Mark Gottfried and Mike Krzyzewski are in a mutual admiration society, at least before Thursday's game between their ACC teams in Durham.
Krzyzewski complimented Gottfried's N.C. State team earlier in the week, calling them an NCAA tournament team, and Gottfried returned the favor on Wednesday, calling Duke one of the "two or three best teams" in the country.
"They're a terrific team and they've had a great year. I really like their team," Gottfried said. "They're certainly one of the two or three best teams in the country, in my opinion."
Duke's 8-2, tied for first in the ACC, and 21-4 overall. The Blue Devils are ranked fifth in the AP poll this week.
The Blue Devils lost two first-round picks to the NBA, in guards Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving, and a two-time All-ACC player in forward Kyle Singler, off of last year's ACC title team. Gottfried is impressed with how Krzyzewski has adjusted and continued to excel with new personnel.
"Think of who they lost and think of where they are," Gottfried said.
State has lost 13 straight at Duke and hasn't beaten Krzyzewski in Durham since 1988. Gottfried said that isn't one of his concerns for Thursday's game.
"There's a lot of streaks that we've inherited that need to change," Gottfried said. "Some already have, some haven't."
--J.P. Giglio
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Gottfried says Duke is among top 3 teams
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
UNC at Miami: Three things to watch
First …
The Tar Heels’ bench. As I wrote here in this story in the paper this morning, depth was the least of Roy Williams’ concerns earlier this season. Now the bench is among the biggest question marks for UNC with six games to play in the regular season.
Dexter Strickland’s season-ending injury at Virginia Tech on Jan. 19, of course, forced former sixth-man Reggie Bullock into the starting lineup. Since then no one has emerged to take over that role of dependable sixth-man, though freshman James Michael McAdoo has made strides.
Fellow freshman P.J. Hairston, meanwhile, is questionable for the game tonight. He sat out the Heels’ 70-52 victory against Virginia on Saturday while he rested his sore left foot. Hairston has been limited in practice this week, though he did practice more on Tuesday than he did on Wednesday. Whether he plays tonight will depend a lot on how he feels going through warm-ups.
Bottom line, though, is this: The Tar Heels need more production from their bench. That production doesn’t necessarily have to come in the form of points, Williams said earlier this week, but UNC’s reserves have to provide something when they’re out there. McAdoo, Justin Watts and Stilman White were solid against Virginia, and they’ll need to continue that upward trend.
Second …
UNC’s perimeter defense against Miami’s shooters. The Hurricanes made just 3 of their 16 3-point attempts the first time these teams played, but Miami remains one of the best perimeter shooting teams in the ACC. They rank fourth in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (35.6 percent) and third in 3-point attempts and 3-pointers made.
The three Miami players who have attempted the most 3-pointers on the team are all shooting at least 34.2 percent from 3-point range. And that doesn’t include 6-foot-11 forward Kenny Kadji, who has made 45.2 percent of his 3’s (19-for-42).
The Hurricanes’ shooting ability wasn’t a factor the first time these teams played, but Miami will need it to be tonight to have a chance of pulling off the upset. In fact, that loss earlier this season against the Heels represented Miami’s lowest point-per-possession output of the season.
The Hurricanes scored a season-low .79 points per possession, and they also turned it over on 23.9 percent of their possessions – also a season-worst.
Third …
The battle in the middle. One could make a sound argument that no one in the ACC has played as well as North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller has during conference play. He is averaging 19 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in league games, and he has been UNC’s most consistently dominant player since the start of conference play.
But Zeller will be challenged by Miami’s Reggie Johnson, who’s a different player than the one who came through the Smith Center earlier this season. At that point, Johnson was still recovering from a knee injury that kept him out of Miami’s first nine games.
It was clear during the first meeting between UNC and Miami that Johnson was still working his way back into shape, and even then he finished with a respectable 12 points and nine rebounds. Since then, though, Johnson’s stamina has improved, as has his production.
Johnson scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds in the Hurricanes’ surprising victory against Duke, and he’s a physical challenge for anyone who steps in his way. Zeller has gone a long way recently toward shedding the perception that he’s soft, but he’ll face a difficult test tonight.
--Andrew Carter
Monday, February 13, 2012
Krzyzewski likes Wolfpack's NCAA chances
Mike Krzyzewski thinks N.C. State is an NCAA tournament team, so does ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.
Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried is not as sure.
"Without question, we have a long way to go," Gottfried said Monday on the weekly ACC teleconference.
N.C. State's 18-7 overall and 7-3 in the ACC with its biggest three-game stretch of the season approaching. The Pack plays Krzyzewski's Duke team on Thursday, in Durham, followed by a visit from FSU on Saturday and the return game with North Carolina on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Those three teams are tied for the ACC lead at 8-2 and each one of those three games represents a chance for the Pack to notch a resume-building, if not clinching win.
