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Duke
RECORD: 33-4 REGION: East SEED: 1
COACH: Mike Krzyzewski CONFERENCE: ACC |
RESULTS| STATS | HISTORY | MESSAGE BOARD
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
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Whether the Blue Devils get Carlos Boozer back or not, the inside game remains the key to a tournament run. Yes, Duke relies heavily on the 3-point basket, and the ability of Jason Williams, Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy and others to be hotter than blazes from beyond the arc will certainly help the cause. However, the ability to score inside against bigger defenders, and, maybe more importantly, to defend and rebound against interior size will determine just how far this devilishly talented bunch can go. | | | Team Statistics | | | TEAM |
| Points Per Game |
90.7 |
| Rebounds Per Game |
35.8 |
| Assists Per Game |
18.0 |
| Steals Per Game |
10.5 |
| Blocks Per Game |
5.1 |
| Turnovers Per Game |
13.6 |
| Field Goal % |
.481 |
| Free Throw % |
.696 |
| 3-Point % |
.385 |
| 3-Pointers Per Game |
10.4 |
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| Scoring Margin |
20.2 |
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How They Got Here
The Blue Devils have been headed all season for a No. 1 seed, if not the most (for them) advantageous No. 1 seed in the East that begins 50 miles down the road in Greensboro, N.C.
That one looked headed North Carolina's way until the Devils' went on a serious ACC run without Carlos Boozer. Outside the conference, Duke's top victims include Boston College, Illinois, Texas and Villanova. The Boston College victory was most impressive, a 97-75 dismantling of the Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
But Duke lost its biggest non-conference game of the season, against Stanford. In that game on the West Coast, the Blue Devils were dominating until Boozer fouled out with more than five minutes to play. Stanford won in the final seconds, 84-83, exposing Duke's lack of frontcourt depth.
A late-season run without Boozer, however, allowed Duke to gain a share of its fifth consecutive ACC title, the previous four of which the Blue Devils had won outright. Duke split with UNC during the regular season -- each winning on the other's home court. It's only other loss came at Virginia.Player to Watch
Senior forward Shane Battier ought to be the team's top candidate for ACC and national player of the year awards, but point guard Jason Williams clearly is the most important player on the team. When he has struggled -- 10 turnovers in the scare at Clemson, 10 turnovers in the near-loss at Maryland, 5-for-21 shooting in the loss at
Virginia -- the Blue Devils have, almost without exception, struggled
along with him. On the other hand, it was Williams who rebounded from all those
turnovers to score 13 points in the final 2½ minutes to rally the
team against Maryland, and it was Williams whose 31 points led Duke past UNC in the season finale and his 32 points that nearly beat North Carolina in Duke's 85-83 loss Feb. 1.
With the Ball
Boozer was the sun, and everyone else in the
rotation revolved around him. Now Duke hangs around the 3-point arc even more with him out with a broken foot. Williams often creates inside points by driving into the lane, but he also is just as apt to kick it back out, finding Nate James in the corners, Michael Dunleavy on the wings and Battier at the top of the key. Williams and sixth man Chris Duhon shoot from anywhere. If Duke goes deep into the tourney and Boozer returns, he'll get plenty of touches in the motion offense. And keep an eye on the Blue Devils' secondary break, with Battier trailing for a 3-pointer.Defending the Ball
Battier is a two-time national defensive player of the year, and he is set free in an aggressive man-to-man scheme that has always been coach Mike Krzyzewski's defensive hallmark. Williams and Duhon exert exceptional pressure up top, and James has emerged as the team's perimeter stopper. Inside, though, even a healthy Boozer and the slender Battier were susceptible to teams with more than one physical big man, such as North Carolina with Brendan Haywood and Kris Lang, or Stanford with the Collins twins.
Seed Analysis
Exceeding the Seed
1999: No. 1 seed, East Region, lost in national championship game.
1994: No. 2 seed, Southeast Region, lost in national championship game.
1992: No. 1 seed, East Region, won national title
1991: No. 2 seed, Midwest Region, won national title
1990: No. 3 seed, East Region, lost in national championship game.
1989: No. 2 seed, East Region, lost in Final Four.
1988: No. 2 seed, East Region, lost in Final Four.
1987: No. 5 seed, Midwest Region, lost in Sweet 16.
1986: No. 1 seed, East Region, lost in national championship game.
Playing to Expectation
1996: No. 8 seed, Southeast Region, lost in second round.
Falling Short
2000: No. 1 seed, East Region, lost in Sweet 16.
1998: No. 1 seed, South Region, lost in Elite Eight.
1997: No. 2 seed, Southeast Region, lost in second round.
