Enough. No more. Nada.

No more talk about being a title contender. No more talk about “earning” a No 1 seed in the tournament. Hell, right now I don’t want to hear another word about an ACC championship. Until this Blue Devils team can actually win a true road game, you and I cannot talk about any of those things. All I see is a team that can win at home and until the NCAA allows Duke to play all their NCAA tournament games in Cameron, I’m not impressed by this team.

Like other defeats Duke has tasted this season, they reverted back to making the same stupid mistakes and again, turning themselves in a three-man team. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to take anything from NC State. They were on tonight. They had a game plan and they performed. The Devils were outplayed, out-hustled and out-coached.

So what did I see?

Duke had ZERO answers for Tracy Smith. The man shot 10-12 from the floor. He scored 23 points and probably should have scored much more if not for a couple of long stretches where the ball never came inside. Coach K obviously made the decision to guard him one-on-one, ignoring the double-team for most of the game. It failed.

Smith made his first six shots, abusing Duke’s big men with NBA-like moves. In the second, Duke did some doubling and played some zone and that slowed him down some, but in reality, Smith showed that if he’s not the best big man in the ACC, he’s damn near close.

Speaking of defense, Duke must have left their D in Durham. NC State shot an astonishing 58.2% from the floor. How does that happen? Duke gave up 27 more points than their season average of 61ppg.

When things get tough, Duke turns into a three-man team. Look at this stat line…Smith, Scheyer and Singler took 46 of Duke’s 57 shots. Stunning. It’s one thing if you’re hitting those shots, but the three of them were only 18-46. Singler and Scheyer in particular were bad tonight on the offensive end.

Singler’s struggles continued. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of writing that sentence. He again missed some open threes (he was 0-3 on the night) and finished hitting only 6-16. The only reason he led the team in scoring was his 10-12 free throw shooting.

Tonight, Scheyer looked like a underclassmen. His defense was weak and the ACC’s assist/turnover leader had only one assist. Of course, it’s been a rough week as Scheyer appears to be in a mini-slump. Over his last three games, he’s only hit 12-39 (that’s 31%). He was 5-16 tonight and took some God awful shots, throwing up odd shots in the middle of the lane.

Nolan Smith was the only player who decided to show up in Raleigh. He scored 18 on 7-14 shooting.

The Plumlee’s came up small tonight. After both Plumlee brothers had career nights at home against Wake Forest, they disappeared against NC State. They took only four shots (hitting one), but in reality, they weren’t on the floor much. Miles got abused by Tracy Smith early and Mason struggled with the switch offs and rotation.

Tonight, Thomas and Zoubek were the better big men. They combined to score 11 and they did grab a solid 21 rebounds, but let’s just be honest here. Duke will not have a long tournament run if we have to give the majority of playing time to these two guys. Don’t get me wrong, they got the heart, they got the smart and they do a pretty damn good job on the boards and on the defensive end. The problem is, teams know they’re not an offensive threat and this is when Duke becomes a three-man team.

It has become simple…if Duke was to be really successful, they need two Plumlee’s to be on the court. However, for Mason and Miles to be on the court, they have to play defense better. It’s a ton to ask for. Mason is a true freshman and Miles sat most of his freshman years.The question is, is it too much to ask for?

In reality, you could make the same argument for Andrea Dawkins. He took zero shots tonight. If he’s not going to score…if he’s not even going to attempt to score, then Coach has no reason to have him on the floor. You’re a great shooter, Dawkins, so shoot the ball. If it doesn’t go in, don’t sweat it. It will eventually.

The strange part about tonight was, Duke actually still had a shot late. Despite shooting 20 points worse than NC State, handing off 10 less assists and turning the ball over 14 times, Duke actually had a shot to win it. If Gonzalez doesn’t hit that prayer of a three-point shot with three to play (assuming Duke grabs the board), the Devils have the ball with a chance to cut the lead down to six or even five.

The big reason was the boards. Besides Nolan’s play, the rebounding was the only other positive. Duke out-rebounded State by 15, including a 16-5 offensive rebounding edge. Of course I guess you could argue that there simply were more offensive rebound opportunities because Duke shot 38.6% from the floor.

Is it me or is storming the court getting old. I understand, the Wolfpack haven’t been to the tournament in a while. They haven’t beaten Duke in a while either, but does a 13-win team vying for a tournament spot really need to storm the court? I guess the answer is yes, but we need to come up with some ground rules for when it is appropriate. Every team outside of Chapel Hill who beats Duke storms the court.

There’s really only one thing to talk about…the Devils are not road warriors. After tonight’s defeat and just days away from an even tougher road game, the talk will be of Duke’s 0-3 record on the road. The critics will say, Duke doesn’t schedule enough road games out of conference, thus the team is not prepared come ACC time. You know what, those critics might be on to something.

