May 2011 Duke Blue Devils Wiretap
Jimmer Fredette and Jared Sullinger headline the list of finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, awarded to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's National Player of the Year.
Other finalists include Jordan Hamilton (Texas), JaJuan Johnson (Purdue), Terrence Jones (Kentucky), Marcus Morris (Kansas), Kyle Singler (Duke), Nolan Smith (Duke), Kemba Walker (Connecticut) and Derrick Williams (Arizona).
Duke released a video detailing Kyrie Irving’s rehab regimen.
There is no timetable for Irving's return, but Duke physical therapist Nick Potter says the healing process is going as quickly as could be expected.
"The overall progress is that he's doing fairly well," Potter said. "We knew from the beginning it's a long, gradual process. He's actually right where we expected him to be, if not maybe a step ahead.
"There's still a long way to go, but his body is responding as we hoped it would."
Sources have told Chad Ford that Duke freshman Kyrie Irving is now the No. 1 target for the Cavs.
Irving has missed the last 20 games with a right toe injury.
Kyle Singler has averaged just 11 points over his last five contests while making less than a third of his shots.
Despite his shooting slump, Singler remains one of the best defenders and rebounders in the ACC.
The versatile point forward often defends the opposing team's best player, and leads the nation in plus/minus, a statistic that measures how a team performs when a given player is on the floor versus when he is on the bench.
Singler’s plus/minus is 55 points higher than Jon Diebler of Ohio State’s third place total.
Duke has regained the top spot in the ESPN/USA Today poll after losses by Kansas, Ohio State, Texas and Pittsburgh.
St. John's also appeared in the poll for the first time in more than a decade.
The Blue Devils were fifth in last week's poll.
It marked the first time the top four teams in the poll all lost since the week of Nov. 25, 2003.
Mike Krzyzewski acknowledged the downturn in attendance at ACC games after Duke’s win against against Georgia Tech, placing some of the blame on Sunday night games.
“You know, we have three straight games starting at 3:30 [Sunday] in the ACC,” Krzyzewski said. “Those would have been better on Saturday from 3:30 on. That’s when fans want to be out. Then we wonder why attendance is dipping. Have you noticed attendance has been dipping? Everywhere, not so much here, but we’ve got to figure that whole thing out.”
Krzyzewski added that decisions at the upcoming ACC spring meetings would will be critical for the future of the conference. The ACC will debut a new TV contract with ESPN and partner Raycom in 2011-12, and Krzyzewski wants the structure for basketball studied carefully.
“I think this is a very important spring for our league to really concentrate on basketball and the future of basketball in our league, and just how all these things are positioned,” Krzyzewski said. “We’ve taken for granted the golden goose for a long time. You have to look at the old goose and see if it’s still golden, and if not, how to get it there, because this is still the best conference. It’s a classy, classy conference, and people love basketball in this conference. We just have to make sure it’s done properly.”
No. 5 Duke thumped Georgia Tech 79-57 on Sunday night after a slow start.
The win could propel the Blue Devils to No. 1 after all four teams ahead of them in the rankings -- Kansas, Ohio State, Texas and Pitt -- lost in the past week.
"Being No. 1 right now doesn't matter at all," guard Nolan Smith said. "Last year's team, we weren't No. 1 until the end. If we get it, it's cool, but if not, we're not worried about it."
Austin Rivers, James McAdoo, Anthony Davis, Mike Gilchrist and Marquis Teague are the five finalists for the Naismith Award for the national high school player of the year.
Davis, Gilchrist and Teague will all play for Kentucky this fall.
Rivers will attend Duke and McAdoo is going to North Carolina.
Jared Sullinger won the award last season, while Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd have also received the honor in the past.
The rosters for the 2011 McDonald's All-American High School teams were announced on Thursday.
East Team
Brad Beal, Florida
Chane Behanan, Louisville
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse
Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse
Quinn Cook, Duke
Michael Gilchrist, Kentucky
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina
James McAdoo, North Carolina
Johnny O’Bryant III, LSU
Marshall Plumlee, Duke
Shannon Scott, Ohio State
West Team
Khem Birch, Pittsburgh
Wayne Blackshear, Louisville
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Branden Dawson, Michigan State
Myck Kabongo, Texas
LeBryan Nash, Oklahoma State
Austin Rivers, Duke
Marquis Teague, Kentucky
Adonis Thomas, Memphis
Amir Williams, Ohio State
Kyle Wiltjer, Kentucky
Cody Zeller, Indiana
• Click here to view RealGM's section on the McDonald's All-American Game
No. 5 Duke rallied from 16 down to defeat No. 20 North Carolina 79-73 on Wednesday night.
The Blue Devils outscored the Tar Heels 50-30 in the game's second half.
Nolan Smith scored 22 points his career-high 34 points after halftime.
"It wasn't an X-and-O adjustment. ... They were too excited," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "''Nuts' is the word. 'What are you guys doing?' It's not like, 'You know, you guys aren't playing hard.' They're playing hard. ... When you go like that, you're not coordinated, and it was more to get a coordinated effort on the offensive and defensive ends."
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