Courtesy: Duke Photography

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke, ranked 11th in the AP poll and 10th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, faces unranked Air Force on Monday in the semifinals of the College Basketball Experience Classic in Kansas City, Mo. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. with espn2 televising the contest.

The Blue Devils posted wins over Columbia (86-43) and Georgia Southern (72-48) to reach the semifinals, while Air Force topped Long Beach State (69-68) and Stanford (79-45) to advance. Duke also defeated UNC Greensboro (75-48) and the Falcons have an 81-45 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff to their credit. In its last outing (Nov. 16), Duke posted a 75-48 win over UNC Greensboro. David McClure had a career night with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven steals. Freshman Brian Zoubek went 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line to lead the Blue Devils with 17 points. He also added seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals in the win.

Freshman Gerald Henderson recorded his second straight double-figure scoring night with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while DeMarcus Nelson added 11 points, four rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Josh McRoberts had career highs in assists (7) and blocks (5) to go along with six points on 3-of-3 shooting in the win.

The 48 points allowed by Duke marked the third straight contest the Blue Devils held the opposition below 50 points. The last time at Duke team accomplished that feat in three straight games to open the season was in 1940-41.

Storylines

• Tonight's contest between Duke and Air Force is the first meeting between the two institutions. The Blue Devils are 8-4 overall against teams currently in the Mountain West Conference and 4-1 against the MWC under Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has won four straight against teams currently in the MWC (last loss was 103-73 versus UNLV on April 2, 1990 in the NCAA Championship game).
• Duke, now with 1,799 wins all-time, is one win shy of becoming just the fourth school in NCAA history with at least 1,800 wins. The Blue Devils are 1,799-811 in 102 years of collegiate basketball action.
• With wins over Columbia and Georgia Southern in the opening rounds of the CBE Classic, the Blue Devils improved to 51-17 in in-season tournaments under Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has won 10 in-season tournament titles in the last 27 years, including the NIT Season Tip-Off last season.
• Duke has held each of its first three opponents under 50 points, marking the first time since the 1940-41 season that it has accomplished that feat. The Blue Devils are 44-0 under Krzyzewski and 102-4 since the 1948-49 season when holding opponents under 50 points. Duke its first three opponents to a combined 30.6 percent (52-of-170) shooting from the field.
• Sophomore Josh McRoberts has stepped in to fill the defensive void created by the graduation of Shelden Williams. Through three games, McRoberts is averaging an ACC-best 3.7 blocks per game. In Duke’s 75-48 win over UNC Greensboro, he blocked a career-high five shots. McRoberts also had a career-best seven assists against the Spartans, marking just the fourth time in school history a player has recorded five or more assists and blocks in the same game. McRoberts joined Mike Gminski, Danny Ferry and Shane Battier as the only players to accomplish the feat.
• Junior DeMarcus Nelson went through a rigorous offseason training regiment with Frank Matrisciano, an ex-Navy Seal. His hard work is paying early dividends as Nelson leads the Blue Devils in scoring (12.7 ppg.) and rebounding (tied - 6.0 rpg.). He is also second in steals (2.0 spg.) and blocks (1.0 bpg.). Nelson is shooting 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the field, fourth best on the team. He recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Georgia Southern on Nov. 13. Nelson has scored in double figures 18 times in his career, including all three games this season. Duke is 16-2 in such games.
• David McClure is coming off the best game of his career in a 75-48 win over UNC Greensboro on Nov. 16. He set new career highs with 11 points, nine rebounds (five offensive) and seven steals against the Spartans. The Ridgefield, Conn., native went 4-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the foul line in the win. On the season, McClure, who missed all of last year with a knee injury, leads the team in steals (3.0 spg.), is tied for the lead in rebounds (6.0 rpg.) and ranks second in field goal percentage (.667, 8-of-12).
• Duke has four players (DeMarcus Nelson, Josh McRoberts, Jon Scheyer & Brian Zoubek) averaging double figures in scoring. A year ago, J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams were the only players to average over 10.0 ppg. Gerald Henderson (9.7 ppg.) and Lance Thomas (8.3 ppg.) are near double figures in scoring as well this season. The Blue Devils have had four players in double figures in each of the first three games.
• Duke’s freshman class (Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas & Brian Zoubek) is averaging 40.0 points, 14.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.3 blocks and 4.3 steals per game. They are also shooting an impressive 51.3 percent (41-of-80) from the field. All four members of the class have scored in double figures, with Henderson, Scheyer and Zoubek reaching double digits twice apiece.
• Junior DeMarcus Nelson was named the CBE Classic Durham Regional MVP after leading Duke to victories over Columbia and Georgia Southern. Nelson averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from the field.
• Duke’s depth has been a key element of the team’s success in the first three games. The Blue Devils have 10 players averaging 10+ minutes per game after have just seven guys average more than 10 minutes per game last season. Through three games, Duke’s bench is averaging 27.3 ppg., an increase of 15.6 ppg. from a year ago.
• The Duke coaching staff (head coach Mike Krzyzewski, associate head coach Johnny Dawkins and assistant coaches Steve Wojciechowski and Chris Collins) enters its seventh year in tact. During that time span, the group has led the Blue Devils to a 185-31 record, one National Championship, five ACC Tournament titles and three ACC regular season championships.