Right now, home Duke looks completely different than road Duke. Maybe someone smarter than me can explain it to me, because I certainly don’t have a clue. All I do know is, in each road loss, the Devils have actually looked worse each time.

Hopefully, they’ll figure it out soon. They head into a brutal one against Clemson, looking for a little revenge after a 21-point loss in Durham. A week later, they head up to DC to face a top-10 worthy Georgetown team. A week later, they head up to BC and right now, I’ll be honest, I see no reason to think we can handle the Eagles in Boston. After that of course is a big one against North Carolina. Yeah, they’re struggling, but when Duke/NC play, the records don’t matter.

No inside game. It’s been a problem ever since Sheldon Williams shipped off to the NBA. Sure Duke had great guards and wing players who could beat you with threes, but the question always came up…what happens on a cold night? What happens when the threes aren’t landing? Over the past couple of years, the answer was simple. We lose.

Tonight though, just maybe…that question goes away. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to turn one great game by the Plumlee’s in a “Duke’s going to win the championship” speech, but it appears they finally have the inside presence they so desperately needed. So let’s not waste anymore of your valuable time and get right into it.

What did I see?

I saw the Plumlee brothers grow up tonight. In reality, they’ve been getting better and better all season long. Tonight though, it was all about them because the simple fact is, without them, Duke doesn’t win tonight.

As the Law Firm of Singler, Scheyer and Smith were struggling from the floor early on, it was the Plumlee’s that Wake couldn’t stop, especially on the boards. In the first half alone, the brothers scored 23 points, grabbing 17 rebounds. For the game, they scored 30, grabbing 21 boards and that’s with Mason missing the final 11 minutes after a hard foul sent him down to the bench.
While the two will probably always be linked, in reality they are two completely different players. Miles is becoming a force below, getting himself into perfect position and grabbing the missed shots with two strong hands.

Mason really is the best athlete on the team though. The past two weeks we’ve been talking about finishing. Tonight, Mason was a finisher. He took the ball to the basket and produced. Yet, his two best plays were not shots, although you could argue that his reverse slam was the “highlight” of the night.

First, at the 5:36 mark, Wake’s Al-Farouq Aminu grabbed a long rebound and raced down the floor. Mason was the only person back. He could have made a lame effort to defend (picking up a foul in the process), but instead, simply let Aminu score. Why was this smart? Because the refs were calling a tight game. He already had two fouls and too many Blue Devils were struggling with foul trouble. His being able to stay on the floor was more important than the two points Aminu scored. It’s called smart play and that’s called maturing. In fact…

On Duke’s next possession, Mason (despite standing 6′10) dribble-drove it to the basket, found himself doubled team and dished it out to an open Singler, who nailed Duke’s first three of the game.

Again, this was one game, but if this is what we can start to expect from Miles and Mason, the future looks bright.

I saw the Big Three step up when they had to. The shooting stats won’t impress your girlfriend (as Singler, Scheyer and Smith shot 16-47 from the floor), yet most of their big shots came in the second half, after the Plumlee’s controlled the game for the first 25 minutes.

Remember, after Wake came back to take a one-point lead (56-55) at the 14-minute mark, it was Singler’s big three that put Duke back up, followed by a beautiful old fashion three-point play by Scheyer in the next play. Of course we won’t forget about Nolan, who controlled the game at the end, driving and hitting shots as Duke tried to run the clock out.

Kyle Singler in particular had a strange game. His overall stat line was impressive. He scored 21, grabbing 15 boards (including six offensive). It was his first career 20/15 game. Of course he struggled early (again), hitting just one of his first eight shots, yet he hit six of his last 11 to finish strong.

I saw a lot of fouls. In fact, if you were watching, you saw a stunning 47 fouls called on both teams. Hell, Wake was in the bonus in the first half, with only nine minutes played. Overall, the teams took a combined 57 free throws. Duke did manage to take seven more, but they made 11 more, which goes a long way in determining the outcome of the game.

One controversial call was the intentional foul call on Ishmael Smith against Mason Plumlee, midway through the second half. Based on my understanding of the rule, the foul may have been hard, bit since Smith was going for the ball, it should not have been intentional.

Having said that, the announcers treated it like it was the defining moment of the game and in fact, said, “mark this time down.” Yet, to do that, you have to forget Duke was already on a 6-0 run. Granted, it always sounds worse when you call it a four-point play (which it turned out to be), but let’s not forget, if the ref didn’t call it intentional, it still would have been called a foul and Duke still would have shot two free throws (and make them both). The bad call resulted in two extra points with Duke getting the possession. Take that away and Duke still went on a 11-0 run.

