As Duke Host North Carolina Inside Cameron Indoor Stadium Tonight Chris Carrawell, Amile Jefferson, Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith Are Coaching Alongside Mike Krzyzewski For Final Time In Durham
For 42 seasons Mike Krzyzewski has been the Head Coach of the Duke Men’s Basketball Program!
During those 42 seasons Mike Krzyzewski has made it a priority to hire former players as his Associate Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches. including Tommy Amaker who is currently the Head Coach of Harvard, Jay Bilas who currently works for ESPN. Chris Collins who is currently the Head Coach at Northwestern,
Jeff Capel who is currently the Head Coach of Pittsburgh who like Duke is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference , Johnny Dawkins who is currently the Head Coach of UCF, Nate James who is currently the Head Coach of Austin Peay.
Tommy Amaker served nine years as a graduate assistant, assistant coach and associate head coach at Duke, working for legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was an assistant on two NCAA championship teams with the Blue Devils (1991, ’92) and helped Duke to three other Final Fours in eight NCAA tournament appearances. Duke was a combined 230-80 in Amaker’s nine years on the Blue Devils coaching staff.
“according to his biography on gocrimson.com”
Jay Bilas who is currently is an ESPN Analyst served as an Assistant Coach in 1990 to serve as an assistant coach on Krzyzewski’s staff, while also earning his law degree from Duke Law School. While Bilas was an assistant coach under Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Championship Gem three times, winning back-to-back National Championships in 1991 and 1992.
Chris Collins was promoted to Associate Head Coach in the summer of 2008. During Collins’ 13 seasons on the Blue Devils’ staff, Duke posted an overall record of 385-77 while recording eight ACC tournament championships, four ACC regular season titles, eight in-season tournament titles and national championships in 2001 and 2010.
Collins worked primarily with backcourt players during his time at Duke and tutored All-Americans Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon, J.J. Redick, Gerald Henderson, DeMarcus Nelson, Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Austin Rivers, in addition to NBA draft picks Daniel Ewing, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Singler.
Collins also served as a court coach and scout for Mike Krzyzewski, assisting the USA Basketball Senior National Team staff with on-court duties as well as game preparation from 2006-12, including during the program’s gold-medal performances at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championships and 2012 London Olympics.
In his first season as a coach at Duke, the Blue Devils won the 2001 national championship with an 82-72 victory over Arizona. Along the way, Williams earned unanimous first-team All-America and National Player of the Year honors by the NABC. Duhon, a freshman under Collins’ tutelage in 2001, was named the ACC Rookie of the Year.
The following year, the Blue Devils posted a 31-4 record, won the ACC tournament for the fourth-consecutive season and were ranked No. 1 in the nation in the final Associated Press poll. Williams earned National Player of the Year honors for the second-consecutive year.
During the 2002-03 season, Duke posted a 26-7 record, a fifth-consecutive ACC tournament championship. One year later, Duke went 31-6 and returned to the Final Four for the second time in Collins’ coaching career. Two of his backcourt players, Duhon and Redick, earned All-America and All-ACC recognition.
Chris Collins helped the Blue Devils to a 26-7 overall slate that included the ACC tournament crown in 2004-05. Redick was named the National Player of the Year.
In the 2005-06 season, Collins watched his star pupil, Redick, rank second in the NCAA with a scoring average of 26.8 points per game, while setting the Duke and ACC career scoring records and the NCAA career three-point field goals record. He was a consensus National Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-American for the 32-4 Blue Devils.
In 2007-08, Collins helped Nelson elevate his game and garner several honors along the way. Nelson was tabbed the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and also earned NABC third-team All-America, first-team All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive team honors. In 2008-09, Collins guided Henderson to All-America and first-team All-ACC honors. Collins also coached Scheyer in his transition to point guard late in the year, which led to an ACC tournament title.
Collins helped lead Duke to its second national championship during his tenure in 2009-10 as the Blue Devils defeated Butler, 61-59, in the NCAA championship game. Collins coached the top-scoring trio in the NCAA as guards Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith combined to score 53.3 points per game. Scheyer was named a second-team All-America, Singler was the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and Smith was the NCAA Tournament South Region MOP. All three players were also selected All-ACC and to ACC all-tournament teams while leading the Blue Devils to ACC tournament and ACC regular season championships.
