Tag: Duke

Duke’s new alternate jerseys are so good

These are the best jerseys in college basketball.

It’s hard to make a good alternate jersey. Sometimes they can lean too hard into certain themes. Other times they aren’t doing enough. And, more often than not, they commemorate something that doesn’t really matter — just look at the NBA’s City Jerseys.

But this new Duke alternate jersey is so incredibly good. It’s perfection. This is exactly what an alternate jersey is supposed to look like.

They dropped these new “Brotherhood” jerseys in commemoration of the four decades head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been with the program.

They’re jaw dropping. Everything from the navy blue color to the gothic “Duke” font and the subtle “brotherhood” on the shorts. They’ve got it all.

The school revealed their new jerseys on Twitter in a video ahead of their game against Wake Forest on Saturday night.

I only have two comments here. The first one is that Duke doesn’t deserve these jerseys. They’re too good for a program that is so easily hateable.

The second one: Zion Williamson deserved to wear this jersey last year and we deserve to see him in it. We need to demand that the Pelicans, a squad loaded with Duke players, wear these when he finally returns to the team.

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Zion Williamson says he initially decided to go back to Duke: ‘Nobody ever believes me’

What could have been.

Zion Williamson arrived at Duke last season with the expectation of spending one year in Durham before declaring for the NBA Draft. That was exactly how it played out for the now-Pelicans rookie. But when it came time to make that long-expected decision, it wasn’t nearly as easy as most would have thought.

Zion was ready to return to Duke for his sophomore season.

In an appearance on The J.J. Redick Podcast, Williamson explained to his Pelicans teammate that he genuinely wanted to go back to Duke for a second year and that nobody ever believes him when he says that. According to Zion, it took urging from his mom, stepdad and Coach K to get him to make the jump to the NBA.

Zion said:

“It was like the deadline. I think at the deadline when you had to declare, you had to say, ‘All right, what are you gonna do? Declare or not?’ Me, I wanted to go back, Nobody ever believes me, they think I’m just saying that. But no, I genuinely wanted to go back. I felt like the NBA wasn’t going anywhere. You know, the money thing — that’s money. I don’t play this for money. I play because I genuinely love the game. I just loved my experience at Duke that much where I wanted to stay.

“But it was one of those situations where Coach K’s not gonna let me come back because he wants me to do what’s best for the family. My teammates are saying, ‘Man, that would be dope if you come back.’ But at the same time, they’re telling me I would be leaving too much. I did the work this long to get to that. It was tough. At the end of the day, I think it was kinda my mom. She said she was gonna support me whatever I do, so I was like, ‘All right, I’m going back.’ And then I think her and my stepdad talked about it, and they were like, ‘You worked too hard to get to this moment. You’d feel bad if you left it.'”

After that discussion with his parents, Zion said that he ultimately realized he had worked for the opportunity to play in the NBA and couldn’t pass up the chance. Even as post-lottery rumors emerged about a possible return to Duke, Williamson remained committed to the draft and the eventual landing spot in New Orleans.

But could you imagine if he had stayed at Duke?

The Blue Devils are already 13-1 and ranked No. 2 without Zion. That one loss was by two points against Stephen F. Austin. We’ll never know what could have been, but it’s fun to think about.

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Duke at Georgia Tech college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s Duke Blue Devils vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Duke Blue Devils (13-1, 3-0 ACC) and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-7, 2-2 ACC) tip it off at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday. We analyze the Duke-Georgia Tech odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

The Blue Devils are ranked second in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

Duke at Georgia Tech: Three things you need to know

1. Duke ranks fourth in the nation with 84.1 points per game, and is 17th in the country with a field-goal percentage of 48.4%.

2. Blue Devils F Vernon Carey Jr. leads the team in points (18.4 per game), rebounds (9.0 RPG) and blocked shots (2.1 BPG) with a field-goal percentage of 62.8%, while G Tre Jones leads the team with 7.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

3. Georgia Tech is coming off its most impressive and complete effort of the season, a 96-83 victory at North Carolina Jan. 4.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Duke at Georgia Tech: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 7:10 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Duke 82, Georgia Tech 64

Moneyline (ML)

Duke (-910) is an overwhelming favorite, and you cannot risk more than nine times the return. That’s just ludicrous. AVOID the temptation of Georgia Tech (+575), too. The Jackets are not half the team they showed in UNC.

Against the Spread (ATS)

DUKE (-12, -110) topped Georgia Tech (+12, -110) last season by a 66-53 score, failing to cover a 23-point number at home. The last time these teams met at McCamish, the Blue Devils came away with an 80-69 road win to cover an 8.5-point spread. Look for the Blue Devils to smack the Yellow Jackets back to reality after their impressive win at North Carolina. Duke pounded Miami by 33 last time out, and will treat Georgia Tech similarly.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 139 (-110) is the way to go in this one, hitting in three of the past four true road or neutral-site games for the Blue Devils.