Speaking of fouls, I saw Duke’s Big Boys nearly all foul out of the game. Tonight, the Plumlee’s and Thomas all had four fouls, while Zoubek fouled out. This means every one minute and 11 seconds, this foursome committed a foul…and please keep in mind, this is at home, when the refs are suppose to be giving favorable calls.

I’ve been hitting on this subject for a few weeks now and it will remain a concern throughout the ACC. Duke’s front court is committing too many fouls. Luckily for us, this season we have the bodies. Tonight, even Ryan Kelly stepped in to fill in a void late in the first half.

I saw Andre Dawkins for a cool 12 minutes. I’m going to keep preaching it, the kid needs to be on the floor. I could care less if he scores a single basket or knocks down a single three. His stroke will come back. Tonight, thanks to Duke’s foul issues, he played 12 minutes and hit one basket. Keeping shooting, kid. Keep shooting.

I saw a tired Wake Forest squad. Wake had entered the game winning three of their last four, but they needed four overtimes to earn those three W’s. Tonight, they looked like they ran out of steam. It probably didn’t help that the game was so physical.

I saw that Ismael Smith is not Jeff Teague. Recently, I got into a friendly conversation with a Wake Forest fan. I had pointed out on this blog that unlike Teague, Smith could not be relied upon down the stretch and/or in a big game. The Wake fan kindly disagreed.

Tonight, Smith showed that he’s as quick as any guard in the ACC, but because he has ZERO outside shot, he can be stopped. Tonight, the Devils let Smith roll into double teams and he was able to hit only 3-12 shots. He took no three-point shots attempts. Of course if I was shooting only 21% from deep, I’d probably not take a three either.

Stat Line That I Only Care About - Nolan Smith is becoming a scoring machine. He’s scored 19+ in seven of his last eight. What’s most impressive is the fact that he’s done it without the three. In his last four games, he’s taken 51 shots, but only nine have been three pointers.

Speaking of three’s, where has it gone? Duke actually shot 4-13 from deep tonight, but sadly, that’s a step up from what they’ve done in recent games. The Devils have hit only 11 of their last 43 three-point shots.

FINAL WORD: So the Blue Devils improved to 15-2 on the season, but let’s be honest, despite some big wins this season, we still have a lot to learn about this team. Particularly, how will Duke handle the road? The Blue Devils are officially 0-2 on the road this season (sorry the wins at MSG and in the United Center were neutral site victories).

Duke’s has two road tests (against Wisconsin and Georgia Tech) and they failed both times. Is it me or is it hard to believe Duke has only visited an opponent’s home court twice all season long?

This of course has been an issue for Duke over the years. It’s a simple fact that the Devils have not played a lot of non-conference ‘true’ road games over the years (especially against quality competition).

We will learn something soon enough though. Five of Duke’s next seven games will be on to road. Three of those road games will be against ranked teams: Clemson, Georgetown and our personal favorite, North Carolina (not to mention a home game against Georgia Tech).

By February 10th, we’ll know a lot about this team.

I’ll be honest, you’re going to need someone a lot smarter than me to understand this conference this year. Last year, it was easy. It was North Carolina and then everyone else fighting for second. The only question was, how often would the Tar Heels get bored and lose a game?

This year, we have a clusterf*ck of a mess.

Duke beats Clemson by 21, who crushed North Carolina by 20. Yet, Duke lost to Georgia Tech, who just got beat by (get this) first place Virginia by seven. Miami leads the league in wins with 15, but they played teams like USC Upstate and Nova Southeast. Did I mention that Virginia is the only team undefeated in conference play? How about Wake? Three of their last four have gone to overtime and the one that didn’t, they lost to Miami 67-66. Everyone in the conference has lost at least two games and over half the league (7 of 12)  have already dropped four or more games. All this and we’ve haven’t even mentioned that Carolina lost to the Charleston Cougars.

How do you even begin to figure it all out? Well, it’s simple I tell ya.

So far this season, home teams are 13-3. As Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina State are the only teams to win on the road (once each). Now homes teams winning is nothing new in college basketball and it’s certainly nothing new in the ACC, but there’s winning and then there is domination.

Last year, the league was 65-31 at home in conference. That’s .667 at home, compared to .813 winning percentage this season.So what’s the deal?

I got two words for you…experienced guards.

First, experience makes all the difference in hostile environments. There are plenty of reasons why even bad teams have an advantage at home: familiarity, the fans, the refs, but experience can neutralize some if not all of that. While any freshman would be intimated in Cameron, after two or three years, it’s just another basketball court.

