Duke Basketball

It's not unusual to see Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski blow a gasket in a game, whether because of his players, his opponents or the refs. But to see Coach K lose it on his own fans? That's new.

Duke's Cameron Crazies were on the receiving end of a halftime scolding from the legendary coach after they directed chants at Pitt head coach Jeff Capel.   

"I don't know if I made a mistake on that, but I've never heard another coach's name yelled out in the middle of the first half when we're in a war with the team," Krzyzewski told reporters after the game. "I don't know if they were saying, 'Come sit with me.'

"We got a different look at what the hell was going on. I thought it was something personal. ... I apologize to the students for that."

Coach K added:

"You shouldn't say that. ... In the middle of the first half and an ACC game, this isn't some cutesy little thing," he said.

"I'm not going to go say, 'Will you please tell me exactly what you're doing?' So it's a mistake on my part, but I'd rather make the mistake and protect my guy. ... Let's think of a different cheer—like 'Defense!'"

Capel was an assistant under Krzyzewski for eight seasons and was seen by some as Coach K's eventual successor. Or at least that was the case until he took the job at Pitt in March 2018.

Capel's return to Duke this time around didn't go the way Krzyzewski had hoped. With his fans taunting the one-time Blue Devil, Coach K yelled for them to "shut up" because Capel is "one of us," and he was initially restrained by a referee before making his way over to the student section.

No. 9 Duke went on to defeat Pitt 79-67.

Another Top 5 men's college basketball team fell to an unranked opponent as Clemson beat No. 3 Duke 79-72 on Tuesday.

Aamir Simms and Tevin Mack propelled the host Tigers to a win at Littlejohn Coliseum. Simms had 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 10-of-15 shooting. Mack's 22 points came on 10-of-14 shooting, and he also added nine boards and a pair of blocks.  

Clemson shot 56.6 percent from the field as a team.

Vernon Carey Jr. paced the Blue Devils with 20 points and seven rebounds, and Tre Jones contributed 17 points, five boards and four assists.

The Tigers jumped out to a 40-33 halftime lead, with a John Newman III poster dunk acting as the main highlight.

However, a Blue Devil 7-0 run helped Duke earn a 55-52 edge with 9:55 left after a Carey layup.

A Jack White three later gave the Blue Devils a 62-59 advantage, but Simms and Mack combined to score nine of the Tigers' points during an 11-2 run in response. A Simms free throw with 3:05 left capped the rally and provided Clemson with a 70-64 lead it wouldn't relinquish.

The Blue Devils were unable to come any closer than five points for the remainder of the game.

Clemson started its season 5-1 but underwent an ugly 1-6 stretch capped by a 73-68 home loss to Miami in overtime on Dec. 31. The Tigers have since rolled off three wins against North Carolina teams, beating NC State, UNC and Duke.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Tigers had not beaten UNC and Duke in the same season since 1995-96.

Clemson entered the game as a +475 moneyline underdog ($100 bet to win $475), per B/R Betting. The result is surprising at first glance, but it is symbolic of a chaotic college hoops season in which Top 5 upsets are routine.

Duke was on the wrong end of another earlier in the season as the then-No. 1 ranked Blue Devils lost to unranked Stephen F. Austin at home. Kentucky, Louisville and Virginia have also lost to unranked teams while in the Top 5.

The Blue Devils (15-2 overall, 5-1 ACC) will look to bounce back against No. 11 Louisville at home on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Clemson (9-7 overall, 3-3 ACC) will visit NC State at 2 p.m. on the same day.

No. 2 Duke will have to play a stretch without one of its key players after the team announced Wendell Moore will be out indefinitely with a broken hand. 

"We think everything's going to be good, but he'll be out for awhile...and he will not travel to Georgia Tech," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday.

The injury came in Saturday's win against Miami, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

Moore has averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game in 14 appearances this season.

The injury could be a significant one for Duke, which has proved to be one of the top contenders in the country this season with a 13-1 record overall and 3-0 in the ACC.

However, Moore represents a key depth piece as someone who has both come off the bench and started games this season. He ranks fifth on the team in minutes per game and is a valuable contributor on both ends of the court.

Duke does at least have a deeper rotation than in past seasons, with 10 players getting regular playing time. Joey Baker and Alex O'Connell should see more minutes going forward on the perimeter as the Blue Devils try to stay in front of their competition in the ACC.

On the other hand, this injury could be damaging to Moore as he tries to reach his own high expectations.

The freshman entered the year as a 4-star recruit and No. 29 overall recruit in the country, per 247Sports, one of four 4- or 5-stars in the 2019 Duke class. According to ESPN, he is also the No. 40 overall player in the 2020 NBA draft class.

A broken hand will take away valuable playing time that can cost him in what might be his only collegiate season.

Duke guard Tre Jones will reportedly not play in Thursday's game against Wofford because of a foot injury.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported the news, noting the setback is considered "minor." 

