Singler helps Duke advance in NIT

DURHAM -- Now it's time to see what Duke can do with all three of its best players in the lineup.

Forward Kyle Singler and guard Jon Scheyer have steadied the ninth-ranked Blue Devils in their first two basketball games while guard Nolan Smith served a two-game NCAA suspension for playing in unsanctioned summer league games.

In the opening round of the NIT Season Tipoff on Monday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Singler scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Duke defeated Coastal Carolina 74-49.

Scheyer was held to two points and attempted just one field goal in the first half, but he finished with 10 points and five assists. The Chanticleers (1-1) baffled Duke for a while with a triangle-and-two defense, but Scheyer and freshman guard Andre Dawkins (13 points) eventually calmed Duke's offense.

"Jon did a good job of making sure the team was in sync," Singler said. "He did the best job he could. I tried to follow. It really was Jon that kept us together."

In Duke's two lopsided wins to open the season, Singler has 43 points and 16 rebounds. Scheyer has 28 points, nine assists and no turnovers over the two games at point guard.

And now Smith is returning to give the Blue Devils another ballhandling option in the backcourt. At 6 p.m. today on ESPN in the second round of the NIT, Duke will play Charlotte, a 75-61 winner Monday over Elon.

Tonight's winner will advance to New York for the NIT semifinals Nov. 25.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said it has been difficult playing games without a key player who has been on the floor at practice.

"They really like each other and play well with one another," Krzyzewski said of Singler, Scheyer and Smith. "Any one of these three guys can go for 20 [points] on any night. And all of them can go for 20 on one night."

Monday night's opponent, Coastal Carolina, entered the game with momentum after defeating Southern Conference South Division favorite College of Charleston 70-59 on Friday night at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The Chanticleers got Duke's tournament off to a stunningly bad start. The Blue Devils turned the ball over on their first four possessions as Coastal ran out to a 6-0 lead.

But Singler, the preseason ACC player of the year, quickly put the Blue Devils in front with a mixture of baskets in the lane and jump shots. His teammates combined to shoot 6-for-20 in the first half, so he didn't get much help.

He didn't need much, though. Singler shot 6-for-9 in the first half and had 15 of Duke's points as the Blue Devils led 33-19 at halftime.

The double-digit lead was plenty comfortable because Duke's defense held Coastal Carolina to 28.6 percent from the field for the game. But Scheyer said he and Singler still were looking forward to the easy baskets that Smith's ability to push the ball on the fast break would bring.

"He'll take a lot of pressure off both of us," Scheyer said.

No. 9 Duke 74,

Coastal Carolina 49

Percentages: FG .286, FT .579. 3-Point Goals: 6-17, .353 (Edwards 2-5, Moore 2-6, Lee 1-1, Johnson 1-4, Evans 0-1). Team Rebounds: 4. Blocked Shots: 1 (McLaurin). Turnovers: 14 (Johnson 4, Greenwood 4, Edwards 3, Pack 2, Harris). Steals: 5 (Harris, Johnson, Greenwood, Edwards, Pack). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .444, FT .833. 3-Point Goals: 6-23, .261 (Dawkins 3-11, Singler 2-5, Scheyer 1-2, Czyz 0-1, Kelly 0-4). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 5 (Singler 2, Kelly 2, Mi.Plumlee). Turnovers: 12 (Thomas 5, Singler 2, Mi.Plumlee 2, Czyz 2, Zoubek). Steals: 4 (Thomas, Dawkins, Kelly, Zoubek). Technical Fouls: None.

Att.-9,314. Officials-Doug Sirmons, Joe Lindsay, Dwayne Gladden.

Latest Comment View all comments

Multimedia

Images

Related Content

• Link:
  Get all the latest news and insight at ACC Now