Second, it’s always about guards. Everything runs through the guards, if they are rattled, the team isn’t going to win. You want to silence a hostile crowd, you do it with a three.

Last year, the ACC was littered with great guards. Rice, Lawson, Douglas, McClinton, Lawson, Ellington, Teague, Rivers, Oglesby…just to name a few. These guys are all gone.

The only “experienced” guards back in 2009-2010 are the two Duke guards, Scheyer and Smith, Va Tech’s Malcolm Delaney and Maryland’s Vasquez (of course these guys are a combined 0-4 on the road so far).

If players like Ishmael Smith, Larry Drew and Iman Shumpert can play like experienced upperclassmen, then we could do some nice road wins this season. However, I would expect the home team to win over 70% of ACC games this season.

Word on the street is, Roscoe Smith has picked a college and it won’t be the Duke Blue Devils. According to Dave Telep at Scout, Smith has picked Connecticut. The news hasn’t come from Roscoe himself, but his father via text message.

While not landing Roscoe isn’t as bad as missing out on Harrison Barnes, it is yet another miss by the Duke coaching staff. Again, we’re assuming all this is true. Remember just days ago, word was Smith was opening back up his recruitment to seven schools (it was three before). It’s a bit odd that everything changes in just days, but this is recruiting and nothing really should be surprising me anymore.

Anyhow, back to Duke. Again, this has to be disappointing. At this point we still have no clue if Kyle Singler will come back for his senior season. If he decided to go to the NBA, Duke right now would be without a true SF. This would be truly shocking. Of course if Singler comes back, Duke would be just fine.
IF SINGLER CAME BACK:
PG – Irving
SG – N. Smith
SF – Singler
PF – Ma. Plumlee
SF – Mi. Plumlee
BN – Dawkins (SG)
BN – Curry (SG)
BN – Thornton (PG)
BN – Hairston (PF)
BN – Kelly (PF)

Obviously that’s a stacked team. However, if Singler doesn’t return, Duke would probably roll with three guards and the Plumlee brothers, with either Dawkins or Curry starting. This team is certainly good enough to compete next season, but without Singler, it would certainly be young.

If Duke decides it still wants to bring someone in next year, what are the options at SF?

Duke fans, meet Terrence Ross. He’s a 6′5 four-star athletic guard/forward combo, who committed to Maryland a while  ago. However, it looks like Ross has officially pulled out of Maryland and is looking around again. His top four (according to Rivals) is Duke, Maryland, Kentucky and Kansas.

So what do we know about Ross? He’s a player….it’s that simple. He can shoot it from deep and take it to the hole. He still needs to work on his defense and develop a mid-range shot, but he loves to run the court and with Irving running the point, next year’s Duke squad would become an up-tempo ball club. Duke would be a perfect place to land, if that’s the decision he makes. He’d come off the bench for one year, especially if Singler stays, but he would start from there.

Of course Duke’s biggest advantage is the fact that Duke recruit, Josh Hairston is a teammate of Ross and word is, Josh is already working on him. Good luck, Josh.

We’re heading into ACC play and I figured it’s a good time to see who are the best players the league has to offer right now. Let’s just get started with a little first and second team ‘All-ACC’, shall we?

FIRST-TEAM “TOO EARLY” ALL-ACC TEAM

G – John Scheyer (Duke)
The numbers alone, tell the story. He’s third in the league in scoring (18.8ppg) and first in assists (6.4apg). His 2.8 three’s per game leads the ACC, as does his 90.1 free throw percentage. His most impressive stat? His 4.9 assist-to-turnover ratio is twice as good as the next guy in the league (in fact, he leads the nation).He’s not only on pace for All ACC honors, but he’s looking at national honors if he keeps these stats up.

G – Greivis Vasquez (Maryland)
He had a horrid start and couldn’t hit a shot in an empty arena (30-93, 32% from the floor), but he’s really rediscovered his groove lately (46-83, 55%). He leads Maryland in scoring and assists, sitting fourth in rebounds. Also, his 2/1 assist-to-turnover ratio is nothing to sneeze at. However, his recent successful run has come against the likes of Eastern Kentucky, Winston-Salem, Florida Atlantic, William & Mary (loss) and UNC Greensboro. Let’s see what he can do now that the competition gets tougher.

F – Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest)
If the player of the year isn’t Scheyer, then it’s Aminu. He has stepped beautifully into the lead role for Wake. He is fifth in scoring and first in rebounds, averaging a double-double (17.4/11.5). Against Xavier, he played 41 minutes and dominated with 26 points and 18 boards. If I had to nitpick, he’s turning the ball over way too much for a non-guard (3.2 per game) and he needs to get his shooting percentage above 50%. Currently he’s hovering around 47%, but that has a lot to do with the amount of three’s he’s shooting. He’s 9-28 from three. Last year he took only 39 all season long.Take away those threes and he’s hitting a respectable 53% from two.