Jones is only a sophomore, but he is one of the veteran leaders on a Duke team that is loaded with talented but inexperienced playmakers. He returned for a second season when many of his classmates departed for the NBA, and losing him for a significant amount of time would be a difficult blow to overcome for the Blue Devils.

He averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game last season and impacts the game by dictating the pace on offense and guarding the opponent’s best ball-handlers on the other side.

Jones is averaging 15.6 points, 7.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals this season.

Look for Duke to turn toward the combination of Alex O'Connell, Jordan Goldwire and Cassius Stanley for more minutes in the backcourt while Jones is out.

While none of them are the natural leader Jones is expected to be all season, they can keep the team afloat until he is ready to return.

Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters that he experienced an undisclosed health issue on Tuesday, when Stephen F. Austin shocked the No. 1 Blue Devils 85-83 in overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"Part of it, we had some other issues with our program with some health issues," Coach K said Friday, per Shawn Krest of Sports Illustrated.

"I had a little health issue for the last game that I was not myself. I had some...anyway I'm good, but that day and that night, I was not good. So, part of that is we're human beings. We're not going to be perfect even though lot of people expect us to be."

Krzyzewski has missed games because of health concerns in the past. Per Krest, the five-time NCAA champion missed one contest in 2017-18 with a virus, nearly a month in 2016-17 after back surgery and one more game in 2015-16 with an illness.

Coach K also missed most of the 1994-95 season because of complications following back surgery as well as exhaustion, per Luke DeCock of the News & Observer.

Krzyzewski, 72, is in his 40th season as Duke's head coach. He's a three-time Naismith College Coach of the year who's posted a 1,139-345 record during his tenure, which also includes five seasons at Army. Duke has gone to the Final Four 12 times under Krzyzewski.

As for this year, Duke will assuredly fall out of the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll after the loss to unranked Stephen F. Austin. The Blue Devils did bounce back with a 83-70 win over Winthrop at home on Friday, although the game was back and forth for much of the first half. Duke eventually pulled away down the stretch.

The 7-1 Blue Devils are off until Tuesday, when they face the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans on the road. Tipoff is 9:30 p.m. ET.

Duke announced Friday that freshman guard Cassius Stanley would not return to the Blue Devils' 83-70 win over Winthrop after suffering a left knee injury, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

However, after the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters he believes it's a hamstring muscle injury while adding that Stanley will undergo a MRI on Saturday. Krzyzewski also said he believes Stanley could be out until after Christmas.

Stanley exited early in the second half when he landed awkwardly and fell to the ground after a layup. The star guard had to be helped off the floor by teammates.

Prior to leaving the game, Stanley was 2-of-7 from the floor for four points with three assists, one rebound and two turnovers.

The 6'6" Los Angeles native has been a big-time producer for the No. 1 Blue Devils this season. Entering Friday's game, he was averaging 14.1 points, 5.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Stanley is third on the team in scoring this season behind center Vernon Carey Jr. and guard Tre Jones, and he's second in rebounding behind only Carey.

Additionally, Stanley is averaging the second-most minutes at 28.4 per game, and since he is such an efficient player, replacing his production will be a challenge for head coach Mike Krzyzewski if the freshman is forced to miss additional time.

Much of the burden would fall on the shoulders of Carey and Jones, but the Blue Devils would depend on Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore Jr., Alex O'Connell and Joey Baker as well.

After Stanley went out Friday, Baker played big minutes off the bench and produced on the offensive end (16 points), which means he may be in for a far bigger role.

Duke's next game is a big one. It is set to face the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans on the road Tuesday, and Stanley's absence would be a huge blow to the Blue Devils' chances of leaving East Lansing's Breslin Center with a victory.

Stephen F. Austin pulled off one of the most memorable upsets in recent college basketball history Tuesday by defeating the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils 85-83 in overtime thanks to a Nathan Bain layup with no time left:

After the home loss, Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski gave credit where it was due:

"We played young," Coach K added. "You gotta get old. You get old by experience, and I can't teach them to be 22. They're 18, a lot of them."

The Lumberjacks were 85-1 moneyline underdogs. Duke was also favored by 27.5 points, and ESPN Stats & Info noted that made Stephen F. Austin's win the largest upset per point spread in the last 15 seasons.

Duke's 150-game win streak against nonconference opponents at home, which had stretched since 2000, also came to an end.

Stephen F. Austin is no stranger to pulling off big upsets, and Duke isn't the only No. 1 team to lose to a heavy underdog this season.

The Lumberjacks have won two NCAA tournament games, as a No. 12 seed in 2014 and as a No. 14 seed in 2016. The latter victory was most impressive, as Stephen F. Austin took down No. 3 West Virginia 70-56. That team almost made the Sweet 16 but fell to No. 6 Notre Dame 76-75 in the next round.

As for the Blue Devils, they now join Kentucky as two teams to lose at home to unranked opponents this year. The No. 1 Wildcats did the same against Evansville on Nov. 12 by a 67-64 score.

