Duke Quotes: Duke 67, Maryland 61

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski:

Opening statement
“It was a very difficult game. Maryland has been on a mission, and Vasquez had led them. I thought we played good enough defensively to limit Vasquez from dominating the game. Coming in, he had been averaging 20 points and 10 assists in the two games. He was responsible for probably 60 to 65 percent of their points. So, our focus was to try and limit him, and I think we did that. He was good today, but we stopped him from being great.

“Our guys had a little bit of a problem, because they do some things unconventionally on defense, which can throw you off your rhythm. I thought our bench gave us a huge lift. Paulus came in and gave us good minutes, and Nolan (Smith) was really good. I mean, really good. Dave (McClure), in the second half, made three huge plays that, you could see, lifted our team. His drive to score gave our team even a little bit more life, which is what Elliot (Williams) has done the last few weeks. So our bench was huge in this afternoon's game.

“We're excited about playing for the ACC Championship, and we know that will be a difficult game also.”

Your last few games have been tough and come down to the last few possessions. What does that say about your team's mental toughness at this point in the season?

“I think the stretch that we had at the end of regular season - we had such a difficult schedule - and that has made us a tougher team. I love seeing these guys respond to pressure situations, like inbounding the ball. We didn't make a mistake in inbounding the ball. Pressure free throws, not fouling, not giving up a three, but tw's, things like that. You can simulate something like that in practice, but unless you actually do it in a game, you're not going to have a confidence level. In these two games, our guys have made a lot of pressure plays.

On how team changes when Elliott Williams and Noal Smith play together
“It helps us defensively because they're two of our best athletes. It also gives us a little bit of rest for Gerald {Henderson] and Jon [Scheyer]. With those four guys on the perimeter, plus David [McClure], defensively we go up a notch. I'm really astounded at how well Nolan [Smith] has played these two games. He's only practiced just a little bit and even his conditioning is great. Today, he was a huge factor for us. Going into those pressure situations, he knocked down the free throws.”

On the ACC and comparing it to other conference around the country
“I love the Big Ten, but I can't believe people are saying seven or eight teams and they're not saying nine or 10 from our conference. In our conference, count how many teams have been ranked in the top 10. There are four in the top 10 at some time and three of them have been number one. The Big East has that, but no other conference does. Maryland has played seven games against teams ranked number one at some point this year. No one has played that kind of schedule. They're 20-13 and five of those 13 losses have come to the number one team in the country at some time this year. You can say that for a few teams in our league. I'm not picking on the Big 10, but come on. Can you say that? “

“Don't tell me what your conference or even your overall record is. Virginia Tech's record goes right up against anyone from the major conferences. It just does. This has been our best league in this decade, player wise and team wise. There is no easy out in this league. Georgia Tech showed that by how they played in this tournament.”

Duke Players:

Jon Scheyer

What opened up for you in the second half that wasn't there in the first half, offensively?

“In the first half, they did a really good job defensively. In the second half, my teammates got me a couple of good looks, and in the zone, we had some other opportunities to get some shots there. That was a big thing for us, when I was open against the zone, to try and hit those shots.” Krzyzewski chimes in - “And Nolan did a really good job on top of the zone, so we could swing it to Jon. Jon was huge against the zone.”

On playing a much bigger team like Florida State and how you can adjust in just 24 hours
“We just played Florida State so we know how good of a team they are. Obviously, they have [Solomon] Alabi inside who can change a lot of shots. It's a different game where you need to know when to attack and be smart because they do have a lot of shot blockers. When we play them, we need to be smart and aggressive.”

On why offense has picked up since changing positions
“Coach has put me in a good position to score the ball. For me, when the point guard is picking me up at the top of the key it's a strength for me to take him off the ball. They're not used to it so I just try and use it to my advantage. It's just a matter of being confident and taking the right shots.”

David McClure

On having support of his coaches and whether his play in the second half gave team momentum
“I think so. I feel like there are a lot of different ways that I can help the team. It could be a drive to the basket, sometimes it could be a rebound and sometimes it can be a strong screen. That's really the biggest thing that I enjoy doing. I just want to help the team no matter what it is that's what I'm going to try and do.”

On what it would mean to win the ACC Tournament
“As a group, it would be a great way to help us in the latter part of March. Personally, it would be great just to get back there. We won a couple championships early in my career, but I really wasn't much of a factor. I was young and coming off a couple injuries. There would be no better way to end with these guys than to go out and get one. Everybody on our team feels like they are a part of it. Everybody will take ownership of it.”

Kyle Singler

On facing Florida State:
“We could have easily lost either (regular season) game. They are a good team. Both games went down to the wire. Keys to the game: They are big inside, we are going to have to stop Toney Douglas; he's a very good guard. We are going to have to play forty minutes. That is a big thing with this team. Sometimes we don't play well in the first half and then play better in the second. We have to put together two halves of basketball.”

Nolan Smith

On Jon Scheyer's role at point guard:
“When Jon is the point he forces a mismatch for the other team. He forces the other point guard to guard him coming off screens and then when he gives it up we have five scorers on the court.”

Duke Quotes: Duke 67, Maryland 61

Players Mentioned

David McClure

Jon Scheyer

Kyle Singler

Nolan Smith

Duke information

Duke Quotes: Duke 67, Maryland 61

Players Mentioned

David McClure

Jon Scheyer

Kyle Singler

Nolan Smith

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Duke information