F -Ed Davis (North Carolina)
One of only two players averaging a double-double (15/10). Carolina may have lost four games, but it isn’t because of this guy. He leads the league in shooting percentage, hitting a solid 63% from the floor. He gets the first-team nod over teammate Deon Thompson because defensively, Davis shins. He’s tied with Solomon Alabi in blocks at 2.9 per game and is the only player with over 100 defensive rebounds (1o6 for the season).

F – Tracy Smith (North Carolina State)
Don’t be ashamed if you don’t know much about him. Google him and he isn’t even the first “Tracy Smith” to pop up. The 6′8 forward is the highest scoring forward in the ACC (17.5ppg), fourth overall. He’s fourth in rebounding and third in scoring percentage. Overall, he really has improved each and every season at NC State. His points have gone up 7ppg each season (from 3.3ppg in 2007-2008, to 10ppg last year to 17.5ppg this year). Obviously this means he’ll average 24ppg next year, right? While he may not be as famous as the other forwards in this league, let’s not forget, he was a four-star recruit, ranked 18th best PF coming out of high school.

SECOND-TEAM “TOO EARLY” ALL-ACC TEAM

G – Ishmael Smith (Wake Forest)
Right now (and yes it’s early), Smith is looking like the best pure point guard in the ACC (although Larry Drew and his 6.3 assists could argue otherwise). The difference is, Smith can dish 5.8apg (2/1 assist-to-turnover rate) AND score (Smith averages 12ppg, while Drew only produces 8.4ppg). Hell, just for fun, Smith also grabs over four rebounds per game (despite barely standing six-feet tall) and is fifth in steals in the ACC (1.8spg). He had his breakout game this past weekend against Xavier, hitting on 10-14 shots, scoring 28, while dishing out nine assists. His two problems (and they are big problems)? His free throw average would make Shaq blush (He shoots 47% from the line, 17-40 on the season) and he only makes 26% of his three pointers, making him only the seventh best three-point shooter on his own team. Meaning? If Wake is down by three or trying to hold a three-point lead, the ball should not be in Smith’s hands.

G -Nolan Smith (Duke)
In reality, Smith probably should be first team player. He’s put up better numbers than Vasquez, but we’re giving it to the Maryland guard simply because he’s more valuable to his team right now. After a so-so start, where Nolan was scoring a lot, but taking too many shots to get there (31-80, 39%), he’s been on fire in his last six games. He’s averaged a career best, 18.4ppg (10 more points than last year), while leading the ACC in three-point shooting (51%), after hovering below 40% his first two seasons). Hell, his 1.9/1 assist-to-turnover ratio is the ninth best in the league, which is pretty good for a guy who doesn’t really play the point.

G – Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech)
I decided to go with three-guards in the second-team, simply because I can’t ignore the league’s top scorer, although I wouldn’t put him ahead of any of the four other guards who make up the first and second teams. Like I said, he’s first in scoring (19+ per game) and is third in three pointers made. However, despite hitting many threes, he’s taking a lot of shots. In fact, he’s only 10th in the league in three-point average. He needs to get more out of his shots and get that percentage up.

F – Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech)
Freshman Derrick Favors may get all the press in Atlanta, but it’s Lawal getting it done. He’s 10th in the league in scoring (15.3ppg) and third in rebounds (9.4rpg). He nails down 55.5% of his shots and can swat the ball away on the defensive end (5th in the ACC in blocks at 1.4bpg). Still, Georgia Tech’s schedule has been weak (Not Miami Hurricanes-weak, but weak none-the-less), so let’s see what this guy can do against some of the front lines he’s going to meet in the ACC. It should be fun to watch.

F -Deon Thompson (North Carolina)
The Carolina senior is playing like a leader, knocking in a team leading 15.9ppg, while his 7.4 rebounds is second only to Davis. Most amazingly, he has yet to receive a fourth foul in a game this season (not an easy feat for a big man who likes to get down and dirty inside the paint). In fact, no Carolina big man has fouled out this season. This can become an important stat now that we’re entering more physical play in the ACC.

SO WHO’S MISSING FROM THESE LISTS?

F – Trevor Booker (Clemson) – His stats aren’t bad (14+ ppg and nearly nine boards), but here’s my question…he’s clearly the best player on Clemson, but has failed to hit double-digits in shot attempts in seven of their fifteen games. Why?

