Now things get serious.
| O'REILLY AUTO PARTS CBE CLASSIC Marquette vs. No. 1/1 Duke | ||
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4-0 (0-0 Big East) | 3-0 (0-0 ACC) | |
| November 22, 2010 6:30 p.m. CDT Sprint Center (18,555) Kansas City, Missouri | ||
| TV: ESPN2 (w/ Dave O'Brien and Radio: ESPN 540 (Milwaukee) (w/ Steve "The Homer" True and Jim McIlvaine) SBN Coverage: Blue Devils vs Golden Eagles coverage | ||
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Last Meeting: Duke defeated Marquette, 77-73, in the Championship Game of the 2007 Maui Invitational. Spread: Duke (-12) | ||
Probable starters, stats and whimsy, and beer: JUMP.
MARQUETTE PROBABLE STARTERS- G Vander Blue (2010-'11 stats: 9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.8 apg)
- G Dwight Buycks (2010-'11 stats: 12.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.8 apg)
- G Darius Johnson-Odom (2010-'11 stats: 11.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.25 apg of the behind-the-back variety)
- F Jimmy Butler (2010-'11 stats: 15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.5 apg)
- C Chris Otule (2010-'11 stats: 5.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.0 games that made you say: "THAT's what we've been waiting for for the last two years")
DUKE PROBABLE STARTERS:
- G Kyrie Irving (2010-'11 stats: 14.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.7(!) apg)
- G Nolan Smith (2010-'11 stats: 16.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 7.3(!!) apg)
- F Kyle Singler (2010-'11 stats: 14.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
- F Ryan Kelly (2010-'11 stats: 6.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.0 apg)
- F/C Mason Plumlee (2010-'11 stats: 8.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 twin brother)
OTHER KEY STATS AND WHIMSY:
- Duke shooting percentages (2010-'11): FG: 48.7%; 3PT: 44.7% (groan); FT: 75.6%
- When the teams last met in 2007, then-freshman Duke forward Kyle Singler gave Marquette fits, scoring at will in the paint and on the perimeter and torpedoing Marquette's chances for an upset. Thankfully, after Duke claimed last year's National Championship, Singler struck while the iron was hot and made himself eligible for the NBA Draft, and he's now toiling for the ... What's that? I'm sorry, I'm now being told that Singler, for some unexplained reason, did not make himself eligible for the draft last season, and he still plays for the Blue Devils. How bizarre.
- Marquette is 1-6 all time vs. teams ranked No. 1. Do you remember the only victory? You should.
- Marquette guard Vander Blue and Duke freshman Kyrie Irving were teammates on the Under-18 US Basketball Team this summer, which means that Vander's had ample time to learn Irving's tendencies. I predict an 0-10 shooting performance and seven turnovers.
- Other names by which you might know Dook coach Mike Krzyzewski: Beelzebub, Lucifer, Belial, Old Nick, the Wicked One
BEER OF THE GAME:
The boys are in Kansas City tonight, so let's go with a local KC brew -- Boulevard's Dry Stout -- for two reasons: (1) because Boulevard is a mighty fine brew, and (2) with the hopes that Dook goes dry from three-point range tonight.
Enjoy the game, and bring me home a winner.