Lunardi, who handles ESPN's weekly tournament projections, has the Wolfpack as one of the last four teams in the 68-team field, which would put them in Dayton, Ohio for the "First Four."
Gottfried, who worked at ESPN the previous two seasons before taking the State job in last April, said he noticed Lunardi's projection but didn't think much of it.
"As a former member of the media, one thing I do know, Joey Brackets — who I love — his list will change at least 100 times between now and Selection Sunday," Gottfried said.
"There's a lot of chatter about who's in and who's out but the only way you get into the tournament is to win games."
N.C. State has won three straight in the conference to improve to 7-3 in the ACC but all of its wins are over teams behind them in the league standings.
N.C. State goes to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday where it hasn't won since 1995 and hasn't beaten Krzyzewski since 1988.
Krzyzewski spoke highly of Gottfried's first team, which has already surpassed the conference win total of the previous five State teams.
"I think they've earned everything that they've gotten," Krzyzewski said. "I think they're an NCAA team and I think they will be tough down the stretch for a lot of people."
Duke throttled State last year at Cameron, 76-52, and won in Raleigh, 92-78. Since State's last win at Duke in '95, the Blue Devils have gone 29-5 against the Wolfpack.
-- J.P. Giglio
Krzyzewski: Blue Devils searching for consistency
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has a sore throat and his voice was more raspy than usual Monday on the ACC teleconference.
Nonetheless, he stressed that a lot has gone right for this year’s Blue Devil team, even if they are not quite as consistent as he’d like. Heading into Thursday’s home game against N.C. State, Duke is 21-4 and 8-2 in the ACC, balancing perplexing efforts against Miami and St. John's with strong wins over North Carolina and Maryland.
“You’d rather have it more stable,” Krzyzewski said. “But every team in the country is somewhat inconsistent. That’s why every team in the country loses games. Even some of the great players in our country have a bad game.”
Miles Plumlee was the latest Duke to have his moment in the spotlight, grabbing 22 rebounds in the Blue Devils’ win over Maryland on Saturday. That was the most rebounds a Duke player has had since Krzyzewski arrived and the ninth-highest total in program history.
In the game before, Austin Rivers was the star, scoring a career-high 29 points in Duke’s win over North Carolina.
“With our team, we’re lucky enough that enough guys have done a good job – and then we’ve done a good job in parts of enough games to produce the record we have with the schedule we have,” Krzyzewski said.
“Really, overall, I think these kids have done an unbelievable job. Coming from the base that they had – none of them were star players for us last year.”
-- Jack Daly
Guard depth an issue for Tar Heels
North Carolina coach Roy Williams might have figured before the season that the Tar Heels’ depth would be the least of his concerns. But as injuries have mounted he said on Monday that the Heels’ depth is “not quite what we hoped it would be.”
Leslie McDonald, a junior guard, hasn’t played at all this season while recovering from a knee injury he suffered during the summer. Then Dexter Strickland suffered a season-ending knee injury in a victory at Virginia Tech on Jan. 19. And then, on Saturday, P.J. Hairston sat out the Heels’ victory against Virginia with a foot injury.
Hairston, a freshman, became the third UNC shooting guard to miss a game because of an injury this season. Williams said today during his portion of the weekly ACC teleconference that UNC’s medical staff would evaluate Hairston’s injured left foot and determine how much – if any – he can participate in practice.
Hairston’s status for the Heels’ game against Miami on Wednesday night is unknown, Williams said.
Meanwhile, Harrison Barnes’ left ankle, which he sprained in a victory at Wake Forest on Jan. 31, continues to improve, Williams said. Barnes suffered some swelling after the victory against Virginia, but Williams said Barnes’ ankle felt stronger than it did the previous week after a victory at Maryland.
-- Andrew Carter
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Duke carries momentum forward
From Miles Plumlee’s monster effort on the glass (22 rebounds, an all-time high for a Mike Krzyzewski-coached team) to Seth Curry’s steady offensive performance, there were a lot of things the Blue Devils had to like about the win.
Here are three of the more encouraging things Duke can take from the victory:
1. Miles Plumlee morphs into Brian Zoubek
Of all the things Duke had to like about Saturday, the possibility of Plumlee assuming Zoubek’s mantle has to be the highest on the list. Against Maryland two seasons ago, Zoubek kicked off a robust conclusion to his senior campaign by scoring 16 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, becoming a force down low over the final six weeks to help lead the Blue Devils to the NCAA title.
Whether Plumlee’s effort was a one-game thing or something more, Krzyzewski was nonetheless encouraged by Plumlee’s response to the coaching staff showing the team highlights of Zoubek’s game against Maryland.
“We showed what that team two years ago did on this weekend against Maryland, which kind of pushed us in a really good direction where a youngster went from being good to being great,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m not going to put that on Miles, but he was great today. I don’t know if he can keep doing that, but the fact that he’s done it is a nice turn.
“It’s not like he’s played poorly – he’s done a really good job, just like Brian had done a good job. From that day on, Zoubek was great and we won a national championship.”