F – Derrick Favors (Ga Tech) – Despite hitting a solid 60% of his shots as a freshman, he’s only scoring 12ppg. What’s the deal? Well, he tends to pick up fouls (he’s had 3+ fouls in 11 of Tech’s 13 games), thus he’s only played 30+ minutes three times and taken 10+ shots only twice. Trust me, Favors is a freak of nature. Every minute he’s not on the floor, is a bad minute for the Yellow Jackets.

F – Kyle Singler (Duke) – He was my preseason pick as ACC player of the year and so far he’s having a fine season. On the best team in the ACC, he’s third in scoring, first in rebounds and third in assists, all while learning to play at a new position. Yet his 43% shooting percentage (including 36% from three) tells me we have yet to see the best we can see from Kyle.

F – Soloman Alabi (Florida State) – Sure he leads the league in blocks and his 12 points and seven rebounds per game are all well and good, but my gut says he could be so much better. I really though Alabi was going to make a very special sophomore-to-junior jump and while his numbers are slightly up from last year, only his free throw percentage has really jumped up (60 to 80%).

G – Sylven Landesberg (Virginia) – He’s 7th in scoring, but let’s face it, he’s a 6′6 guard, facing off against a ton of six-footers. He should be dominating. It doesn’t help that he’s a guard afraid to shoot a three. He’s taken only 14 three pointers in 11 games (hitting 36%). As a guard, this makes him one-dimensional.

It’s been a while since I’ve written, but I decided to take a couple weeks off, while Duke took some time off. I got a newborn sitting at home and he can be a handful to say the least.

However, with the Devils about to enter into the ACC schedule, it’s time to jump back on board and take a look back at what we know so far and what can we expect.

First and foremost, this team is better than last year’s squad. Don’t get me wrong, Duke misses Gerald Henderson and Elliot Williams (20ppg at Memphis so far). Hell, you could argue Duke misses Taylor King (He’s average 11+ at Villanova, shooting 47% from three, pulling down nearly seven boards per game).

Yet, this Duke team has what matters in college basketball, upperclassmen/experience and manageable size (I’ll explain later).

The upperclassmen; seniors Scheyer, Thomas and Zoubek and juniors Smith and Singler really seem to know their place on the court. They know their roles on this team and they know what needs to happen to get that win for the Blue Devils. Now don’t get me wrong, there are always going to be issues. Singler at times has struggled at his new position, while Zoubek & Thomas have still not developed a go-to shot in the paint after four years of college. Yet, here we are…11-1 and the favorite to win the ACC.

GRADING THE PLAY

JOHN SCHEYER…GRADE: A
Clearly, he’s been the best player in the ACC. While there is zero flash in his game (if he’s driving left, he couldn’t cross over if he tried), he is the unquestionable floor leader for this team. His understanding of what to do is paying off big time and you can look no further than his incredible 5.5/1 assist-to-turnover ratio. While no one is going to confuse him with Bob Hurley, his ability not to turn the ball over makes up for Duke’s inability to get steals this year.

Earlier in the season, I was just going to give him a A-, because of concerns with his shooting average, but he has gotten hot lately and he is above 45% from the floor right now, including 43% from three and 90% from the charity stripe.

NOLAN SMITH…GRADE: B
If you’ve watched as much college basketball over the years as I have, you can really appreciate the sophomore-to-junior jump. This is when a college player really starts to figure it all out. Thanks to Coach K’s “no-position” lineup, Smith has finally come into his own. He’s averaging 18ppg and is Duke’s only player capable of creating his own shot. This is key, because in the ACC, with the game on the line, Duke down one, needing a play maker with seconds on the clock, the ball will have to end up in Nolan’s hands. Don’t get me wrong, he is no Gerald Henderson, but Gerald never had the range Nolan has.

Since his first game (after the two-game suspension), you could see a confident Smith, something missing last year when he was pigeon-holed into a point guard. The only problem early on was, to get his points, he was needing to take a ton of shots (he was 31-80 from the floor in his first five games). However, his shots have really started to land of late. Over his last five games, he’s hit 35 shots, but only needed to take 65 shots. Most impressively, he’s nailing 53% of his three’s. While the three-point stats are impressive, it’s his mid-range jumper that has really elevated his game to the next level.

Currently he’s being asked to run the point about 10-13 minutes per game and he’s producing a 2/1 assist-to-turnover rate, doubling up his career average coming into his junior season.

KYLE SINGLER…GRADE: B
After two seasons down low, Singler finally moved over to his natural position (small forward). Looking at his stats (only), one would think the move hasn’t paid off. His scoring is down a point, his shooting and rebounding has also dropped slightly. This should be expected. He’s been bouncing with the big bodies down low for two years. He’s now playing with shorter, quicker forwards/guards. It will take time to adjust.

