Top Ranked Duke Visits Boston College For Their ACC Opener

Top ranked Duke  will get out of non conference play for one game as they will switch gears to begin conference play as they visit Boston College.

 No. 1 Duke opens ACC play on the road for the fifth time in seven years when it visits Boston College on Saturday. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211689004

Duke comes into the game against Boston College with a record of 11-0 "according tohttp://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/150/duke-blue-devils while Boston College meanwhile has a record of 6-3. "according to http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/103/boston-college-eagles

• Saturday’s game will be Duke’s 3,000th as a program. The Blue Devils will be looking for their 500th win away from Cameron Indoor Stadium under Mike Krzyzewski and their 400th regular-season ACC win under Coach K.
• Duke is 28-9 in ACC openers under Coach K.
• Led by Marvin Bagley III, the ACC’s leading scorer (21.9 ppg) and rebounder (11.2 rpg), Duke is the nation’s best rebounding team at 46.5 rpg.
• The Blue Devils own the nation’s most wins (11) and are one of nine remaining undefeated teams.
• Boston College enters the contest with a 6-3 record. The Eagles are coming off a 73-61 victory at Hartford which snapped a two game losing streak.
• Jerome Robinson (16.0 ppg) and Ky Bowman (15.8 ppg) lead the way offensively for BC. The pair combined for 44 points in the win at Hartford.

Duke has won 11 straight games against the Eagles and 20 of 22 games overall. Last season saw the Blue Devils top BC 93-82 in Cameron Indoor Stadium as Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 22 points. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211689004

As for Duke's last game, Duke routed Saint Francis.

Trevon Duval kept getting the ball to his teammates, and they kept scoring with it. It added up to a record-setting performance for top-ranked Duke. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

The freshman point guard had 11 of the Blue Devils' school-record 34 assists in a 124-67 rout of St. Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday night. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

"It shows that we're sharing the ball more, we're playing more as a team, trying to find each other," Duval said. "And it also means guys are making shots." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

Freshman Marvin Bagley III had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Duke scored 71 points in the first half -- just the fourth 70-point half in program history. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

Marques Bolden had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Wendell Carter Jr. had 15 points and Gary Trent Jr. and Grayson Allen both finished with 14 points for the Blue Devils (11-0). "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

They dominated every line in the box score. In addition to the assist total that broke the record of 33 set against Miami in 1986, Duke shot 60 percent and built a 61-25 rebounding advantage over a St. Francis team that has only one player taller than 6-foot-9. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

"No one got into their own game," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They were into our game." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

The Blue Devils needed just over 10 minutes to build a 30-point lead and hit the 100-point mark on Bagley's layup with 8 1/2 minutes remaining. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

Three players -- Andre Wolford, Jamaal King and Keith Braxton -- scored 13 points each for the Red Flash (3-5), who have lost three of four. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

BIG PICTURE

St. Francis: This was just the second time in school history that the Red Flash played No. 1, and this one didn't go any better than it did in 1974 when Adrian Dantley's Notre Dame team won by 20. They also took on their second Atlantic Coast Conference opponent of the season. They kept it reasonably close against Louisville, losing by 12 last month, but just didn't have the size to handle Bagley or Carter in this one. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

"Certainly not the outcome or the score differential that we had hoped," coach Rob Krimmel said. "Certainly it was a daunting task to be able to keep their post players and their size away from the rim, and they certainly willed their style early in the game, and then combined with some very good outside shooting -- a team like that becomes very, very ... difficult to guard when they're clicking on all cylinders." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

Duke: Maybe Duke doesn't need a break after all. This was Duke's 11th game in the first 26 days of the regular season, a run that included a cross-country trip to Portland, Oregon, for the PK80. But things are about to slow down. After the Blue Devils begin ACC play Saturday at Boston College, they'll play just two more games before January. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

"We're 11-0," Krzyzewski said. "Now, we're 0 and 0." "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

ALMOST HISTORY

The Blue Devils were one point shy of matching the school record of 72 points in a half, first accomplished against Virginia in 1965 and equaled against Harvard in 1989. Duke had a chance to claim the mark for itself but Javin DeLaurier missed a runner a couple of seconds before the halftime buzzer. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211688651

As for Boston College's last game , they won on the road at Hartford.

Boston College erased an 11 point first half deficit and Jerome Robinson became the 42nd member of the 1,000 point club at Boston College as the Eagles earned a 73-61 win at Hartford. "according to http://bceagles.com/news/2017/12/2/mbb_hartford_recap.aspx?path=mbball

The Hawks used the 3-point ball to jump out to a 15-4 lead just over five minutes into the ballgame.  But BC used a 15-2 run, including a Robinson 3-pointer, to take a 19-17 lead with 9:58 left in the half.  There were four lead changes the rest of the half, capped by a Jordan Chatman trey to close out the half, giving BC a 31-30 lead. "according to http://bceagles.com/news/2017/12/2/mbb_hartford_recap.aspx?path=mbball

Boston College did not trail in the second half until Hartford connected on its 10th trifecta of the game, regaining the lead at 54-53 with 6:52 to play.  But a 14-4 push over the next six minutes put the game out of reach, sealing the Eagles' first road victory of the season. "according to http://bceagles.com/news/2017/12/2/mbb_hartford_recap.aspx?path=mbball

Inside the Box Score

• Jerome Robinson led all scorers with 23 points.  He scored his 1,000th career point on a layup with 9:21 remaining in the second half.  He becomes the 42nd Boston College player to score 1,000 points.
• Robinson was 7-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from the perimeter and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.  The junior guard grabbed six boards and dished out three assists.
• Ky Bowman added 21 points - 13 coming in the second half.  He was 8-of-16 from the floor (3-5 3FG) and registered six rebounds and four assists.
• Nik Popovic recorded his first collegiate double-double, with 13 points and a career-best 11 rebounds.  Popovic made 6-for-10 attempts from the floor to go with two assists and three blocked shots.
• Jordan Chatman returned to the Eagles' lineup to score 14 points to go along with three rebounds.  The junior guard missed the Nebraska game due to injury.
• Steffon Mitchell had nine rebounds, four assists, three steals on the night, in his second start of the season.
• For the game, Boston College connected on 44.3% from the floor (27-61).  The Eagles made 7-of-20 from the perimeter and 12-of-13 from the foul line.  BC won the rebounding battle, 40-28, including a 13-8 advantage on the offensive glass. "according to http://bceagles.com/news/2017/12/2/mbb_hartford_recap.aspx?path=mbball

Notables

• The Eagles bench did not score on the night, attempting just two field goals.
• Jerome Robinson tallied his 21st game with 20 or more points in a BC uniform
• Ky Bowman needs 402 more points to reach 1,000 for his career. "according to http://bceagles.com/news/2017/12/2/mbb_hartford_recap.aspx?path=mbball

Stat of the Game
14 - BC scored 14 second-chance points on the night, thanks to 13 offensive rebounds. Nik Popovic (five) and Steffon Mitchell (four) combined for nine fo the 13 offensive rebounds."according to http://bceagles.com/news/2017/12/2/mbb_hartford_recap.aspx?path=mbball

Tip-off is set for 12:00pm. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1845&SPSID=22726