2. Austin Rivers plays within himself
Compared to his spectacular effort against the Tar Heels on Wednesday, Duke’s freshman guard was quiet against the Terrapins, scoring 11 points.
After his career night against UNC, it may have been easy for Rivers to assert himself offensively and show that he is the star of the Blue Devils’ offense. Instead, Rivers didn’t force the issue, seeming to realize he wasn’t especially sharp while allowing his teammates attack the Terrapins.
That’s noteworthy because three weeks ago Rivers likely would have taken a couple of ill-advised shots or driven into the teeth of the Maryland defense in an effort to get himself going. There was little of that Saturday, which, in a sense, is almost as encouraging for Duke as Rivers' performance on Wednesday night.
“I talked to him briefly after the game and just said you played well defensively and rebounding wise,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s really difficult to come back after doing that and the whole world is talking about your shot.”
3. The Blue Devils played well in consecutive games
It’s been since the early part of January that Duke have strung together two solid efforts that have resulted in a win.
Given the unpredictable nature of this team, it wouldn’t have been a complete shock had the Blue Devils struggled against the Terrapins. Instead, they put together a second half that ranks as one of their better 20 minutes of the year.
“I would like to think we could take a step up after these two games,” Krzyzewski said.
Added Rivers, “I think it shows maturity as a team. For us to win against North Carolina – a less mature team would play loose and lose the game. For us to come in here and play a team that really needed a win … that shows maturity as a team and is a big momentum thing for us right now. We’ve got to ride this in a positive direction.”
--Jack Daly
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Jeff Capel can empathize with Austin Rivers' emotions
As Austin Rivers comes down from his adrenaline rush of a Wednesday night, the person who may have the best idea of how Rivers' one shot will affect his Duke legacy is Jeff Capel.
It's conceivable that Rivers' game-winning 3-pointer was the Blue Devils' most memorable shot in the series with North Carolina since Capel hit a running 30-footer at the end of the first overtime of the teams' Feb. 2, 1995 game.
There are differences between the two buzzer-beaters, with the most notable being that Capel's effort didn't win the game for Duke - North Carolina ended up outlasting Duke 102-100 in double overtime.
So in that sense, Rivers' heroics were even more magical for the Blue Devils.
"It's something that he'll be able to tell his kids about it," said Capel, who is now an assistant coach for the Blue Devils. "It's something that his team will always remember, too - everyone that was associated with it.
"The game will probably be known as the 'Rivers shot.' "
The Capel shot game has taken on a life of its own and become something of an urban legend. Many people, Capel said, have only seen highlights of his shot and do not realize it only tied the game.
That doesn't bother Capel so much as the final score still irritates. With Mike Krzyzewski on leave with an ailing back, that was the season everything went wrong for the Blue Devils. In some ways, the loss to UNC encapsulated the entire season.
"It would have meant more to me and would mean more to me know if we would have won the game, especially if that would have been the game-winner," Capel said.
Nonetheless, Capel enjoys his place in Duke-North Carolina lore.
Capel said he still gets asked about the shot - with the Tar Heels up three, Serge Zwikker missed a free throw before Cherokee Parks rebounded the ball and passed it to Capel, who dribbled twice and took two steps before letting fly from a spot halfway between the top of the 3-point arc and the half-court line - all the time.
"For a kid that really understands this rivalry, to have a moment that will always be remembered in this historic rivalry - it's something that's very special to me," Capel said. "I know Austin didn't grow up in this state, but Austin's a student of the game. I know it's always going to mean something to him and for him to always have a moment like that.
"He'll always have this moment and it's always something that people will remember and identify him with. Hopefully, there are many moments like that for him. But certainly around here and in college basketball, people will always remember that."
Tar Heels' Hairston to miss Virginia game
P.J. Hairston, the North Carolina freshman guard who has averaged 6.6 points per game, will sit out the Tar Heels’ college basketball game against Virginia on Saturday because of a sore left foot, according to a statement UNC released on Friday.
Hairston played 10 minutes and did not score in UNC’s 85-84 loss against Duke on Wednesday night. Hairston, who is wearing a protective boot on his left foot, will not practice today.
During the early part of the season, Hairston was UNC’s most reliable 3-point shooter. But he has been mired in a shooting slump since the start of ACC play last month. He has made just 6 of his 34 3-point attempts since the start of conference play.
The absence of Hairston makes UNC’s already-thin bench even thinner. Only one other reserve, fellow freshman James Michael McAdoo, is averaging more than five minutes of playing time per game. McAdoo and Hairston have both averaged about 13 minutes of playing time.
Hairston is UNC’s third guard who will miss a game this season because of injury. Dexter Strickland, a junior, started UNC’s first 19 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury in a victory against Virginia Tech on Jan. 19. Junior guard Leslie McDonald, meanwhile, is sitting out the season while he recovers from a knee injury.
-- Andrew Carter
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