The 2010-11 season marked the third-straight 30-win campaign for the Blue Devils. Collins coached a pair of senior all-stars for the Blue Devils, Singler and Smith. Singler earned first-team All-ACC honors, while Smith led the ACC in scoring at 20.6 points per game to claim ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-America honors.
In 2011-12, Collins was integral in the development of a backcourt that featured NABC third-team All-American Austin Rivers. Rivers averaged a team-high 15.5 points per game to become just the third Duke freshman to lead the team in scoring. He also was tabbed as the ACC Rookie of the Year and was just the seventh freshman in league history to earn first-team all-conference honors.
“according to Chris Collins biography on nusports.com”
Jeff Capel who is currently the Head Coach Of Pittsburgh!
Capel spent seven seasons at Duke University (2011-18), including the final four seasons as associate head coach under Mike Krzyzewski. In that span, he helped guide the Blue Devils to a 200-55 (.784) record, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, the 2017 ACC Tournament championship and the 2015 National Championship. In that time, Capel also helped secure commitments from 19 McDonald’s All-Americans as Duke signed a top-two class in each of the past five years, including the top class in 2014, 2015 and 2018.
During the 2016-17 season, he served as acting head coach for seven games following Krzyzewski’s back surgery. Capel led Duke to a 4-3 record over that stretch, including consecutive road wins at Wake Forest and Notre Dame that sparked a seven-game winning streak in the midst of ACC play. Capel also led the Blue Devils to an 89-71 win over Wake Forest during the 2017-18 season when Krzyzewski was sidelined due to an illness.
Capel was instrumental in the development of that young talent as the Blue Devils produced 15 first-round picks in the NBA Draft during his tenure, including nine lottery picks. Duke had at least one first-round selection every season and multiple first-round picks in five of the seven years with Capel on staff. Eight of the 19 McDonald’s All-Americans Capel helped recruit to Duke were lottery picks.
He was crucial to the signing of the 2014 class that was ranked No. 1 in the nation and featured Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow. That class was the catalyst for Duke’s fifth national championship.
Capel’s close work with Jabari Parker (2014) and Okafor (2015) led to both being named All-Americans, earning National Freshman of the Year honors and being top-three picks in their respective NBA Drafts. Winslow and Jones were also taken 10th and 24th overall, respectively, in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Capel was vital to the rapid ascent of Brandon Ingram from elite recruit to NBA lottery pick, helping mold him into a Freshman All-American and the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2016 before the Lakers took him with the No. 2 overall pick in that year’s draft.
In 2016-17, Capel was a major influence on Jayson Tatum, an All-ACC selection and the No. 3 overall choice in the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
In his final season at Duke, Capel mentored National Freshman of the Year and consensus first team All-America selection Marvin Bagley as well as All-ACC selections Wendell Carter, Jr. and Gary Trent, Jr.
Capel also helped Duke secure one of the highest rated recruiting classes in NCAA history in 2018 as the Blue Devils signed the top three players in the class – R.J. Barrett, Cameron Reddish and Zion Williamson – along with two additional five-star players in Tre Jones and Joey Baker.
Capel played a prominent role with USA Basketball during Krzyzewski’s last four years as head coach of the U.S. National Team. After serving as a court coach and scout for the squad in 2013, Capel was a staff assistant for the USA’s gold-medal effort at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain and the United States’ unprecedented run to a third consecutive gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Capel also has head coaching experience with USA Basketball. In the summer of 2010, he led a USA team, featuring former Duke stars Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers along with current NBA standout Bradley Beal, to the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in San Antonio, Texas. He was also an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2005 World University Games in Turkey, a squad that featured Duke All-American and two-time National Defensive Player of the Year Shelden Williams.
Johnny Dawkins who currently is the Head Coach Of UCF!
Johnny Dawkins coached for 10 years under the legendary Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. During Dawkins' decade as a coach at Duke, the Blue Devils won a national championship (2001), tallied six ACC regular season championships, recorded seven ACC Tournament titles and posted a 330-60 record. In four consecutive seasons from 1999-2002, Duke finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in both national polls, a first in college basketball history. Duke reached a No. 1 national ranking in seven of the 10 seasons with Dawkins on the coaching staff.
Nate James who is currently the Head Coach of Austin Peay James had been on the Duke men’s basketball staff under the incomparable Mike Krzyzewski, starting out as an assistant strength and conditioning coach before working his way into an on-court role in 2009 and eventually ascending to an associate head coach role in 2017, where he remained for the past four seasons.
