 Miles Plumlee and 6-8 Lance Thomas at the forward spots, and 6-8 Kyle Singler and 6-5 Jon Scheyer at the guard spots. That’s just sick, as the expression goes.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says he can’t imagine starting a taller lineup in college ball. But he goes without 6-2 junior guard Nolan Smith in the first half. Smith is going to miss the season’s first two games because of Duke’s self-reported NCAA rules violation in which he played in one or two unsanctioned basketball games last summer. If there’s a clock and score is being kept, that’s trouble, Krzyzewski explains.
Findlay goes 6-7, 6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 5-9, and it’s a pretty good sight gag when the teams hit the floor. And the Blue Devils coast, 84-48. Continue reading »
Duke's Miles Plumlee dunks against Pfeiffer in Saturday evening's exhbition contest. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Mike Krzyzewski said the reason he scheduled his Duke basketball team’s first exhibition so early was because it would be on Parents’ Weekend.
Maybe it’s a good thing for Pfeiffer that the Blue Devils haven’t been practicing all that long.
(No, I’m not going to be the Duke men’s basketball beat writer for Triangle Offense. I’m just pinch-hitting. But I have done spot coverage for a long time and was actually in the house for Krzyzewski’s first game as the Blue Devils’ head coach, a 67-49 win over Stetson on Nov. 29, 1980.)
Duke took on an outside opponent for the first time this season and had a lot of fun, scoring the game’s first 14 points and rolling to a 128-70 win over the Falcons from Conference Carolinas.
CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM – After beating Michigan to clinch the Coaches v. Cancer Classic title on Saturday, a tired Duke team returned to Durham on Sunday to face the lowly Montana Grizzlies–who, last season, finished fifth in the Big Sky conference. For the first time this year, former starting point guard Greg Paulus sat out the entire game, and did not participate in a shoot-around at the half. That left sophomore standout Nolan Smith–who led Duke with 16 points and 4 assists in the Michigan win–to take the reins, beyond a nominal starting position over Paulus, who has had several nagging injuries this season. In the end, Smith split ball-handling time with shooting-guard Jon Scheyer (14 points, 0 assists), in a Jordan-Pippen two-guard format, while Coach Mike Krzyzewski also subbed in freshman Eliot Williams (4 points, 3 assists) at the point. Smith finished with a team-high 14 points and one assist (along with 3 turnovers) in the 78-58 victory.
“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.”
A day after their first team practice, and a week before facing Virginia Union in the season opener at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke hosted a highly competitive “Blue and White” scrimmage before a near-capacity Cameron crowd. The intra-squad match-up featured two 15-minute second-half scenarios, which included subs, inbound passes and a persistent full-court press.
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. Continue reading »
RSS Feeds
ACC
Baseball
Basketball
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Mudcats
Carolina RailHawks
Carolina Rollergirls
Duke
Durham Bulls
Football
Halftime Update
Hockey
Live blog
N.C. Central
N.C. State
NASL
Roller Derby
Soccer
Spectacle
Story in photos
Tampa Bay Rays
UNC-Chapel Hill
Uncategorized
USA Baseball
Women's Basketball
MaxRef by WebFadds.com
