In a game that was pretty much over before the halftime buzzer sounded Coach K became the second winningest coach in Division 1 mens basketball, passing his formal rival, the legendary Dean Smith with 880 wins. Obviously Coach prior to the win put things in perspective, not downplaying the importance of the record but making sure his team was aware that their job is to improve and play good basketball. That in my eyes is the best way to honor the coaches he has passed and pay tribute to the man he is about to pass, Bobby Knight. Congrats Coach K on a remarkable accomplishment.
As for the game, Duke came out firing on all cylinders and never looked back. Nolan Smith got the ball rolling and was consistent and dynamic throughout the game, on 3 point shots (3-7), dunks and slick, smooth moves to the bucket in traffic, Nolan is constantly improving at the point and continues to remain offensively aggressive, something we have touched on earlier in the year. Nolan has to keep looking to score even if he isn’t playing his nature 2 guard position. Smith also dished out 9 assists to go with 26 points.
Duke also got a great game from senior forward Kyle Singler who scored 27, to Smiths 26. Singler was 4-7 from 3 but did not settle for those shots, he made plays off of curls, in the lane, off of missed shots. It was a barrage of moves displayed after a slow start for Singler.
Seth Curry making his second start at Duke also had a steady and efficient game for the Devils, scoring 15 points in 26 minutes and shooting 50% from the field. Duke also got some spectacular plays from junior Miles Plumlee whos’ increased aggression on the offensive end payed off to the tune of 11 points in Sportcenter Top Plays fashion. Ryan Kelly the 5 starter also had double figure scoring with 10 points and 4 blocks…more later on this game.
