03/06/2010 - Duke Sports Information

Game 31
Duke (25-5, 12-3 ACC)
vs. North Carolina (16-14, 5-10 ACC)
Saturday, March 6, 2010 l 9:00 p.m. l ESPN
Cameron Indoor Stadium l Durham, N.C.

The Opening Tip
Duke (25-5, 12-3 ACC), ranked fourth in the AP poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, faces unranked North Carolina (16-14, 5-10 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, March 6 at 9:00 p.m. The game will air on ESPN with Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale and Erin Andrews calling the action. With a win on Saturday, Duke would clinch its 12th ACC regular season title under Mike Krzyzewski and the No. 1 seed in the 2010 ACC Tournament.
       
ESPN College GameDay, featuring Rece Davis, Bob Knight, Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis, will also be live from Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

2010 Carlyle Cup
Saturday’s game is a part of the Carlyle Cup, the annual all-sports competition between Duke and North Carolina. Duke currently trails in the challenge, 10-5.5.

The Last Time Out
Duke dropped a hard fought, 79-72, decision at Maryland on Wednesday. Nolan Smith led the way with 20 points, while Jon Scheyer added 19 points. Brian Zoubek paced the Blue Devils with 13 rebounds, including six offensive boards. The loss snapped Duke’s season-best eight-game win streak.

Duke 64, North Carolina 54 - Feb. 10, 2010
Jon Scheyer knocked down five three-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points as Duke posted a 64-54 win over North Carolina earlier this season. Kyle Singler went 4-of-5 from three-point range and added 19 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Numbers Game

• Duke is ranked fourth in the AP poll, marking the 53rd consecutive week ranked in the top 10. The Blue Devils are 43-8 all-time when ranked fourth in the AP poll.
• The Blue Devils have won 41 straight home games against unranked opponents, dating back to a 68-67 loss to Florida State on Feb. 4, 2007.
• Duke is 16-0 with a +26.1 scoring margin at home this season. With a win on Saturday, the Blue Devils would secure their 15th undefeated season at Cameron Indoor Stadium and establish a new school record for home wins with 17.
• Saturday’s game marks the final home game for seniors Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek. The trio has been a part of 105 wins during their four years at Duke.
• Brian Zoubek and Ryan Kelly were named to the ACC All-Academic Team this week, marking the 14th time in the last 16 years Duke has had two or more players on the team.
• Jon Scheyer leads the ACC in three statistical categories and is the only player in the league to rank in the top 5 in eight categories: scoring (third, 18.8 ppg.), assists (fourth, 5.2 apg.), free throw percentage (first, .883), three-point field goals (first, 2.9 3pg.), three-point field goal percentage (second, .404), assist-to-turnover ratio (first, 2.86:1), steals (t-fifth, 1.7 spg.) and minutes (second, 36.5 mpg.).
• Brian Zoubek is averaging 11.0 rebounds (5.0 orpg.) since joining the starting lineup six games ago. He has grabbed 10+ rebounds in three of the last four games and in four of six games as a starter. Zoubek is second in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.4 orpg) and tied for 11th in total rebounds (7.1 rpg.).
• Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are attempting to become just the third trio in Duke history to each average over 17.0 points per game. Jim Spanarkel, Mike Gminski and Gene Banks accomplished the feat in 1977-78, while Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy did the same in 2001-02.
• Junior Nolan Smith is 22 points shy of becoming the 60th player in Duke history with 1,000 career points. 
• Jon Scheyer is averaging 19.3 ppg. and is shooting 48.7 percent (20-of-41) in seven career games against North Carolina. He has scored 20 or more points in three straight games against the Tar Heels.
• Duke has had fewer than 10 turnovers in three straight games and is averaging just 11.2 turnovers per game for the season. Duke has never averaged fewer than 12.0 turnovers per game under Coach K.
• Saturday’s game marks the final game behind the mike for Art Chandler. He has handled public address duties at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the past 40 years.

Checking in on ...

• #2 Nolan Smith - +9.1 ppg. increase from a year ago is second-best in the ACC ... shooting a career-best 40.5 percent from three-point range ... fourth in the ACC with 13 games with 20+ points scored ... double figures in 26 of 28 games played
• #5 Mason Plumlee - Second on the team with 21 dunks ... fourth with 20 blocks ... season-high nine rebounds vs. North Carolina
• #12 Kyle Singler - Five double-doubles and six games with 10+ rebounds ... averaging 17.9 points per game in league play ... leads the ACC in three-point percentage in conference play ... fourth in three-point field goals per game
• #20 Andre Dawkins - Fourth on the team with 32 three-point field goals ... shooting 38.6 percent from three-point range 
• #21 Miles Plumlee - Leads the team with 28 dunks ... shooting 57.1 percent (68-of-119) from the field
• #30 Jon Scheyer - 20+ points in six of the last 11 games ... ranks in the top 10 of the ACC in eight statistical categories ... leads the league in free throw percentage, three-point field goals and assist-to-turnover ratio ... second in the ACC with 14 games with 20 or more points ... three-time ACC Player of the Week
• #34 Ryan Kelly - 14 blocked shots ... one of five Blue Devils with 10+ blocks
• #42 Lance Thomas - Tied for team lead  with 12 charges taken ... 5 or more rebounds in 14 games
• #55 Brian Zoubek - Four or more offensive rebounds 13 times ... averaging 16.67rebounds per 40 minutes played ... eight double-figure rebounding games