Duke Basketball

Florida Has Chance To Boost Seeding

... the Wildcats down to a No. 3 seed. Thousands of miles from his native Finland, Lauri Markkanen feels at home in Arizona. West Region. Gonzaga’s loss to BYU was the biggest story in a loaded weekend. We kept the Bulldogs on the top line in the West, but dropped them to the No. 4 overall seed. The question for the Bulldogs now is can they remain a No. 1 seed with another loss. First, let’s dispel the notion that Gonzaga coasted to a top seed and the No. 1 spot in the polls because of a bad West Coast Conference. It’s true that the WCC will stigmatize Gonzaga’s success for many in the college basketball universe. That’s a reality the Bulldogs can only combat when they get out of conference, and they did that with aplomb this season. They beat Arizona, Florida and Iowa State on neutral floors, giving them two top-20 wins, and another top-40 victory. They also swept Saint Mary’s, which is 19 th in the RPI and ...

Duke Rises Six Spots In Latest Ap Poll

... particularly significant. The Blue Devils jumped six spots to No. 12 in this week’s rankings, and ever so slowly, it looks like they’re climbing out of their early-season funk. This still isn’t the juggernaut many expected going into the season, but Duke is finding its way. The Blue Devils don’t have a true point guard, but Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Frank Jackson have amped up their playmaking as of late - Allen has 14 assists in his last three games. He’s a scorer at heart, but when he looks to get others involved, Duke’s offense jumps to another level. The same applies to Kennard and Jackson. The Blue Devils still have their warts. Their ball-screen defense, while improving, leaves much to be desired; Duke prevailed against North Carolina, but the Tar Heels got numerous uncontested looks after ...

Duke Girls Basketball Coach Prepares Team For First State Tournament In 19 Years

... of those guys," said Kaylee Keck, a freshman Duke basketball player. Athletic director and principal are just some of Rick Wilson's titles at Duke High School, but the one he's most known for and is coach. Kaylee Keck is just one of the seven girls on his team who has been impacted by his guidance on and off the court. "He's made me understand how important it is to focus on everything you're doing and how much heart you need to put out on the court or field or whatever you're doing," said Keck. After more than 40 years of being around the game and coaching high school boys and girls all over Oklahoma, he's getting ready for yet another state tournament with the Duke girls team after only two years of being at the school. "I've been really fortunate to coach some good players," said Wilson. "You don't win without good players. I haven't scored a point since the 70's, so I'm just along for the ride.". He says his secret is teaching his players character, and how to be a leader so they can carry it off the court and into the work force and life. He says nothing makes him more proud than when he sees them graduate, grow up and be successful. "Probably one of my best ...

How Will The Ncsu Coaching Search Affect Recruiting

... March. N. C. State has no recruits on the radar, and you probably won’t see any crop up until a new coach is hired. — Andy Specht (@Andy Specht) February 28, 2017. @Andy Specht: Has Coach K resorted to only recruiting 1-and-dones? Or does Duke still actively seek role players to contribute for 4 years. @jonmalexander: (Full disclosure: Andy Specht covers Raleigh and Wake County for The News & Observer.) While it does seem that Duke is only recruiting one-and-done players, the Blue Devils do seek role players who will contribute for more than a year. Alex O’Connell, a 6-5, 170-pound four-star shooting guard, who signed with Duke in November, is not projected to be a one-and-done player. But coach Mike Krzyzewski has said that Duke hasn’t changed its recruiting in any way. “If (Christian) Laettner and (Grant) Hill and those guys were recruited today, they might be one-and-done,” Krzyzewski said in an ...

Jackson, Jefferson Lead Duke Past Florida State 75-70

... him and it’s limited us. Tonight he was great.”. While Jefferson provided the production inside, Jackson took advantage of a starting assignment to show his scoring skills. “Frank was sensational,” Krzyzewski said. The 6-5 guard hit five shots in a row early in the second half, including three 3-pointers, to score 13 quick points and help Duke open a 49-30 lead with 15:31 to play. Starting in place of junior guard Grayson Allen, who played in a reserve role while battling a nagging left ankle injury, Jackson opened Duke’s second-half scoring with a 3-pointer after his Florida State defender fell down. Jefferson hit two free throws and, after Jayson Tatum missed, Luke Kennard rebounded and fired the ball out to Jackson who nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner for a 42-25 Duke lead. Jackson added to his scoring binge by tallying Duke’s next three baskets as well: Two drives for shots in the lane and a 3-pointer with 15:31 left giving ...