With James on staff, the Blue Devils won a pair of national titles in 2010 and 2015 and won 30 or more games five times. James and the Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 eight times, the Elite Eight five times and made two Final Four appearances both resulting in national titles in 2010 and 2015. With James in the fold, Duke hung six conference championship banners, including three-straight ACC Tournament titles from 2009-11 and again in 2017 and 2019.
During his time in Durham as a coach Nate James helped in the recruitment and development of some of the most notable names to take the floor in the history of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Since 2009, Duke has produced 21 first-round NBA Draft choices, including nine players in the top-10 since 2015. Four former Blue Devils from James’ time on the sidelines—Zion Williamson, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram—have earned All-Star nods just in the last two seasons.
“according to https://letsgopeay.com/staff-directory/nate-james/2484
As a player,
Tommy Amaker He was a four-year starter at point guard for the Blue Devils, leading the team to the 1986 NCAA title game before earning All-America honors and recognition as the nation’s top defensive player in his senior year of 1987.
“according to Tommy Amaker’s biography on ongocrmison.com”
As a player,
Jay Bilas
A prep All-American from Los Angeles, California, the 6-7 Bilas was a four-year starter at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski from 1982-1986. As an undersized center, Bilas scored 1,062 points, grabbed 692 rebounds, and helped lead Duke to the the No. 1 ranking, the 1986 ACC Championship and the 1986 NCAA Championship Game. Bilas’ 1986 Duke team set the NCAA record for the most wins in a single season with 37.
As a player,
Johnny Dawkins played for the Blue Devils from 1983-86, earning Consensus All-America honors twice (1985, 1986). Dawkins was also voted as the 1986 Naismith National Player of the Year and named a Freshman All-American in 1983. During his collegiate career, he helped lead Duke to three NCAA Tournament berths, including an NCAA National Championship Game appearance in 1986. He was listed as an All-ACC honoree in all four seasons as a Blue Devil.
Johnny Dawkins finished his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer and held that honor until 2006 when J.J. Redick surpassed his mark of 2,556 points. He recorded double-figure point totals in 129-of-133 collegiate games. Dawkins led the Blue Devils in scoring all four years, recording the fourth-highest season point total in school history with 809 in 1986. Dawkins remains Duke’s career record-holder in field goals (1,026) and field goals attempted (2,019) while also owning the school’s best single-season mark for field goals (331) during the 1986 campaign.
Dawkins was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in September 1996. His jersey number 24 was retired by the school.
As a player,
Nate James played under Krzyzewski, accumulating more than 1,000 points across his career. The two-time captain helped the Blue Devils win or share five ACC regular-season titles during his playing career—a feat no other player in ACC history can claim. In fact, James tallied nine total titles as a player—one NCAA Championship, five regular-season ACC crowns and three more ACC Tournament Championship rings. As a senior, he was named third-team All-ACC by the league’s media and was a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team.
As Duke host North Carolina tonight inside Cameron Indoor Stadium Chris Carrawell, Amile Jefferson, Jon Scheyer , Nolan Smith who are currently former players who are Mike Krzyzewski’s Associate Head Coaches Assistant Coach, Director Of Player Development are going to be coaching alongside Mike Kzyzewski for final time in Durham.
Why?
Because he is retiring after the 2021-2022 season!
Why?
Mike Krzyzewski had this to say about his decision!
You might ask, 'Why are you doing this right now?' Look, this is not about health. Mickie and I, whether we look it or not -- she does -- whether I look healthy ... I am. It's not about COVID or saying, 'Boy, that year was so bad.' It's not about that. It's certainly not about what's going on with college basketball. 'Boy, the game is changing.' All right. I've been in it for 46 years. You think the game has never changed?"
He later added: "Those aren't the reasons. ... The reason we're doing this is because Mickie and I have decided the journey is going to be over in a year. And we're going to go after it as hard as we possibly can."
“according to an article on espn.com by Myron Medcalf”
And Jon Scheyer who currently is Mike Krzyzewski’s Associate Head Coach is going to be the Head Coach of Duke beginning in April 2023 while Chris Carrawell is going to be an Associate Head Coach while Nolan Smith is going to be his assistant while Amile Jefferson is also on the coaching staff as Director of player development.
As player,
Chris Carrawell was a two-time All-ACC selection. He is tied for 32nd on the all-time scoring list at Duke with 1,455 career points and also ranks 15th in school history with 0.8 blocks per game and tied for eighth with 116 overall wins. Duke dominated the ACC during Carrawell’s career, as his 66 conference victories are the second-most by a Blue Devil.