1993: No. 3 seed, Midwest Region, lost in second round.
1985: No. 3 seed, Midwest Region, lost in second round.
BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.103 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding)
Bracketology Report
1985-2000: Duke has played in 15 of 16 NCAA tournaments since the field expanded to a 64-team, fully-seeded format in 1985. In addition to back-to-back
national championships in 1991 and 1992, the Blue Devils have reached six other Final Fours and a pair of Sweet 16s during that span. Despite this great success, Duke more recently been inconsistent at playing to (or exceeding) its pre-tournament seeding.Roster
| VS TOURNEY TEAMS (15-4) |
LEADERS |
| OPPONENT |
RESULT |
POINTS |
REBOUNDS |
ASSISTS |
| Princeton | W, 87-50 | Battier 29 | Battier 6 | Duhon 8 | | Texas | W, 95-69 | James 26 | Boozer 11 | Williams 7 | | Temple | W, 63-61 | Boozer 26 | Lyde 10 | Williams 10 | | Illinois | W, 78-77 | Williams 23 | McClain 11 | Williams 7 | | @ Temple | W, 93-68 | Williams 30 | Battier 9 | Duhon 12 | | @ Stanford | L, 84-83 | Jacobsen 26 | Collins 15 | McDonald 6 | | Virginia | W, 103-61 | James 19 | James 8 | Williams 10 | | Boston College | W, 97-75 | Williams 34 | Beerbohm 12 | Williams 9 | | @ Georgia Tech | W, 98-77 | Battier 34 | Boozer 9 | Williams 7 | | Wake Forest | W, 85-62 | Williams 27 | Dunleavy 7 | Duhon 6 | | @ Maryland | W, 98-96 | Williams 25 | Mouton 12 | Blake 9 | | North Carolina | L, 85-83 | Williams 32 | Forte 16 | Forte 6 | | @ Virginia | L, 91-89 | Battier 24 | Williams 12 | Williams 9 | | Georgia Tech | W, 98-54 | Williams 25 | Jones 11 | Williams 6 | | @ Wake Forest | W, 82-80 | Williams 26 | Boozer 13 | Hicks 7 | | Maryland | L, 91-80 | Battier 31 | Morris 12 | Blake 11 | | @ North Carolina | W, 95-81 | Williams 33 | Capel 11 | Williams 9 | | Maryland | W, 84-82 | Battier 20 | Baxter 12 | Blake 11 | | @ North Carolina | W, 79-53 | Dunleavy 24 | Haywood 13 | Williams 5 | |
| LAST 5 GAMES |
LEADERS |
| OPPONENT |
RESULT |
POINTS |
REBOUNDS |
ASSISTS |
| @ North Carolina | W, 79-53 | Dunleavy 24 | Dunleavy 13 | Williams 5 | | Maryland | W, 84-82 | Battier 20 | Dunleavy 6 | Williams 5 | | No Carolina St | W, 76-61 | Williams 19 | Battier 8 | Williams 4 | | @ North Carolina | W, 95-81 | Williams 33 | Battier 11 | Williams 9 | | Maryland | L, 91-80 | Battier 31 | Boozer 7 | Duhon 5 |
NCAA Basketball Championship Week
It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.
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 Duke returns to Durham to the ovation of their fans.
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Coach Mike Krzyzewski joins Andrea Kremer in the wake of Duke's third national championship.
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 Shane Battier reminds the Duke fans of the unfinished business they needed to attend to.
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Mike Krzyzewski defines the moment that brought the Blue Devils together.
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Duke Blue Devils' news conference.
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Duke vs. Arizona: Both teams break down how they will defend and score from the perimeter.
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Shane Battier talks with ESPN's Brad Daugherty after the Blue Devils' victory over Maryland.
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Coach Mike Krzyzewski talks with ESPN's Jay Bilas about Duke's come-from-behind victory.
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Shane Battier says Duke stuck to its game plan (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
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ESPN's college hoops crew takes a look at the Duke-Maryland matchup.
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Duke Final Four news conference.
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The Morning Show: Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski says going to the Final Four never gets old.
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ESPN's Jeremy Schaap recaps the Blue Devils' victory over Southern California.
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USC dared Chris Duhon to shoot, so the freshman did (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
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Elite Eight preview: Duke vs. USC (courtesy: NCAA Productions)
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Carlos Boozer's foot is healed and he is ready to join Duke for their championship run.
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Shane Battier sits down with ESPN's Shelley Smith to reflect on his career at Duke.
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After the game, Mike Krzyzewski and Quin Snyder exchange compliments (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
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