Duke's Smith suspended 2 games

Duke junior guard Nolan Smith has been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for playing in a non-sanctioned summer league, team spokesman Matt Plizga said Tuesday.

Smith will miss the Nov. 13 season opener against UNC Greensboro and the Nov. 16 game against Coastal Carolina. Plizga said Smith thought the league he was playing in had been approved by the NCAA and didn't find out otherwise until he returned to campus.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will address the issue after tonight's exhibition game against Findlay is finished, Plizga said. Duke struggled without Smith in the first half, committing 10 turnovers, but led 36-23 at the intermission.

This will be the second time in six years that a guard from a Triangle ACC school served a suspension to open the season because of unsanctioned summer play.

In 2004, North Carolina point guard Raymond Felton was suspended for the season opener for playing in an uncertified summer league. The Tar Heels lost that game, against Santa Clara, but they went on to win the national title.