The Yellow Jackets’ offensive outburst was a rarity, as they’re normally in the 60’s. They have posted 67.6 PPG to rank 273rd in the nation. Carey, Jones and company, however, have piled up the points, and they’ll do so against the Yellow Jackets, too.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Notre Dame Basketball: Mooney Earns Weekly Honor Again

Notre Dame revolves around the double-double machine that is John Mooney, and for the second time this season, the ACC revolves around him. The senior forward was named the conference’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for games played during the …

Notre Dame revolves around the double-double machine that is John Mooney, and for the second time this season, the ACC revolves around him. The senior forward was named the conference’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for games played during the week of Dec. 30. He also won for games played the week of Nov. 11, making him the first conference player this season to win the honor twice.

Mooney had a game to remember in Saturday’s thrilling come-from-behind win over Syracuse, tying his career high of 28 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. It was the second time this season he scored at least 25 points and at least 10 boards. His biggest moment of game came with 36 seconds left, when his offensive rebound and putback gave Notre Dame the lead for good. He shot 11 for 21 from the field over 32 minutes.

Duke forward Matthew Hurt was named the ACC Freshman of the Week, the second Blue Devil to earn the honor this season after Vernon Carey Jr., who has won it three times.

Boston College at Duke odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Boston College Eagles at Duke Blue Devils sports betting odds and lines, with NCAA basketball betting odds and picks.

The Boston College Eagles (8-5, 2-0 ACC) and Duke Blue Devils (11-1, 1-0 ACC) lock horns at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday. We analyze the Boston College-Duke odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Boston College at Duke: Three things you need to know

1. This will be the conference home opener for the Blue Devils. They topped Virginia Tech in Blacksburg by a 77-63 count Dec. 6.

2. The Eagles fell 80-55 at Cameron last season, just failing to cover a 24-point number. They’re in a similar spot in this one. The Blue Devils fell 89-84 Dec. 9, 2017, in the previous meeting in Chestnut Hill, though.

3. The favorite has cashed in five of the past seven meetings in this series.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Boston College at Duke: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:40 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Duke 82, Boston College 65

Moneyline (ML)

There was no moneyline available at the time of publishing.

Against the Spread (ATS)

BOSTON COLLEGE (+22.5, -110) has covered the spread in nine of its last 13 road games, while going 9-4 ATS in the past 13 on the road against teams with a winning home mark, too. Duke (-22.5, -110), who inexplicably lost at Cameron against Stephen F. Austin earlier this season, has failed to cover in five of the past six home games.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 140.5 (-106) is the play in this ACC battle in the Triangle. The Under is 7-2 in the past nine for BC, but the Over is 4-1-1 in the past six road outings for the Eagles. For Duke, it’s all Over, all the time. The Over is 6-2 in its past eight, 4-1 in the past five at home and 5-1 in the previous six against teams with a winning overall mark. In fact, I plan to make the Over play as part of my pick pack in the final day of 2019.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Recapping Draymond Green’s emotional Michigan State jersey retirement

When Draymond Green’s No. 23 jersey was raised into the rafters, the Warriors All-Star got emotional in his old stomping grounds.

Although No. 11 Michigan State couldn’t fend off the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils 87-75, it was still a memorable night in East Lansing due to one former Spartan turned Golden State Warrior.

Draymond Green’s No. 23 Spartan jersey was raised into the rafters in Michigan State’s Breslin Center for retirement in front of a packed crowd.

The Saginaw, Michigan product led the Spartans to two Final Four appearances and three Big Ten regular-season championships. Green was a consensus first-team All-American, NABC Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year, all in 2012. Now his white and green No. 23 jersey will be immortalized in the Michigan State arena forever.

Here are some of the highlights from Green’s memorable night in East Lansing:

DubNation in the building

Several members of the Golden State Warriors organization made the trip to East Lansing to support Green on his special night. Warriors owner. Joe Lacob, general manager, Bob Myers, and Steve Kerr were all in attendance. Other members like Zaza Pachulia, D’Angelo Russell, and Klay Thompson were in the building.

Green said the type of support his teammates and coaches showed was a reason why he wants to stay with Golden State forever.

“Not one person would have said they were wrong if they didn’t come here — it’s my college jersey getting retired,” Green said in his jersey retirement press conference, via Noah Trister of the Associated Press. “They took the time out of their schedule to be here for me. Those are the things that make you say, ‘OK, I want to be there for the rest of my career.’ And I would do anything for that organization to help make that happen.”