Red-hot Duke Set To Take On Syracuse In Marquee Acc Matchup

... we're on right now and win in the fashions that we've been winning, whether it be close games or on the road or things like that, you have to be tough to do that.". Two of Duke's seven victories in the past 25 days have come by double digits, and those were 10-point victories at Notre Dame and Virginia. Orange vs. Blue Devils. — Syracuse Athletics (@Cuse) February 22, 2017. Amile Jefferson and Grayson Allen aren't practicing because of injuries these days, with coach Mike Krzyzewski saying Allen would get a couple of games off if this were the NBA. Yet, there was Jefferson with 16 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots against Wake Forest on Saturday. Allen's 11 points were below his 15.4 average, but his two 3-pointers in the second half came at key moments. "He's good, and I just think that the injury distracts him, and it does," Krzyzewski said of his polarizing junior guard. "Look, I believe in Grayson. When he came in (late Saturday), we called two sets for him because we had a matchup there. "Even not that healthy, he came ...

Jackson Puts In 22 As Duke Downs Fsu

... claiming a record 23 rd conference championship. James Blackmon Jr. scored 16 points for Indiana (16-14, 6-11), which has lost eight of 10. The Hoosiers' biggest problem — foul trouble. After Indiana cut a 15-point deficit to four early in the second half, the Boilermakers went on a 10-2 run when Indiana's top two centers both picked up their third foul. The Hoosiers got as close as 57-51 with 10:07 left, but the Boilermakers answered with seven straight and pulled away. Purdue has won seven of eight and has clinched the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Vince Edwards had 15 points and Swanigan finished with 10 rebounds. Indiana only led once, 17-14 midway through the first half. Mathias answered immediately by scoring 13 points in a 19-6 run to give the Boilermakers a 33-23 lead. But even as the Hoosiers clawed their way back, the mounting fouls doomed their hopes for a comeback. Thomas Bryant picked up his third foul less than 90 seconds into the second half. De'Ron Davis then picked up three fouls in 47 ...

Cavs Pull An Upset

... And usually, with rare exceptions, it’s Virginia coming out on top. It didn’t happen last spring against Syracuse in the Elite Eight and it sure didn’t happen against UNC recently in Chapel Hill. Well it did in Charlottesville Monday night. Virginia held UNC to 35.4% from the floor and the taller, more physical Heels got to the foul line just seven times. Not that UVA shot any better: the Cavs barely cleared 32%, but did hit 10-24 from three point range. UNC’s last basket came with 5:40 left in the game. The last shot before that? 9:46. UNC missed 11 of its last 12 attempts. Justin Jackson, who has spent some time in JJ Land lately was held to just 1-6 from deep. In short, an ugly game, a beautiful win. That’s Virginia basketball for you. In our opinion, no teams in the ACC, with the possible exception of Georgia Tech, have earned more respect this season than Miami and Virginia Tech. Both teams have overcome a great deal and shown tremendous grit. Someone had to yield though and on Monday, it was Miami. The Hokies prevailed 66-61 and Ty Outlaw - averaging 5 ppg - had a freak night, hitting 8-10 three ...

Is The Season Over

... was 18-13 on Selection Sunday and was needed No. 8 in the South. The Heels knocked off No. 9 Missouri, No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 Tennessee and No. 7 Tulsa to reach the Final Four …. where UNC lost to No. 5 seed Florida. Virginia (No. 7 seed) in 1984; Penn (No. 9) in 1979) and Butler (No. 8 in 2011) all reached the Final Four. It happens. It happens a lot. It just hasn’t happened to Duke under Krzyzewski. Why hasn’t it ever happened for Krzyzewski. Well, the easy answer is that he hasn’t had many chances. He’s taken Duke to the NCAA Tournament 32 times. But 13 if those times have been as a No. 1 seed. Nine more have been as a No. 2 seed. Six have been as a No. 3 seed. That leaves four trips as worse than a No. 3 seed. - In 1987, Duke was a No. 5 seed. The Blue Devils beat No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 4 seed Xavier to reach the Sweet 16, where they lost to eventual national champion Indiana in a close game. - In 1996, an injury riddled Duke team (two walk-ons from the soccer team played major roles) was a No. 8 seed. That ...

Road Trips To The Pits

... else at least once, we looked at whether squads played on the home courts of schools picked prior to the season to finish in the top four by the ACC media. Reference to that top four - Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Louisville – may be considered suspect in some quarters, not because the projection wasn’t close to the mark but rather due to who did the selecting. Here’s how close the picks were, through games of Feb. 25: UNC led the ACC, Louisville was tied with Notre Dame for third at 10-5, and Duke was tied with Miami for fifth at 10-6. Virginia is the laggard, tied with Virginia Tech in seventh at 9-7. Of course the big surprise is Florida State (11-5), in second place after being tabbed to finish eighth. A variety of media types from around the ACC attended the league’s October preview event in Charlotte. A large contingent belonged to the same organization (Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association) that’s been the arbiter of the official all-league teams for 63 years. But ACSMA’s expressed judgment is now regarded as an afterthought - fake news, if you will. The role of choosing ...