Yet, the numbers don’t tell the whole picture. Defensively, he’s been a disruptive force. He’s mastered the hand-in-the-face technique that Shane Battier uses so well in the NBA. He really is the key to Duke’s rotation defense, as he can defend a smaller guard, then can switched to the biggest powar forwards.

Getting back to scoring though, not everything is his fault. One of his favorite moves on the court is to come off a high screen from the corner. At this point, the Duke guards need to get him the ball while he’s moving at full speed. If the ball gets to him at the right moment, he’ll have an easy jumper or he can slide down low for a lay up.

However, more often than not, he’s rode off the screen and been left empty handed…and that’s my point. While he’s certainly trying to adjust to a new position, the team is trying to adjust to him and his skill sets. That’s the exciting part, it CAN get better.

MILES PLUMLEE…GRADE: C
At the beginning of the season, there was a lot of hope. The older Plumlee was bigger, stronger and confident, yet while he’s started the entire season, his playing time has dipped. He was averaging over 20 minutes on the floor at first, but over his last five games, he’s only averaging about 14 minutes per game. What happened?

While he’s developed the confidence to score down low, giving Duke a presence it desperately needs, he has yet to develop the skill set to finish. Example: He worked on a hook shot and one will look great, while another will barely hit the rim.This won’t work in the ACC.

So if he’s not going to be a legit low-post option and his defense is still suspect, then the playing time will not get bumped back to 20+ per game. If he can’t produce his own shot, then Coach K will roll with Thomas and Zoubek, who are better defensively and better at crashing the boards.

LANCE THOMAS…GRADE: C
Oh Lance, what is there still to say about him? After four-years he’s basically become a more athletic David McClure. First and foremost, he’s about defense and with his athletic ability and long arms, he can certainly make life tough for opponents. Offensively, he’s still makes me cringe, but he has certainly developed a decent mid-range jumper (something he has lacked for three years), but most importantly, he’s knocking down 81% of his free throws, a 30-point jump from his career average. This is key because it allows the coaching staff to keep Thomas on the floor in the closing minutes of important games.

In reality though, he’s only starting because Coach K’s strategy dictates that a senior big man will be on the floor at all times along with a Plumlee brother or Ryan Kelly. To me, this strategy has paid off and Duke’s been rolling ever since.

BRIAN ZOUBEK…GRADE: B-
Four years ago, Brian Zoubek was so bad, he was called for traveling checking into the game. As a senior, he’s become a offensive rebounding machine. This is why having upperclassmen is so important. You see, not everyone turns into a great basketball player, but those players can still be great players for their teams if they accept their limitations and understand their roles.

Zoubek knows (as we all know), he’s not going to become a scoring threat. We’re not going to see guards dumping the ball down to him to throw up sky hooks. Zoubek is a seven-footer with very little hop, but he’s big, so his job is to grab the boards…especially the offensive boards and he’s mastered that. He grabs 7.7 rebounds per game, half of which are offensive.

Most importantly, where he has improved at is what to do with that ball once he has the rebound. Zoubek use to grab the board and look confused. He’d look for a pass or shuffle himself into a travel. Now he grabs it, keeps the ball up above the shoulder and just puts it back into the basket.

For Duke to remain successful, he needs to continue this production in the bigger, stronger ACC. It’s one thing to do this against Penn, it’s another thing against the front lines of FSU, UNC and Clemson.

MASON PLUMLEE…GRADE: INCOMPLETE
How can you judge a guy who’s only played six games? Here’s what I do know. First, I was surprised by how big and strong he is. I, for whatever reason, thought he was skinnier. Secondly, he is athletic as advertised and I can honestly say the Christian Laettner comparisons are not unfair. He really has the goods, he just needs the experience.

Right now, he’s a face-the-basket player and you can see he is more comfortable sitting outside (probably too comfortable). While he doesn’t always finish the plays, it sure is fun watching a 6′11 guy dribble drive to the basket.

Against Penn, he has his best game, playing 21 minutes, scoring 18 points. Most of his points came on dunks set up by drives or great passes from Scheyer and Singler. Don’t think I’m minimizing his role though. What it shows his ability to get himself into the right spot. That’s understanding your role. That’s experience.

Defensively, he is oozing with talent. He loves to make the “big play,” going for the steal or the big block. This of course has led to fouls. While he’s never had more than three fouls in a game, he’s only played 20 minutes once. If he is to get 20-25 minutes on the floor, he’ll need to reduce the fouls.

RYAN KELLY…GRADE: C-
If there is one player who could see his minutes disappear down the stretch, it could be Kelly. When playing, he’s done a decent job. He hasn’t been a liability on the defensive end and he seems to know his role. However, he was suppose to bring outside shooting for Duke. He was suppose to be the guy who could set a pick up top, accept the pass and nail a three.