With Carrawell on the squad, Duke won a pair of ACC Tournament titles and reached the 1999 Final Four by tying a school record for wins (37-2).
As a player,
Amile Jefferson played five seasons!
Was a a national champion and three-time team captain at Duke from 2012-17, Jefferson played in a program-record 150 games with 103 starts, averaging 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. He played in 67 home victories (most in program history) and 124 total victories (third most in program history), while his .971 home winning percentage (67-2) ranks as the second best among any Duke player.
“according to his biography on goduke.com”
As a player,
Jon Scheyer helped spark the Blue Devils to two ACC championships and the 2010 NCAA title as a player from 2007-10, has helped Duke compile a 187-55 (.773) record, a national championship.
As a player,
Nolan Smith A consensus first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year in 2011, Smith helped lead Duke to three consecutive ACC championships (2009-11) and the 2010 NCAA title during his tenure as a student-athlete.
He was a two-time All-ACC selection (2010-11) and was named ACC Tournament MVP as a senior in 2011. Smith led the ACC in scoring in his final season and his 764 points that year still rank as the ninth-best total in program history.
In helping propel Duke to its fourth national championship in 2010, Smith was named Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA South Regional in Houston and earned a place on the All-Final Four Team after the Blue Devils cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
The Upper Marlboro, Md., native currently ranks 17th on Duke’s career scoring chart, having amassed 1,911 points from 2008-11. He played in 121 victories in a Duke uniform to rank fifth in program history and sixth in ACC history, and his 143 games played are tied for the eighth-most in Duke annals. He served as a team captain as a senior in 2011.
During his tenure as a student-athlete, Duke went 65-2 (.970) at Cameron Indoor Stadium to set program records for both home wins and winning percentage in a four-year period.
“according to their biographies on goduke.com
Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium, the crown jewel of college basketball's classic venues, has become one of the most formidable environments for visiting teams. The Blue Devils have called the iconic venue home for 80 years and have won nearly 85 percent of the games on its hallowed hardwood.
More than a few of those victories have been influenced by the electric atmosphere within its Gothic halls.
Legend has it that it all began with a book of matches, which for a town and a school founded on local tobacco fortunes, seems a promising way to start.
It was on the cover of a book of matches that Eddie Cameron and Wallace Wade first sketched out the plan for Duke's Indoor Stadium in 1935. The story may be a myth (the matchbook has never been found), but then the Indoor Stadium that emerged from those first scribblings lends itself to the propagation of myths.
For more than seven decades, spectators, players and coaches have understood the unique magic of the Indoor Stadium. The building was dedicated to longtime Duke Athletic Director and basketball coach Eddie Cameron, a legend in his own right, on January 22, 1972. An unranked Duke team upset then third-ranked North Carolina, 76-74, after Robby West drove the length of the court to hit a pull-up jumper to win the game.
It's the intimacy of the arena, the unique seating arrangement that puts the wildest fans right down on the floor with the players. It's the legends that were made there, the feeling of history being made with every game. And it's something more than either of these, something indescribable that comes from the building itself. No one who has experienced it will ever forget it.
The Building
Whether or not the matchbook story is true, it is a fact that the official architectural plans for the Stadium were drawn up by the Philadelphia firm of Horace Trumbauer, Architect. Trumbauer was a self-made man, a poor boy who left school at 16 to apprentice himself as a draftsman to a local architect. In 1890, at the age of 22, he opened his own office and quickly rose to prominence in the Northeast. His designs for the mansions and estates of wealthy northeastern magnates brought him to the attention of James Buchanan Duke, North Carolina tobacco baron. Duke commissioned the architect to design his New York town home during the early part of the century.
In 1924, when Duke created the $40 million Duke Endowment that turned Trinity College into Duke University, he called on Trumbauer to design the new University Campus.
In recent years it has come to light that the plans for the campus, as well as designs for later buildings including the stadium, were drawn up not by Trumbauer himself (although his name appeared on all the blueprints) but by his chief designer, Julian Abele, one of the nation's first black architects. Abele, a brilliant architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania, was brought to Trumbauer's attention shortly after his graduation in 1902. Trumbauer was so impressed with Abele's talents that he not only hired him but paid his way through the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Abele stands as the first African-American ever to graduate from the school.
