Duke Roundball Notebook: Feb. 6-12, 2012

Sunday left a bitter taste in the Blue Devils' mouth after Miami came away with a 78-74 overtime win in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Hurricanes had the edge in the paint, as Duke could not stop 6-10, 280-pound center Reggie Johnson who scored 27 points in the upset.

There were several positives to take away for Duke, however, most notably from the play of freshman Austin Rivers and junior Seth Curry. Rivers played arguably his best game on Sunday, scoring 20 points while hauling in a career-high nine rebounds. The 6-4 guard from Winter Park, Fla., still demonstrated his ability to get to the basket, but showed an ability to dish to an outlet when he didn't have a clear shot. He still got his points, but most importantly turned the ball over just twice during his career-high 43 minutes.

Curry, meanwhile, showed signs of snapping out of a shooting funk and matched a career high with 22 points. The junior shooting guard finished 7-of-13 for the game and 4-of-7 from three-point range with four assists and zero turnovers. Curry scored 17 of his points in the second half, including nine in a six-minute span, and sparked a second-half run that saw Duke overcome a 16-point deficit.

With the win at Virginia Tech and the loss to Miami, Duke's record sits at 19-4 overall and 6-2 in the ACC. You can throw all the records out the window this Wednesday, though, when Duke heads less than 10 miles down Highway 15-501 to take on Tobacco Road rival North Carolina. This year's first edition of the biggest rivalry in college sports - maybe in all of sports - takes place in Chapel Hill in the Dean Smith Center.

As usual, there's plenty on the line. In addition to pitting two top-15 teams against one another, North Carolina and Duke are fighting for the top spot in the ACC. The Tar Heels, with a 7-1 ACC record, are tied with Florida State for first place while Duke is one game behind both of them. The 9 p.m. matchup airs on ESPN.

NOLAN...N-O-L-A-N...NOLAN.
Former Blue Devil and current Portland Trail Blazer Nolan Smith participated in the Schoolhouse Supplies Celebrity Spelling Bee last week as one of 12 local Portland celebrities. Nolan did not make the top three, but helped the organization raise $209,049 that will be used to provide free school supplies to teachers and classrooms in need. Said Nolan before the competition, via Twitter, "I'm in trouble! Duke didn't require me to pass a spelling bee... So don't judge me!"

FOUR BLUE DEVILS AMONG McDONALD'S TOP-35
In celebration of 35 years of honoring the top high school basketball talent in the nation, the McDonald's All-American Games announced its 35 greatest participants. Four Blue Devils made the prestigious list alongside such basketball greats as Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan. The former Duke greats on the list included Grant Hill (No. 24), Bobby Hurley (No. 26), Jay Williams (No. 29) and Christian Laettner (No. 31). To see the complete list, visit the link below:
http://espn.go.com/high-school/boys-basketball/story/_/id/7521370/ranking-mcdonald-top-35

FROM THE DUKE BASKETBALL ARCHIVES
Taking a look back at some big moments in Duke basketball history, we don't have to look too far to find one of the most exciting games in the Duke-North Carolina rivalry. Exactly four years ago today, on Feb. 6, 2008, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels met in Chapel Hill for a top-three matchup. Duke and North Carolina were ranked No. 2 and No. 3 nationally and had a combined 39-3 record, but the Blue Devils had lost three straight in the series which at the time was Duke's longest losing streak since the 1993-96 seasons. North Carolina was the slight favorite on its home court and held a significant advantage in the paint with a lineup led by All-American Tyler Hansbrough. Duke, however, countered with the athletic, sharp-shooting quintet of Kyle Singler, Greg Paulus, Gerald Henderson, DeMarcus Nelson and Jon Scheyer, all of which scored in double figures to power the Blue Devils past the Tar Heels 89-78. North Carolina had no answer for Paulus, who shot 6-of-8 from the three-point line on the way to a team-high 18 points. Duke forced North Carolina into 20 turnovers while hitting 13 three-pointers to offset a 28-point night from Hansbrough. An excerpt from the recap reads, "The Blue Devils, meanwhile, did exactly what they needed to do to offset the Tar Heels' advantage up front. They repeatedly got open looks off penetration and kickouts. Paulus was the biggest beneficiary, hitting his first five 3-pointers. But, unlike Hansbrough, he had plenty of help."