Right now, he’s only hitting about 30% from the three-point line. In fact, he’s made only four all season. If he can’t score from the outside, then he doesn’t really serve a purpose and you know that Coach K likes to shorten his rotation down the stretch. He’s only played 10+ minutes since Thanksgiving three times, all blow outs, and didn’t sniff the floor in the Wisconsin loss.

ANDRE DAWKINS…GRADE: B
What can you say about him? The kid lost his sister in a car accident, yet not only has he not missed a game, he’s continue to play good basketball.

Heading into 2009-2010, Dawkins was the most important freshman in a long, long time. He is the only guard option for the Blue Devils coming off the bench. Duke did not have time to be patience with this kid and he has come through…big time.

He’s been a fearless shooter, not afraid to take a shot. While his numbers have slipped a bit lately (6-19 from three in his last five games), he’s still hitting 47% from downtown, but one number stands out that hasn’t. While Scheyer gets all the talk regarding turnovers, Dawkins has turned the ball over only four times, despite playing 230 minutes of basketball so far this season.

Right now, his number don’t equal Scheyer/Singler/Smith, but his 9.8ppg puts him on the cusp of being a solid fourth option, something that is key for Duke this season.

COACHING…GRADE: A-
So far, the Coaching staff has done a great job. Heading into ACC play, it appears they have found the right rotation. The best decision was after the Wisconsin loss, they decided to always have a senior big man (Thomas, Zoubek) on the floor. In that loss to the Badgers, the two Plumlee’s started and played together, but it was clear early, they were little match for Wisconsin’s experienced front line.

Time will tell how much Coach will tighten up the rotation. Like we said, the only person we see losing minutes is Kelly, but I’ll be honest, I hope he continues to get 7-10 minutes per game. Without him though, the Devils have a nice 8-man rotation, with the big three playing 34+, while everyone else gets about 20 per game.

THE HIGH’S: Obviously Duke has already produced two huge wins, both in Madison Square Gardens. They not only beat Connecticut and Gonzaga, they crushed them. Those games were never close after the 10-minute mark. In fact, they held those two teams without a three-point shot until the Bulldogs hit one in garbage time (with time expiring).  They combined for 1-14 from three.

THE LOW: The loss to Wisconsin was a tough one because in reality, Duke really never let themselves into the game. Of course all props go to the Badgers, but that game exposed Duke’s one continuing flaw (we’ll get to that below).

However, that’s the lone low light. Not bad. Duke has managed to beat the rank teams and crush the weak teams. Duke’s 26.9-margin of victory is the best in the ACC.

OUTLOOK: Based on what I’ve seen, I see the best team in the ACC. Partly because of the improvements we’ve made, but mostly because let’s face it, the ACC is down this year.

While there is still plenty of great talent in this league, Duke has three potential All-ACC players. While Scheyer and Smith aren’t the most athletic guards in the world, they clearly are the best combo in the league.

The issue heading into the season has been their ability to stay healthy and stay on the floor. So far, so good. In fact, neither Scheyer or Smith have ever committed four fouls in any game this season.

While I believe this team will win the ACC this year, do I believe they can win a title? Short answer…yes, long answer…maybe/doubtful, because I said the same thing last year.

Duke’s lack of inside game and lack of quickness on the outside killed any shot at the Final Four over the last few years. This year, while there is still no dominant inside player, overall our inside game is less of a liability. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the five-headed monster of Zoubek, Thomas, Kelly and the Plumlee’s will dominant anyone this season, I’m just saying they have the ability to handle themselves. I’m not predicting they’ll lead Duke to victory, but on any given Thursday night, they are certainly capable of playing with some of the better front lines in the nation and not getting manhandled.

However, the issue Duke was unable to address and will remain a problem is defensive quickness. Duke simply doesn’t have the speed to defend quicker guards, especially if and when teams spread out.

The Wisconsin game was the perfect template. Guard, Trevon Hughes drove through and around the Duke D, hitting 9-16 and handing off perfect assists down low. He didn’t even have to take a single three-point shot to be effective.

In the ACC, Duke is lucky. The guards who could do this last year (Douglas, Johnson, McClinton, Lawson, Rice) are all gone. However, what could Duke possibly throw at a player like John Wall and stop him?

If you want a true prediction (that should be completely ignored), I’d say Duke goes 12-4 in the ACC (while also beating Iowa State and Georgetown), finished the season 26-5. I’ll go way out on a limb and say they get upset in the ACC tournament. They’ll still get a No 1 seed, but they’ll get shipped out West, where they’ll drop in the Elite Eight to the either Texas or Kansas (whichever doesn’t win the Big 12).