The original design for the Indoor Stadium was significantly less grand than the one from which the building was actually constructed. That first plan called for 5,000 basketball "sittings," and even that number was considered extravagant, at least by Trumbauer, who originally had proposed 4,000 seats. In a letter to Dr. William P. Few, President of Duke, Trumbauer said: "For your information Yale has in its new gymnasium a basket ball (sic) court with settings for 1,600 ... I think the settings for 8,000 people is rather liberal ... the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania seats 9,000."
The original building was a domed structure with 16-feet steel ceiling spans and a 90-by 45-foot playing court. Obviously, Dr. Few must have insisted on something more spectacular.
As important as the size of the Stadium was its external appearance. It was vital that the building be aesthetically integrated with the original West Campus buildings. For this reason, building stone was taken from the Duke quarry in nearby Hillsborough, N.C., where all the stone for the original campus had been found.
Building on the Stadium proceeded quickly. The stone had to be laid in temperate weather, for in extremely cold temperatures, the mortar would freeze. The building was finished in nine months.
Thus the Stadium was ready to be opened by the first of the new year, 1940. The final cost: $400,000 (which Duke finished paying after the football team won the Sugar Bowl in 1945).
The Dedication
Duke's new Indoor Stadium was officially opened on January 6, 1940. Touring the building before the evening ceremony and subsequent game, local city officials were "speechless." Said Chamber of Commerce President Col. Marion B. Fowler, "It is so colossal and so wonderful ... This building will not only be an asset to the university but to the entire community as well." Chamber Secretary Frank Pierson concurred, "There are no superlatives for it."
But Duke's Indoor Stadium was a structure of superlatives. The arena measured 262-feet long by 175-feet wide and was the East Coast's largest indoor stadium south of the Palestra in Philadelphia. Nine fixed steel frames spanned the ceiling at 26-foot intervals, which "provided an exceptionally good sight line." Seating for 8,800 included 3,500 folding bleacher seats on the floor designated, then as today, for the exclusive use of undergraduates. Maximum capacity was 12,000. A total of 16 ramps in the upper level helped prevent bottlenecks. It was according to the program issued the opening night, "one of the most modern and complete physical education buildings in the country."
The building was dedicated before a crowd of 8,000, the largest ever in the history of southern basketball. President William P. Few and Dean William H. Wannamaker presented the Stadium to the University. Dean R.B. House of UNC-Chapel Hill, representing the Southern Conference, also spoke. Aware of the tensions his presence as a member of a rival institution might cause, House affirmed, "I am a Methodist. I aspire to religion, I endorse erudition, and I use ... tobacco ... Hence, I claim to have good personal grounds for being a friend and well-wisher of Duke University." House continued: "... here will be on parade not only Duke University, but also ... youth ... education ... (and) the values of a great and democratic people. Modern games preserve for us the athletic glory of Greece, the executive efficiency of Rome ...."
To the greater glory of Greece, Rome, and particularly Duke University, the Blue Devils beat the visiting Princeton Tigers that night, 36-27.
Renovations
It was in February, 1986, that NBC Sports commentator Dick Enberg told the world about the latest planned renovations for Cameron. "They're going to make a real sports antique out of it ... complete with brass railings and stained glass windows."
For Duke athletic officials watching the Sunday afternoon broadcast of the Duke-Georgia Tech game, this was certainly news. Planned renovations did not, as some rumors indicated, include stained glass windows, but there was a major facelift being planned which included new side walls, a new electronic scoreboard and even brass railings.
Renovations began in 1987. The lobbies and concourse were remodeled during the summer of 1987. Then, in 1988, work began on the interior of the arena. A new electronic scoreboard, new sound system and decorative wood paneling gave Cameron an updated look, while maintaining the original elegance. The addition of 750 new student seats, increasing Cameron's capacity to 9,314, gave the Cameron Crazies, the Duke students who have made a name for themselves as Duke's exceptional "sixth man," a little more room to practice the art of supporting their team creatively.
In the early 1990s, Mike Krzyzewski and Athletic Director Tom Butters decided the time was right to give Cameron an addition with new locker rooms, coaches offices, an academic center and a new Sports Hall of Fame. Several years later, ground was broken for the new Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center after the end of the 1997-98 season. That complex now houses the men's and women's basketball programs, as well as Duke's athletic academic center.
