End of game Duke 79 Boston College 59
Sitting in the press room here after the game, I want to drop a couple final thoughts.
Tonight's performance should help to silence some of the criticism that the Blue Devils can't win without the 3-ball as they were pretty impressive even going 1-12 from deep.
Also, this team is very, very long. And, when they really start to get after it on the defensive end, they make it very tough on their opponents and create a lot of offense.
3:44 second half Duke 74 Boston College 50
This one is about over, but don't tell the Duke coaching staff that. They haven't called the dogs off at all yet. The effort and communication on the defensive end has really been impressive. In terms of scoring the ball, Nolan Smith continues to be the man late in the shot clock for the Blue Devils. Also, Ryan Kelly just subbed in, so hopefully the freshman can gain some confidence here late.
8:14 second half Duke 68 Boston College 47
What was a three-point lead at half has ballooned into a 20-point lead with a little over eight minutes to play. Reggie Sanders has really been the only bright spot for BC this half. Even though Mason Plumlee has struggled a little bit tonight, everyone in attendance is getting a glimpse at the versatile skill set and athleticism that will have NBA scouts really drooling in a couple of years.
12:23 second half Duke 60 Boston College 41
Zoubek got in off the pine and just gave Coach K some great minutes. The big man had two points and six rebounds in a pretty short stint on the court. And, I think Nolan Smith is really starting to look like that player that we all expected him to become based on his skill set coming out of Oak Hill Academy. He is really settling into that off guard position, and all the work he put in this offseason on his jump shot is really showing.
16:04 second half Duke 52 Boston College 37
It has been all Blue Devils so far this half. Boston College really looks flustered right now as they have already turned the ball over 3 times this half. Getting out in transition has been the recipe for success for Duke as Singler and Smith have both gotten a couple easy buckets.
17:20 second half Duke 46 Boston College 35
Wow, this place is really rocking right now. Smith found Singler on a fast break with a perfectly placed alleyoop pass, and Singler finished it with an impressive flush. Then, Miles Plumlee almost came up with a steal and nearly ended the Live Blog for the night. Yes, I thought he was going to launch himself into press row, and I don't like my Toshiba's odds against the 6'11'' post.
18:13 second half Duke 44 Boston College 35
The Blue Devils force a quick Skinner timeout with a 6-0 run to start the half. The last bucket was a bank shot in transition by Smith after a turnover. Duke is starting to pick the pressure back up on the defensive end, and it is paying dividends in terms of easy shots in transition.
19:39 second half Duke 40 Boston College 35
Big start to the second frame for Duke. Smith and Miles Plumlee ran the pick and roll to perfection, and Plumlee finished with a forceful one-handed slam. It was enough to bring former Blue Devil Gerald Henderson out of his seat right behind the Duke bench.
End of first half Duke 38 Boston College 35
At the half, Smith and Miles Plumlee are sharing the scoring lead for the Blue Devils with ten points a piece. Scheyer has been solid with six points and three assists, but not quite standing out like the 1st-Team All-American he has been playing like.
For the opposition, Jackson has nine off the bench, and Josh Southern has bruised his way to seven in the pace.
End of first half Duke 38 Boston College 35
Great finish to the first half for the Blue Devils. Nolan Smith had the last two buckets for the Devils. One was a big slam on a breakaway, and the other was a tough one-footed tear drop in traffic that certainly would register on the degree of difficulty scale.
2:28 first half Duke 33 Boston College 33
Miles Plumlee is having his best half of basketball this season. The sophomore is working hard on the glass and has a team-high 10 points to show for it. He is also being a model for Mr. Efficiency having made all four of his field goals and both of his free throws.
3:15 first half Duke 30 Boston College 31
Singler will be at the charity stripe for two free throws after the TV timeout. Skinner went absolutely ballistic after Rakim Sanders was whistled for a foul on what looked like a clean block. The big surprise for me so far tonight is the depth that Boston College is showing and their ability to finish plays in the painted area. Given that Duke is so long inside, the Eagles have done a terrific job of finishing off drives. Although during the last bit of action, I did hear Skinner pleading with his players to get more ball movement. And he's right, I don't think BC will be able to hang the rest of the way unless they stop playing so much one-on-one.
5:15 first half Duke 28 Boston College 29
Miles Plumlee just scooped up a batted ball in the lane and threw down a monstrous two-handed dunk. There have been some good rim-rockers early tonight. None have been more impressive than the dribble drive one-handed punch by Reggie Jackson. Little bit of a rough spot on the offensive end for Duke as Scheyer missed a wide open three, and the next two trips down resulted in turnovers. And now, Singler misses the front end of a one-and-one.
7:52 first half Duke 24 Boston College 25
Although the Eagles are making some mental mistakes such as giving up 3 freebies on a silly foul on an Andre Dawkins 3-point attempt, they are hanging very tough for 17-point underdogs on the road. Got to credit Skinner for having his team ready to go on the road this week after getting manhandled by Clemson away from home last time out. BC just committed its seventh team foul, so the Blue Devils will be in the bonus the rest of the first half.
9:35 first half Duke 19 Boston College 19
It's pretty fun to watch Jon Scheyer and BC guard Reggie Jackson go at it. Jackson came off the bench for Al Skinner and has contributed five quick points and is really pestering Scheyer. On this last possession, he even denied Nolan Smith the basketball.
11:22 first half Duke 19 Boston College 16
Eagles center Josh Southern is giving Duke some trouble inside. The muscly big man has had some success taking the ball right at Miles Plumlee. In what is turning into a little bit of a back and forth game, Trapani hit a runner to put Boston College back up 16-14. Unfortunately for Duke, freshman Ryan Kelly still doesn't look very comfortable and had just a very quick stay on the court before committing an unforced turnover and returning to the bench. Right before the break, Scheyer hit a big 3-ball.
15:00 first half Duke 9 Boston College 6:
Solid start for the Blue Devils. Coach K has clearly put a lot of emphasis on the perimeter guys applying suffocating on-ball, full court pressure, and that's what the guards are doing. BC countering by having forward Joe Trapani bring the ball up some. The crowd sure enjoyed seeing Kyle Singler hit the deck hard in pursuit of a loose ball. Hopefully, that support will be what the junior needs to get back on track tonight.
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