Stephen F. Austin and Duke took center stage Tuesday, though, and that's largely because the Lumberjacks caused 22 turnovers. That defensive effort helped the Lumberjacks overcome a 2-of-10 night from the three-point line, although Kevon Harris did an excellent job pacing Stephen F. Austin's offense with 26 points.

The Lumberjacks have a ton of experience, with their top eight court-time leaders on Tuesday all juniors or seniors. On the other end, the young Blue Devils started four freshmen and a sophomore, and the experience differential may have been a factor.

Stephen F. Austin will now visit Arkansas State on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Duke will host Winthrop on Friday at 7 p.m.

Duke's dominance of the college basketball recruiting landscape does not appear to be ending anytime soon.

Forward AJ Griffin, who is currently ranked eighth in 247Sports rankings for the 2021 class, announced his intention to join the Blue Devils on Monday. 

“I picked Duke because when I went on the visit and just before that when they came to visit me on the first day they showed me that I’m their number one priority and I meant a lot to them,” Griffin said, per Evan Daniels of 247Sports. “I felt like we had a connection from the start and I belonged at that place. I think they can help me get to the next level. I feel like they can help my game improve.”

Griffin called Duke his "dream school" in an interview with ESPN's Paul Biancardi. 

The son of former NBA player Adrian Griffin, AJ stars at White Plains (New York) Archbishop Stepinac and is the third-ranked small forward in his class. He stands out with his combination of advanced shooting ability and athleticism at 6'7" and should be able to defend three positions at the collegiate level.

Duke had competition from the likes of Villanova, Kentucky and Michigan but was considered a heavy favorite. The Blue Devils have had the nation's top-ranked recruiting class in three of the last four years and are currently the top-ranked team in 2020. 

Few top-tier members of the 2021 class have committed; Griffin and Kentucky commit Devin Askew are the only top-10 players in the class to give their verbals. Classes should begin to fill out as the basketball season progresses, and if history is any indication, Griffin will be flanked with at least two or three more 5-star athletes. 

Duke men's basketball took center stage for Countdown to Craziness on Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

A 2019 class 247Sports ranked third in the nation excelled in an intrasquad scrimmage that highlighted the evening.

Vernon Carey Jr. posted a game-high 15 points, and Cassius Stanley added 12 points and eight rebounds as the Blue team beat the White team 47-38, per The Chronicle.

Wendell Moore Jr. and Alex O'Connell each scored 11 to pace the White team, and Matthew Hurt added nine more points.

The clear highlight of the night, however, went to Debbie Jones, the mother of Duke sophomore guard Tre Jones.

Debbie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in January, walked with Tre during the team introductions:

Speaking of intros, Duke's video got the Cameron Indoor crowd going:

As for the game, Carey impressed with his scoring efforts down low. The 6'10" big man, who 247Sports ranked sixth in the nation among all class of 2019 prospects, may make a living down there this season.

Brian Horace of dukeblogger.com credited Carey as well as fellow 5-star freshman Hurt:

Stanley also received some deserved praise, with Winston Lindqwister of The Chronicle calling him the player of the night:

"Although not nearly as hyped as some of Duke's other top prospects, Cassius Stanley still came with the buzz as the final piece to round out Duke's No. 2 recruiting class. However, the young Blue Devil made waves for himself Friday night, and made a clear case for why he could make the starting lineup. Posting 12 points on a surprising 8 rebounds, Stanley's quickness and verticality could not be matched, easily blowing through his defender to get to the basket. With someone as explosive of a scorer as Stanley, Duke continues its tradition of highly lethal wings."

Duke will open the 2019-20 season against Kansas on Tuesday, November 5, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The 2020-21 men's college basketball title is Duke's to lose—on paper. 

According to 247Sports' Evan Daniels, the Blue Devils have the No. 1 2020 recruiting class following Jaemyn Brakefield's commitment.

The 4-star forward tweeted that he's "110% committed" to Duke on Friday afternoon. Jalen Johnson, Jeremy Roach, DJ Steward and Henry Coleman round out the program's 2020 class.

Duke offered Brakefield on Thursday. 

Brakefield had 33 offers, including the Auburn Tigers, Louisville Cardinals, Michigan Wolverines and reigning champion Virginia Cavaliers.

Following Duke's offer to Brakefield, Johnson encouraged the 6'8" forward to pick the Blue Devils:

Brakefield discussed his decision with Daniels:

"I'm excited about going [to Duke]. It's a dream school of mine and a place I've dreamed of playing at in my career. The reason I picked Duke is I just think it's an unbelievable opportunity to maximize my potential at the fullest. I think it's the best fit for me as a person and a basketball player. It's something I always loved."

Coleman, 6'6", is a 4-star forward like Brakefield, while Johnson (6'8" forward), Steward (6'3" guard) and Roach (6'2" guard) are 5-stars, per 247Sports. 

Mark Williams, a 7'0" 4-star center, has narrowed his potential destinations to Duke, UCLA and Michigan, per Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers. Williams is set to visit Duke this month.