Duke perplexed by Singler's shooting woes, confident he will start hitting

Duke ascended to the No. 1 spot in the polls again Monday, a move that reflects the carnage of the top at last week and the fact that the Blue Devils have steadied themselves after the loss of Kyrie Irving.

The Devils are continuing to win despite an odd shooting slump by senior star Kyle Singler. Coach Mike Krzyzewski continues to praise Singler for his defense, which you can take as a way of boosting Singler’s confidence, but there’s no doubt Singler’s shooting woes are puzzling.

Singler scored 24 at Wake Forest on Jan. 22, 14 against Boston College Jan. 27, 20 vs. St. John’s Jan. 30 and then 22 at Maryland on Feb. 2. So he was pretty much rolling along to a year worthy of national honors.

Then suddenly, he skidded. Here are his last five games, with shooting from the field and three-point range:

Feb. 5, N.C. State 5-13 (1-2) 14 points
Feb. 9, Carolina 3-17 (1-6) 10 points
Feb. 13, at Miami 6-12 (2-6) 14 points
Feb. 16, at Virginia 1-5 (0-2) 2 points
Feb. 20, Georgia Tech 5-14 (0-1) 15 points.


“I don’t know if there’s any one thing,” Krzyzewski said Monday. “Sometimes you just don’t shoot as well. Sometimes when you don’t shoot as well you don’t play as well. To me what’s remarkable about that kid is every other part of his game is terrific.

“At Virginia, he let that, for one of the few times in his career, affect how he played. And he can’t do that. He’s so important for us, whether he goes 2 for 12 or 8 for 12.
We won’t win a really important game unless Kyle plays with that spirit. And when he hits that shot, he’s a lot better.”

Krzyzewski compared Singler to a .320 hitter who is suddenly hitting .250.

“We think that he will hit .320 and balance out for the season. But I’m proud of him. He’s handling all his other responsibilities well.”

Heels defense heads All-ACC team

A sign of the UNC program's progression under coach Butch Davis, the Tar Heels landed five defensive players on the ACC's preseason all-conference football team, which was released on Wednesday.

Defensive end Robert Quinn, defensive tackle Marvin Austin, linebacker Quan Sturdivant, cornerback Kendrick Burney and safety Deunta Williams were all selected. The team was voted on by the media attending the ACC Kickoff press conferences in Greensboro Sunday and Monday. North Carolina had the nation's No. 6 defense last season.

By comparison, Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder, the preseason pick for league player of the year, is one of two Seminoles on the team.

Also on the offense, Duke wide receiver Donovan Varner and N.C. State tight end George Bryan were the lone Triangle players picked.

Renfree committed to Duke's success

With quarterback Thaddeus Lewis completing his eligibility for Duke last season, the Blue Devils need a productive, trusted leader to replace him.

Sean Renfree, though just a redshirt sophomore, finds himself first in line for the opportunity.

A highly touted prospect out of Scottsdale, Ariz., Renfree saw limited action behind Lewis last season before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament last November. While recovering from the injury, Renfree wasn't able to compete in contact drills during spring practice. But he was able to take part in many other drills.

``He got a lot more work in the the spring than I ever thought he would,'' Duke coach David Cutcliffe said.

Renfree's commitment to the Blue Devils goes beyond toughness. Cutcliffe said Renfree received an invitation to attend the Manning Passing Academy this summer, but declined.

For nearly two decades, the Mannings have held their passing camp in Louisiana each year. It brings together NFL, college and high school quarterbacks. Archie Manning and sons Peyton and Eli always attend. (As a reporter covering the New Orleans Saints beat, I first met Eli when he was a teenager at this event. I also watched Chris Simms, among others, as a high school player there).

While honored and intrigued at the opportunity, Renfree chose to stay in Durham working with his Duke teammates this summer, figuring it would help the team more. But Renfree worried about offending the Mannings.

Cutcliffe, having coached Peyton and Eli, told Renfree he'd handle passing on the regrets.

``I told him they wouldn't be angry,'' Cutcliffe said. ``He said, ``I don't want to do it because I feel like I need to be here rehabbing and working with our players.' I think that's indicative of the commitment that Sean has as a player. It made me kind of smile, to be honest with you.''

CBS grabs Duke at Carolina men's basketball game

Speaking of Duke and North Carolina (see post below), CBS Sports announced Tuesday that the Duke at UNC men’s basketball game will be broadcast in prime time on Saturday, March 5, at 8 p.m.

Believe it or not, this is the first prime-time airing of the game on network television. The game will air locally on WRAL.

The complete ACC basketball schedule is expected to be released in August.

Duke basketball schedule will be fascinating as Krzyzewski chases Smith's victory total

Duke basketball schedules are always carefully thought out, and you can bet the 11th through the 13th games of the 2010-11 season will be interesting when schedules are out in August as Mike Krzyzewski pursues Dean Smith's victory total.
 
Krzyzewski, who held his summer media conference on Monday, now has 868 wins in his career. That’s only 11 short of Smith’s 879 victories, and you can bet Duke will want to be playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium when Krzyzewski ties and breaks that mark.

Last year, Duke’s 11th game came on Dec. 29 against Long Beach State and its 12th on Dec. 31 against Pennsylvania. Both were held in Cameron. The ACC opener, on Jan. 3, also was at home.

ACC teams tend to play at home over the holidays, often against weak teams, so they can get back into the groove after exams and prepare for league play. Look for the Blue Devils to hold a host of home games in that stretch as Krzyzewski closes in on major career milestones.

Krzyzewski probably will catch his former coach, Bob Knight, next season. Knight has 902 wins, followed by Smith at 879 and Adolph Rupp at 876.

By the way, the most interesting part of the news conference came when Krzyzewski , according to the AP, said, "I'm a basketball coach all the time. That's what I do. I don't play golf. I chase my dog, or he chases me, and I whack down some trees and bushes and play with my grandkids and drink a little bit of wine. I like to socialize, but I'm a basketball coach every day of my life."

You can watch the entire news conference on GoDuke.com.

Classy Danowski deserves this title at Duke

Say what you want about the Duke lacrosse team in light of the 2006 allegations, but this much is true – current coach John Danowski exudes class, and you can’t help but admire what Danowski and his club accomplished with Monday’s national title.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see how former coach Mike Pressler was treated unfairly when Duke forced him out in that aborted season.

Duke responded with an amazing hire when it brought in Danowski from Hofstra. Danowski not only knows the game, he knows how to recruit and he knew how to handle a scandal of hard to fathom proportions. To keep the Duke program afloat is a remarkable achievement – to win a national title, and to do it after such wrenching Final Four losses, is amazing.

In light of the false allegations that surrounded the program in 2006, it’s amazingly just to see the Devils finally claim a national title in a sport dominated by a tight circle of programs.