To relive the game on GoDuke.com, check out the recap, photos, box score and Coach K's postagme press conference, visit the link below:
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=1384201

BLUE DEVILS TALK ABOUT UNC GAME TODAY
Beginning at 4 p.m. today, Coach K and selected players will address the media about Wednesday's upcoming game with North Carolina. Be sure to tune in to GoDuke.com to hear what they have to say about the rivalry and what they need to do to come away with a win in Chapel Hill.

IRVING SINKS ANOTHER GAME-WINNER
Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft out of Duke, sank his second game-winning bucket in a week in Saturday's 91-88 win over the defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. Irving, who averages 18.1 points per game, scored 20 points with seven assists and just one turnover on the night, including the go-ahead layup with 15.1 seconds remaining in the game. Echoing something that Duke fans saw Irving do during the 2010-11 season, Cleveland head coach Byron Scott commented, "We put the ball in his hands and let him make decisions. He has a unique ability to get to the basket. When he gets there, he has a way of finishing. Once he gets around guys, he is just a great finisher and he can finish with either hand."

VOTE FOR COACH K IN INFINITI CHALLENGE
Coach K is currently trailing Kentucky's John Calipari, West Virginia's Bob Huggins and Syrarcuse's Jim Boeheim in the East Region voting in the Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge. Visit the link below to give Coach K your vote and help him raise $100,000 for the Emily Krzyzewski Center. Coach K is one of 48 prominent college basketball coaches participating in the contest, which will hand out over $300,000 to selected charities across the nation. The first round of voting lasts three more weeks and features four brackets of 12 coaches separated by region. To vote for Coach K (East Region), follow the link below:
http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/infiniti/2012/?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200

PICK THE CAMERON CRAZIES FOR STUDENT SECTION OF THE YEAR
The world famous Cameron Crazies are among nearly 80 schools selected to compete in the Naismith Student Section of the Year voting and currently rank seventh. The heart of the toughest basketball arena in the nation, the Crazies trail the student sections of Kansas, Purdue, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Indiana and Utah State. All voting is done through Facebook, so be sure to send in your votes for Cameron Crazies at http://www.facebook.com/ilovecollegehoops

DUKE BASKETBALL RADIO SHOW ON TUESDAY
The Duke Basketball Radio Show airs at 7 p.m. on Tuesday this week. The show broadcasts live from the Vista Restaurant at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club and airs on WDNC 620 AM The Buzz in The Triangle. Fans are welcome to attend the show and can submit questions to associate head coaches Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski at the following link:
www.goduke.com//quest/Questionaire.dbml?QID=73996&DB_OEM_ID=4200

LINKED IN
Portland rookie Nolan Smith learning about the NBA, his dad (The Sacramento Bee)
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/02/4232930/ailene-voisin-portland-rookie.html

Mason Plumlee wears the claw marks of a rebounder (Greensboro News & Record)
http://www.news-record.com/blog/56101/entry/136783

Rivers is a self-made man (Roanoke Times)
http://www.roanoke.com/sports/acc/wb/304279

Rivers enjoying his freshman experience (Orlando Sentinel)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college/hurricanes/fl-duke-austin-rivers-0205-20120204,0,1058738.story

Battier has brains, talent and heart (Fox Sports Florida)
http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/02/03/12/Heats-Battier-has-brains-talent-and-hear/landing_heat.html?blockID=658920&feedID=3720

STAT OF THE WEEK
Duke has used seven different starting lineups in the last 11 games. The only player to start every game during that span is junior Mason Plumlee, who has started 44 consecutive games since 2010-11.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I didn't grow up with a lot of material things in my life. We weren't the richest family on the block, but one of the best things my parents did is, they bought a set of encyclopedias. I used to read encyclopedias. There's nothing nerdier than that. I've always enjoyed learning and reading about new things, and I have a pretty good memory."
-Miami Heat forward Shane Battier

TWEETS OF THE WEEK
RealJayWilliams Jay Williams
Haters r like crickets. Crickets make a lot of noise, u hear it but u can't see them. Then right when u walk by them, they're quiet.

NdotSmitty Nolan D. Smith
Smh.. Im practicing for this spelling bee.... I'm in trouble! Duke didn't require me to pass a spelling bee... So dont judge me!

DunkinDobbins23 Chris Dobbins
I am still so hype right now!! I won't sleep tonight!! Yall just don't understand what Duke basketball means to me! It's life! @Duke_MBB

BILAS TWEET OF THE WEEK
JayBilas Jay Bilas
Riding to St. Louis on GameDay bus. Gotta pull over on interstate with all the 18-wheelers. The law says I gotta weigh my swag as freight.