Duke vs Minnesota • Battle 4 Atlantis
Thursday, November 22, 2012 • 3:30 p.m. • AXS.tv
Paradise Island, Bahamas • Imperial Arena
TELEVISION
AXS.tv
Play-by-Play: Dan Strader
Analyst: Donny Marshall
Sideline: Carolyn Manno
Host: Kenny Rice, Seth Davis
DIRECTV - 340; Dish - 362; Charter - 857; AT&T U-verse - 1106; Suddenlink - 203
RADIO
Blue Devil IMG Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Bob Harris
Analyst: John Roth
Sirius/xM - 91
The Opening Tip
• Duke is ranked No. 5 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Minnesota is unranked in both polls.
• Thursday's game marks the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Duke topped Florida Gulf Coast in a stateside game of the tournament on Nov. 18. The Blue Devils have won 20 consecutive regular-season tournament games, dating back to the title game of the 2006 CBE Classic.
• Mike Krzyzewski has led Duke to 16 consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins. Minnesota's Tubby Smith (18) is the only active coach in the NCAA with a longer run of 20+ win seasons.
• Duke is 3-0 on the year after an 88-67 win over Florida Gulf Coast. Mason Plumlee collected a career-best 28 points, on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line, in the win. He also added nine rebounds and two blocks in the contest.
• Rasheed Sulaimon knocked down three three-point field goals and all six free throws en route to a season-high 19 points against the Eagles.
• Ryan Kelly filled the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win over the Eagles.
• Duke trailed in the contest with FGCU, 30-29, before going on a 30-0 run over a 7:43 span to take control of the contest.
Duke-Minnesota Series:
• The all-time series between the two schools is tied 1-1. Duke is 1-0 under Coach K against Minnesota with an 87-70 win over the Golden Gophers in the Sweet Sixteen of the 1989 NCAA Tournament.
• No. 18 Duke fell to No. 11 Minnesota, 79-73, in the opening round of 1954 Dixie Classic in Raleigh, Calf., in the only other meeting between the two schools.
Duke vs. the Big Ten
• Duke is 12-4 all-time against teams currently in the Atlantic Sun conference, including a 10-1 mark under Mike Krzyzewski.
• The Blue Devils have won nine straight games against teams currently in the A-Sun.
• Six of the Duke wins during the nine-game win streak over A-Sun opponents have been by 10 or more points. The Blue Devils have a +23.7 scoring margin in that span.
Numbers Game
• Duke, ranked No. 5 in the latest AP Poll, has been ranked in the top 10 of the poll 96 consecutive weeks. The last time Duke was not ranked in the top 10 was Nov. 19, 2007.
• Duke is 69-24 all-time when ranked No. 5 in the country. The Blue Devils have won five straight games when holding the fifth spot in the AP poll.
• The Blue Devils are playing their 180th straight game as a top 10 team in the AP poll. Duke is 149-30 in that span.
• Duke has won 52 of its last 53 games in the month of November dating back to the start of the 2004-05 season.
• The Blue Devils have won 39 of their last 44 non-conference contests. Duke is 71-9 in non-league games since the start of the 2008-09 season.
• Duke is 37-4 in neutral site contests since the start of the 2008-09 season. The Blue Devils have won one NCAA Championship, three ACC titles and four in-season tournaments in that span.
• The Blue Devils are 67-26 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten, including a 49-16 mark under Coach K.
• Mason Plumlee has scored 18 or more points in each of his last four games dating back to last season, including a career-best 28-point effort on Sunday against Florida Gulf Coast. He is averaging 21.0 points per game, while shooting 82.5 percent (33-of-40) from the floor and 72.0 percent (18-of-25) from the foul line in that span.
• Seniors Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly have accounted for 62.4 percent of Duke's offensive output through three games. The trio is averaging 49.4 points per game this season.
• Mason Plumlee has shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in each of the past nine games dating back to last season. Plumlee is 51-of-72 (.708) from the field, including 24-of-31 (.774) in the last three games, during that stretch.
• Seth Curry has made at least one three-point field goal in 17 straight games. He is 8-of-20 from three-point range on the season and currently ranks fourth in the Duke record books with a .407 three-point field goal percentage (136-of-334).
• Freshman Rasheed Sulaimon has increased his scoring in each game this season and is coming off a 19-point effort in the win over Florida Gulf Coast. He enters Thursday's contest shooting 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from three-point range.
• The point guard tandem of Tyler Thornton and Quinn Cook combined for 13 of Duke's 19 assists in Duke's last outing. Cook matched a career-best with nine assists in the win over the Eagles.
• Duke is averaging 23.3 points per game off turnovers. The Blue Devils scored 36 points off 25 Florida Gulf Coast miscues in their last contest.
• Mason Plumlee is one of two players (Jarrell Eddie, Virginia Tech) in the ACC to rank in the top 5 in four statistical categories (scoring, field goal pct., blocks and defensive rebounds). Plumlee is also tied for seventh in the league in rebounding at 8.7 rpg.
• Seth Curry and Rasheed Sulaimon are tied for third in the ACC in three-point field goals at 2.7 threes per game.
• Nine of the 18 former Duke players on NBA rosters are currently in their respective teams starting lineups.
• Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry are the second-highest scoring tandem in the ACC at 37.7 points per game.
• Duke has drawn eight charges on the year including four by freshman Rasheed Sulaimon.
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