The first part of that expansion and improvement project was the installation of a new floor in Cameron Indoor Stadium after the 1996-97 season. The latest advancements in floor technology were utilized to give the Blue Devils one of the finest playing surfaces in the entire country. Prior to the 1999-2000 season, a new press row was added. Air conditioning was added in 2001-02 and for its 100th season in 2004-05, the concourse was enhanced to celebrate Duke's tradition in men's and women's basketball with the addition of poster displays and all the banners were replaced in the rafters.
Cameron underwent a series of improvements over the summer of 2009 to enhance the gameday experience, while also retaining the revered qualities of the facility as it approached its 70th year as the home of the Blue Devils.
New press row tables were added to include LED technology, while the upper bowl of Cameron saw all 5,649 seats painted Duke blue. Each of the distinctive brass railings that surround the arena were refurbished prior to the beginning of the 2009-10 basketball season.
In 2016, a two-story addition measuring 14,200 square feet came online on Cameron's south side. The first floor features a new lobby and exhibit space, as well as two new areas for ticket operations. The second floor of the new addition houses the Champions Club, a hospitality space with a capacity of roughly 250.
Today
Originally the largest indoor arena in the South, Cameron is today one of the smallest in the nation. Nevertheless, its stature grows from year-to-year. Sellout crowds, top 25 rankings and championships of every variety have become the norm. The "creative harassment" of student spectators has given Duke the honor of being known as "one of the toughest road games in the USA," according to USA Today and any visiting team that has ever played in Cameron. In its June 7, 1999, issue, Sports Illustrated rated Cameron Indoor Stadium fourth on a list of the top 20 sporting venues in the world in the 20th Century, ranking ahead of such notables as Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Pebble Beach Golf Club.
The Blue Devils have had an amazing amount of success in Cameron. In 1999-2000, Duke established both the Atlantic Coast Conference and school record by extending its home winning streak to 46 games.
Despite the changes that have taken place, Cameron Indoor Stadium has remained very much the same over the last 70+ years. New seating, high tech electronics and a fresh coat of paint have not altered, but rather enhanced, Cameron's most enduring characteristic ... its spirit. It is still a building of superlatives.
Duke comes into the game ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 poll with a record of 26-4 16-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference because they won the outright Atlantic Coast Conference title crowned Atlantic Coast Conference regular season champions!
Why?
Because they won at Pittsburgh 86-56 Tuesday!
Why?
Paolo Banchero was 7-10 on field goals, was 3-3 from 3 point range , collected dished out 3 assists and scored 21 points. AJ Griffin was 5-7 on field goals , 1-3 from 3 point range, collected 7 rebounds 1, assists and scored 12 points. Trevor Keels was 10-15 on field goals , 5-8 from 3 point range while collected 3 rebounds, 2 assists and scored 27 points and Wendell Moore Jr. was 4-6 on field goals , 1-2 from 3 point range , collected 6 rebounds 5 assists and scored 13 points.
“according to espn.com”
And on Wednesday Notre Dame who was a top the standings with Duke lost at Florida State 74-70.
Why?
Neither team was able to build more than an eight-point lead in the game and the lead changed hands six times which included another six times the score was tied.
Freshman Blake Wesley led the Irish with 21 points, adding six rebounds and two steals. Graduate student Paul Atkinson Jr. contributed a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Florida State had four players in double figures, led by John Butler with 16.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Florida State started the game red hot from behind the three-point line. The Seminoles connected on their first five shots from behind the arc with three of the jumpers from John Butler, to build a 17-11 lead at the first media timeout.
Notre Dame started to buckle down on defense and earn some stops, allowing them to get out in transition and chip into the lead. Wesley’s leak out lay up at 11:48 cut the Seminole lead to 21-18 at the second media stoppage.
The Irish earned their first lead of the game on a Laszewski three at the top of the key to claim a 27-25 lead at the eight minute mark. By the time the Irish earned a lead on the scoreboard, the visitors had passed the home team in field goal percentage after the Seminoles blistering start to the game.
Both teams traded baskets over the next segment, but Wesley provided the highlight driving down the lane for a tomahawk slam for his 11th point of the game and nudged the Irish ahead 33-31 with 3:15 left.
At the end of the first half, it was Notre Dame’s hot three-point shooting that earned the Irish a five-point lead at halftime. Trey Wertz drilled a deep three pointer as the defense sagged off of him, then Hubb found Laszewski open in the left corner for another three pointer.
Florida State answered with a deep contested three of their own. As the first half clock wound down, Wertz drove and found Laszewski open on the right side this time. The shot found nothing but net and the Irish went into the locker room with a 44-39 advantage.
Early in the second half the home team hot shooting from earlier in the game returned and an 8-0 Seminole run put the Irish on their heels.
It wasn’t for long, however, as a Hubb drive and a Wesley and-one play put him at the line with a chance to tie the game. The free throw was missed and FSU seemed to get a burst of energy, building the lead back up to seven with 10:54 left.
The Irish had another run left in them. Atkinson Jr. rebounded a Wesley miss with a flying slam, followed by a defensive stop and a Wesley transition lay up. Notre Dame had cut it to two at 61-59 with 8:59 left.
Notre Dame’s defense earned three straight looks at tying the game or taking the lead, but nothing would fall and both teams remained scoreless over the next two minutes. Florida State scored down low, then a Goodwin three pointer on a wide open look rimmed out.
The home team pushed out their lead yet again, but a Wesley baseline dunk gave Notre Dame some life. Minutes later the rookie delivered again with a steal and score to cut the lead to one.
Florida State had the answer on a drive for a score, then forced a Notre Dame turnover to take a 69-64 lead with 3:48 remaining.
Notre Dame continued to fight, Hubb cut the lead to two on a drive with 1:27 left but was unable to pull down some key defensive rebounds at the end of the game. Florida State’s Anthony Polite connected on a huge three pointer with under a minute remaining to put his team up five, but Atkinson Jr. responded with a traditional and-one to cut the lead back to two with 41.2 left.
Notre Dame’s defense forced a miss, but couldn’t corral the rebound and knocked the ball out of bounds with 11 seconds left. The Irish fouled RayQuan Evans, who sealed the game with two free throws and provided the game’s final score.
“according to an article on und.com”
Notre Dame is going to finish third behind Duke’s tobacco road rival North Carolina who Duke host on Saturday in Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game as the Head Coach of Duke.
The last time Duke was the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season champion was in 2006. Then Greg Paulus was freshman.
“according to Jeff Goodman’s tweet on Twitter”
Greg Paulus is now the Head Coach of Niagara!
North Carolina comes into the game with a record of 22-8 14-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and finished second behind their tobacco road rival Duke is the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season. Though, they beat Syracuse Monday in Chapel Hill 88-77 in overtime. In North Carolina’s 88-77 win over Syracuse —Brady Manek scored 22 points, Caleb Love hit three clutch 3-pointers and North Carolina defeated Syracuse 88-79 in overtime on Monday night.
North Carolina's win came despite a season-high 36 points from Cole Swider of Syracuse. He made 14 of 21 shots, including 7 of 11 from 3-point distance, before fouling out late in overtime.
Love's 3-pointer gave North Carolina a 70-69 lead with 2:20 remaining in regulation. His 3-pointer with 8 seconds left gave UNC a 73-71 lead before Joe Girard III tied it with a tough 15-footer from the baseline.
Love struck again early in overtime, his 3-pointer giving the Tar Heels a 78-73 lead with 3:54 to go. RJ Davis hit a 3-pointer on North Carolina's next possession and the Tar Heels were in control with an eight-point lead.
The win assures North Carolina (22-8, 14-5 ACC) of a top-four finish in the ACC and a double-bye in the conference tournament. North Carolina finishes the regular season at Duke on Saturday. A win over Duke or a loss by Miami (12-6 ACC), which has two games remaining, would give the Tar Heels third place outright.
Syracuse (15-15, 9-10) faces the prospect of the first losing season in Jim Boeheim's 46 years as coach. The Orange finish the regular season at home against Miami on Saturday.
North Carolina's Armando Bacot had 17 points and 18 rebounds for his 23rd double-double of the season, tying the North Carolina record set by Bryce Johnson in 2015-16. Love finished with 21 points, Davis had 17 and Leaky Black added eight points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Manek had five rebounds and three assists.
Buddy Boeheim scored 14 points and Jimmy Boeheim had 10 for Syracuse.
Cole Swider scored 21 points in the first half for Syracuse, shooting 8 for 10 overall and 5 for 6 from 3-point distance. Swider's fifth 3-pointer of the half drew Syracuse within 35-34 with 2:08 remaining before North Carolina closed it out with a 6-2 run for a 41-36 halftime lead.
”according to an article on goheels.com by the Associated Press”
Tip off is set for 6:00pm from Cameron Indoor Stadium!
The game is going to be televised on ESPN with Jay Bilas, Dan Shulman commentating!