Draymond showing emotion

The former Defensive Player of the Year is a passionate and fiery competitor on the basketball court; we rarely get to see the softer side of Green, the person. When handed the microphone to address the Michigan State crowd, Green became a bit emotional when talking about getting to live out his childhood dreams.

“As a kid from Saginaw, Michigan, my goal and dream was to play at Michigan State, it was never to get my jersey retired, and I lived that dream.” Green said during his halftime ceremony.

Respect from around the NBA

Green is a polarizing player across the NBA, but on the night of his jersey retirement, former stars from Michigan State reached out to congratulate the Warriors forward on the honor.

Jaren Jackson, Denzel Valentine and Miles Bridges all reached out to Green via a video compiled by “Uninterrupted.” Former Golden State “We Believe” star, Jason Richardson, also made an appearance to congratulate Green.

College basketball fans debate if Stephen F. Austin player double-dribbled before game-winner vs. Duke

Hmmm.

Sports fans all over the place have been watching and re-watching and re-re-watching Nathan Bain grab a loose ball, split through a pair of would-be Duke defenders and put in the game-winning layup that gave Stephen F. Austin an all-time stunner of a college basketball upset.

But there’s a group of fans who have watched that same clip and are wondering: was that a double-dribble that should have been whistled on Bain?

Let me start by saying that I don’t think so. Bain never really had possession of the basketball until he grabbed it and then started his dribble. But let’s look together, shall we?

First, here’s the play if you haven’t seen it:

And another angle, with commentary from a viewer:

Here are others wondering the same thing:

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College hoops fans donate to GoFundMe for Stephen F. Austin player who hit game-winner vs. Duke

Fans are supporting the family of Nathan Bain after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas.

Nathan Bain is the name that will go down in college basketball history has the player who hit the game-winning layup that helped Stephen F. Austin pull off an all-timer of an upset over No. 1 Duke on Tuesday night.

It also brought attention to Bain and his family.

Back in September, Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas and mostly destroyed a church where his father was a minister. The Bain family home was also hit hard.

Per SI.com, Stephen F. Austin’s compliance office helped set up a GoFundMe page, and since Bain’s layup, donations have rolled in to push the total raised to over $11,000 as of 7:50 a.m. ET:

From the GoFundMe page:

On September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall in The Bahamas as a category five storm. Among the almost 400,000 individuals affected by one of the most catastrophic natural disasters recorded in history was the family of SFA men’s basketball senior Nate Bain. Not only did the Bain family see nearly everything of value destroyed by Hurricane Dorian, Bain’s father- a minister- watched as his church suffered extreme damage from the storm as well.

In an effort to assist the Bain family’s recovery from the worst natural disaster in the country’s history, SFA Athletics is accepting donations of all dollar amounts which will be sent directly to Bain’s family.

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6 incredible stats about Stephen F. Austin’s stunning upset of Duke

What. A. Win.

It’s not a dream (or, in the case of Duke fans, a nightmare).

Stephen F. Austin came into Cameron Indoor Stadium and defeated No. 1 Duke in overtime on a wild buzzer beater.

The reaction from Tuesday night is spilling over in Wednesday, with everyone buzzing about the upset of a lifetime and fans joking about coach Mike Krzyzewski designing a messy final play.

Now, we have to step back and look at all the incredible stats that came along with the upset. Some jaw-dropping Duke winning streaks ended, and the Lumberjacks had some wild odds against them to win this game:

1. Duke hasn’t lost to a non-conference opponent at home since 2000

2. Duke’s winning streak against unranked non-power conference teams is even longer

Ready to have your mind blown?

3. Being the No. 1 team this year has been rough

4. The story of the game? Free throws

5. The Lumberjacks were 85-1 underdogs

WHOA. Did anyone bet on them to win this game outright!?

6. This was an all-timer of an upset in terms of the spread

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No. 1 Duke lost to Stephen F. Austin on a wild walk-off layup at the buzzer and fans were in awe

Stephen F. Austin with a walk-off at Duke.

No. 1 Duke suffered its first loss of the season in stunning fashion Tuesday as the Blue Devils lost an overtime stunner at the buzzer to Stephen F. Austin, 85-83, in an absolutely wild ending at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Stephen F. Austin was able to secure a loose ball under Duke’s basket and then senior forward Nathan Bain drove the ball the length of the floor and banked in a layup just as the buzzer sounded.

It’s easily the biggest win the history of Stephen F. Austin. The team never backed down from Duke down the stretch of regulation and throughout overtime before this layup won it:

WOW.

Fans couldn’t believe it: