ESPN Men's Basketball

I know, I know: That headline feels akin to “Dog does not bite man.” I can see the age-old commenter question already: Why is this news?

It is indeed news. Why? Because the past couple weeks have seen a noticeable uptick in rumors about Duke guard Andre Dawkins' future at the school. Typically, such rumors are easy to dismiss. But Duke fans have been at the message boards relentlessly, sure something was up -- that Dawkins was being dismissed, that he was transferring schools, that he had been arrested, you name it. The rumblings were persistently loud enough that on Thursday night Duke had to release a statement on the topic, asserting that Dawkins would remain a Blue Devil, but might redshirt the 2012–13 season, which would delay his final season of eligibility.

So Dawkins isn’t leaving, but he might sit out a year. Why? According to his father, Dawkins is still dealing with the death of his sister, Lacey Dawkins, who was killed in a car accident on Dec. 5, 2009, when she was on her to way to watch her brother play collegiate basketball for the first time. From the Raleigh News & Observer:

“He’s dealt with a lot,” Dawkins’ father said. “It’s been tough. It hasn’t been easy at all. With the fast pace of playing high-level basketball, you don’t really get the time to deal with things like that.

“Everyone is different, and so everyone might handle that situation differently. I appreciate the fact that’s an option for him if that’s going to be the case. That’s been really great.” […]

Dawkins’ father stressed that Dawkins is doing well.

“I didn’t want you have to the impression that anything’s wrong,” he said. “This may be an option for him in the fall because he came in early, so this just may be an option for him. I didn’t want people to think he’s sick or anything’s wrong.”

So there you have it. Dawkins might still need some time to cope. Duke might allow him that time without him having to leave the program. Once rumors like this get started, it’s hard to blame fans for fearing the worst -- oftentimes, those fears are grounded in legitimacy -- but in this case, the truth is far less nefarious than anything on the Internet. Fancy that.

In any case, Duke fans would surely love to see Dawkins back in uniform as a senior this fall. They’d also love to see him raise his game to a more consistent level. Dawkins has always been one of the nation’s best, more lethal outside shooters, but he has yet to round into something more than that, and his production has been hampered by off-again-on-again bouts with inconsistency.

The good news for Duke: If Dawkins doesn’t play, the Blue Devils will still have Seth Curry, Quinn Cook and Tyler Thornton returning, while adding the No. 3-ranked shooting guard prospect in the country -- and No. 12-ranked player overall -- in Rasheed Sulaimon.

Dawkins still holds a tremendous amount of promise in that body, with that sweet shooting stroke. But if he is unable to play in 2012–13, much as they won’t like it, the Blue Devils should be able to move forward without him.

ATLANTA -- North Carolina and Duke are still vying for a top seed in the NCAA tournament.

NC State is trying to solidify a spot in the field of 68.

And Florida State – which has already secured a spot in the NCAAs – would like to become only the second team not named UNC or Duke to win the ACC tournament in 16 years.

A quick preview of today’s NCAA semifinals at Philips Arena:

No. 1 seed North Carolina vs. No. 5 seed N.C. State, 1 p.m. EST

Will he play or won’t he play? The status of UNC forward John Henson’s left wrist -- which he sprained in the first half of his team’s quarterfinal win over Maryland on Friday -- hasn’t reached the scrutiny level of “Ty Lawson Toe-Gate,” circa 2009 (when the starting point guard sat out the entire ACC tournament, and part of the NCAAs, en route to a national title).

But give it time.

Official word Friday was that the 6-foot-11 junior would test his pain threshold Saturday morning to see if he would be able to play against the Wolfpack. But frankly, it would make sense to be cautious with the ACC’s leading rebounder, blocker and defender. UNC, after all, has wrapped up an NCAA tournament berth, and it’s just a matter of whether it ends up with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.

If Henson doesn’t play, it opens up more room in the lane for NC State forward C.J. Leslie, who has come on particularly strong of late. He’s averaging 18.9 points and 11 rebounds over his past seven games -- including 19 points and 14 rebounds in Friday’s quarterfinal victory over Virginia.

“He [Henson] is a great player -- first-team All-ACC, defensive player of the year; we want him to play,’’ Wolfpack guard C.J. Williams said. “We don’t want to give a team an excuse, 'Oh, we didn’t have one of our best players.' He’s definitely a matchup problem for us, with his length and his size … but we want him to play.”

The Tar Heels beat their in-state rivals in both matchups this season.

No. 2 seed Duke vs. No. 3 seed Florida State, approximately 3:30 p.m. EST

Duke, which lost to Florida State on its home court in January, offered up a little bit of payback last month, when it beat the Seminoles in Tallahassee, Fla.

Guard Andre Dawkins was 6-for-12 for 22 points that game, with all six of those made shots being 3-pointers.

Since then, however, he’s made only 1 of his 12 shot attempts over his past four games. Not a good stat for the Blue Devils, especially since they are also missing forward Ryan Kelly for the ACC tournament because of a foot injury.

The key for FSU will be to limit Duke’s outside scoring while taking advantage of the Devils’ thin depth inside.

And if it’s close at the end, they have a couple of clutch options in Michael Snaer and Ian Miller, who have both buried game winners this season.

“We know we have a tremendous opportunity to do something great,’’ Snaer said. “My team is really confident in our abilities, and we’re playing like it. We’re playing together. … We know how important this game is to us, and to our program and to the history of our program. And I can’t wait for it to get started.”

ATLANTA -- Reaction from Duke's 60-56 win over Virginia Tech in an ACC tournament quarterfinal game.

Overview: Duke's coaches told sophomore guard Tyler Thornton to take the shot if he was left open. So he did Friday -- again and again and again.

Thornton scored a career-high 13 points -- on 5-for-16 shooting -- as the top-ranked Blue Devils beat Virginia Tech to advance to the semi-finals of the ACC tournament.

With junior forward Ryan Kelly out for the ACC tournament after spraining his right foot during Tuesday’s practice, and guards Seth Curry (2-for-6) and Andre Dawkins (0-for-5) struggling to hit shots, Thornton’s points were key.

But in addition, the defensive-minded sophomore was active all over the court, also finishing with four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

"We knew it was going to be a possession-by-possession game,'' Thornton said. "We knew we were going to have to fight on every possession."

Both teams shot worse than 40 percent from the field.

"I'm really proud of our team because we didn't shoot the ball well, but we didn't let that dictate our defense,'' freshman Austin Rivers said. "I think we've learned in that area."

Turning point: With just more than a minute left, Virginia Tech’s Robert Brown cut his team’s deficit to 55-51 (but missed a foul shot to convert a 3-point play). After the teams traded misses, Rivers scored in transition and made it a three-point play with a free throw with 15.1 seconds left to give the Blue Devils a seven-point cushion. It was enough.

Player of the game: Thornton was key, but so was Rivers, who led the Blue Devils with 17 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

Key stat: It marked the 10th ACC game this season the Hokies have lost by five or fewer points.

Miscellaneous: Tech said it needed to rebound, limit turnovers and finish to have a chance to win. In the end, Virginia Tech held a slight edge on the boards (38-37), but the Hokies committed 10 turnovers and missed too many easy baskets. They made 50 percent of their 3-pointers, but made only 30.2 percent of their shots overall.

What’s next: Second-seeded Duke will play either Miami or Florida State in the second semifinal game on Saturday. Virginia Tech ends the season with a 16-17 record.

Player of the Night: Daniel Mullings
The freshman guard recorded New Mexico State’s first triple-double in 20 years, as the Aggies walked all over Hawaii, 115-73. Mullings finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, all career-highs. He’d never even had a double-double before. William Benjamin recorded the Aggies last triple-double in 1992. Mullings is the first freshman with a triple-double since Wisconsin’s Josh Gasser last season.

Stat Sheet Stuffer: Ken Horton
Horton did a little bit of everything in Central Connecticut’s 78-63 win over Mount St. Mary’s. The Blue Devils' senior scored a career-high 39 points to go with 13 rebounds and five assists. Horton joins Villanova’s Maalik Wayns as the only players to reach all three of those totals in a game this season. Horton also added five steals. No one has reached those four totals in a game in, at least, the past 15 seasons. Horton stands just 81 points shy of 2,000 for his career. While one Blue Devil was scoring a career high, another Blue Devil was having a huge game off the bench for Duke.

Bench Star: Andre Dawkins
The junior scored 22 points in 21 minutes off the bench to lead Duke over Florida State, 74-66. Dawkins did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 18 points. Dawkins has come off the bench in half of his games this season, and actually has a higher scoring average as a reserve (10.4) than as a starter (9.4).

Scoring Star: Kevin Olekaibe
Olekaibe scored a career-high 43 points, including 25 in the second half, as Fresno State topped Seattle, 78-72. The 43 points set a school record for a regulation game, and it’s the most by a WAC player since Jaycee Carroll in 2007. Olekaibe also became the first Fresno State player to top 40 since Courtney Alexander in 2000.

Ugly Stat Line of the Night: Kyle Kuric
Louisville got next to nothing out of Kuric, and dropped a 60-56 decision at Cincinnati. Kuric went 0-for-11 from the field and missed all seven of his 3s. It’s the worst shooting performance by a Louisville player in, at least, the past 15 seasons.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Duke guard Austin Rivers said teammate Andre Dawkins doesn’t have to make most of his shots for the No. 4 Blue Devils to be successful.

Rivers said Dawkins just has to keep shooting, whether the ball is going through the rim or not.

“That’s his game,” Rivers said. “He’s a 3-point shooter. When you’ve got a guy who’s a 3-point shooter, you have to keep him going. I don’t care if he misses four 3-pointers in a row; I want him to make his fifth. I don’t care if he misses five in a row; I want him to make his sixth. People don’t understand that even if he’s not making shots, he still has to take them. He’s a threat and he opens up shots for the rest of us.”

And when Dawkins is making his shots, like he did against Florida State on Thursday night, the Blue Devils are darn near unstoppable on offense.

Dawkins, a junior from Chesapeake, Va., scored 22 points and made six 3-pointers, leading the Blue Devils to a 74-66 victory over the No. 16 Seminoles in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,100 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Dawkins, who plays off the bench, scored 18 points in the first half, including nine in a row on three consecutive possessions.

“I got the first one to fall and that always feels good,” Dawkins said. “Then I was able to shoot some free throws. I was just feeling it.”

The victory helped Duke remain in a tie with No. 7 North Carolina in the ACC standings with three games to go in the regular season. The Blue Devils play Virginia Tech at home on Saturday and at Wake Forest on Tuesday night, before closing the regular season on March 3 against the Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Duke avenged a 76-73 loss to FSU at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 21 and improved to 7-0 in ACC road games this season.

“We’ve just got to try to finish strong,” Rivers said. “That’s what we’re going to try to do. We have three difficult games left. We have to stay focused.”

If the Blue Devils continue to shoot the ball like they did against the Seminoles, they’re going to be awfully difficult to beat. Duke made 13 of 28 3-pointers against an FSU defense that came into the game ranked No. 14 nationally in 3-point percentage defense, allowing opponents to make only 29.1 percent of their attempts.

“Whenever they got a good look from the perimeter, they made us pay,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “That’s what great teams do. That’s a team that plays to its strengths. Their strength is getting to the basket and making 3s. That’s a tough combination.”

It’s an even tougher assignment with Rivers on the floor. Rivers, a freshman from Orlando, Fla., is exceptionally adept at driving to the basket. If a defender cuts him off, Rivers just kicks it back out to a shooter on the perimeter.

“We’ve got a guy in Austin who can really put pressure on a defense by getting to the basket,” Dawkins said. “We know we’re going to get some looks and we have to make them. We’re a difficult team to defend. We’ve got a lot of guys who can score the basketball both inside and out.”

Rivers said Dawkins is equally important to Duke’s success.

“He opens the floor for me,” Rivers said. “When Dawkins isn’t making his shots, they’re just in the paint waiting for me.”

Rivers scored 20 points against FSU with four assists and four rebounds. He shot 6-for-16 from the floor, including 4-for-8 on 3-pointers. Rivers played the game in front of his father, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who is in the state for this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game in Orlando.

Duke guard Seth Curry didn’t have his best night, scoring seven points on 2-for-8 shooting, but Ryan Kelly made two 3-pointers and scored 13 points off the bench.

“They’re one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country,” Hamilton said. “They have two kids who are skilled at getting into the lane. When you allow them to do what they do best, which is knocking down 3s, it’s very difficult to get over the hump.”

When the Seminoles made their last run in the final five minutes of the game, Dawkins wasn’t even the Blue Devil who buried them. After FSU made it 58-55 on Xavier Gibson’s layup with 4:55 to go, Kelly made a contested 3-pointer from the right wing. After FSU forward Bernard James scored three points on a hook shot and free throw to make it 61-58, Curry made his only 3-pointer of the game.

“It’s hard to guard us,” Rivers said. “We have great bigs, too. Right now, our perimeter players are shooting great and we have to keep doing it. A lot of guys are stepping up and making shots.”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Here’s a quick look at No. 4 Duke’s 74-66 victory over No. 16 Florida State at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Thursday night:

Why it happened: The Blue Devils blistered Florida State’s vaunted perimeter defense from start to finish, making 13 of 28 3-pointers and hitting big shot after big shot. The Seminoles came into the game ranked No. 2 nationally in field-goal percentage defense (37 percent) and No. 14 in 3-point percentage defense (29.1 percent), but they were no match for Duke’s guards and forward Ryan Kelly. After FSU made its last run to cut Duke’s lead to 58-55 with 4:55 to go, Kelly and guard Seth Curry made 3-pointers on consecutive trips to make it 66-58.

Turning point: FSU had to feel a little bit confident after cutting Duke’s lead to 39-32 at the half. But then Blue Devils freshman Austin Rivers opened the second half by making 3-pointers on the first two possessions to make it 45-34. FSU was never able to contain all of the Blue Devils’ potent perimeter scorers.

Star of the game: Duke guard Andre Dawkins, a junior from Chesapeake, Va., scored 22 points on 6-for-12 shooting, his highest scoring total since he had 24 in the Blue Devils’ 73-66 victory at Clemson on Jan. 15. Dawkins, who played off the bench, made 4-of-6 3-pointers and scored nine consecutive points at one point in the first half.

Stat of the game: 7-0. Duke’s record in ACC road games this season, the first time the Blue Devils have won seven straight conference road games since 2005-06. Both of the Blue Devils’ ACC losses came at home: 76-73 against FSU on Jan. 21 and 78-74 in overtime against Miami on Feb. 5.

What it means for Duke: The Blue Devils remained in a tie with No. 7 North Carolina for first place in the ACC standings and remained in the hunt to win at least a share of their second ACC title in three seasons. Duke hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday and plays at Wake Forest on Tuesday night, before closing the regular season against the Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3.

What it means for FSU: The Seminoles fell a game behind the Blue Devils and Tar Heels in the ACC standings, but remain in great shape for an NCAA at-large bid and a first-round bye in next month’s ACC tournament in Atlanta. FSU, which has a two-game lead over fourth-place Virginia in the ACC standings, plays at Miami on Sunday and at Virginia on Thursday night. The Seminoles host Clemson in their regular-season finale on March 4.

As Duke readied for another game in China, guard Andre Dawkins answered a few questions about the trip, the team's performance and Georgetown's altercation.

ESPN.com: What was your first impression of China upon arrival?
Andre Dawkins: There are a lot of people and a lot of tall buildings. Everything is built straight up instead of spread out like in America.

ESPN.com: How long did it take to get over the jet lag?
Dawkins: It didn't take long. By the second day I was here, I was on my regular schedule.

ESPN.com: What's been the most interesting off-the-court experience so far?
Dawkins: The market we went to in Shanghai was a cool cultural experience. I had a lot of fun bartering prices with the people out there.

ESPN.com: After losing longtime leaders like Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, is a trip like this good for team bonding and unity?
Dawkins: I think so. The interesting part of that is that Nolan is on the trip with us, but this has definitely been a time for leaders to step up and the team to grow because we are all experiencing this trip together.

ESPN.com: Let's talk about the games -- how has the team been so far?
Dawkins: I think we have handled both games pretty well. We have battled adversity well with foul trouble and some calls not going our way. We ended up winning both games so we are starting to build some resiliency as a team. Overall, I think we have played well but we need to continue to keep developing.

ESPN.com: Who has been most impressive? Anything or anybody surprise you so far?
Dawkins: Ryan Kelly has been playing really well. He is shooting the ball great and scoring and rebounding at a high rate. He is a very good player and is going to be big for us heading into the season.

ESPN.com: Have the games with the Chinese been more physical than you anticipated?
Dawkins: We anticipated that is was going to be a more physical game, but you can't really practice against that. We were taken aback by it at first, but I think we have adjusted pretty well.

ESPN.com: You've surely seen highlights from Georgetown's brawl. What was your initial reaction and were you surprised something like that could happen? What has your team's experience with Chinese opponents been like?
Dawkins: Anytime you see something like that, it is surprising, especially in exhibition games. In our games, both teams are competing hard and trying to win basketball games. We have played two physical, aggressive and clean games.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Duke usually has North Carolina to play off of within the ACC, a team that can shoulder the burden of being a big game for the rest of the league.

Not this season. Not when North Carolina looks no different than the rest of the muddled lot.

Duke is the marquee game for every ACC program, the only remaining ranked team, the last quality win for the members as they try to mount an NCAA tournament at-large campaign.

Last Wednesday, Florida State got its signature win, beating Duke in Tallahassee for the Seminoles’ first marquee victory of the season (it’s hard to put Baylor in that category right now). It provided a reason for the Noles to be optimistic moving forward. FSU beat NC State following the win over Duke, and then Miami on the road Wednesday and seems to have suddenly found momentum.

NC State was desperate for the same elixir Wednesday at the RBC Center. But it didn’t happen as the Wolfpack trailed by double-digits for most of the game, losing 92-78. They are still searching for a marquee win this season and it’s hard to find one remaining on the schedule.

Maryland will have another shot against Duke on Feb. 2 in College Park to make its season. Miami has a chance at home on Feb. 13. Virginia Tech will likely put all its efforts toward the same thing on Feb. 26 in Blacksburg and then North Carolina -- which at least has a win over Kentucky -- will take its turns on Feb. 9 and March 5.

“Every time we play one of our [ACC] teams, we’re the one they need to beat,’’ Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “More so now than ever. It’s usually been somebody else [and Duke]. Now it’s just us. We’ll see if that makes us better or not.’’

Duke is using the ACC to discover who it is and how it will play in preparation for another national title run.

The one near-certainty is that superstar freshman point guard Kyrie Irving is not going to be a part of it, barring some sort of rapid recovery from his right toe ligament injury suffered against Butler on Dec. 4.

Irving was wearing a boot in the locker room after the game, laughing with teammates and fitting in as if he were still the focal point. But even if he were to get the boot off in the next few weeks, it may not matter because Irving would have to go through rehab long before practice and or a game. And at what cost would Irving or Duke put him on the floor? Just for six games?

“He’s probably not coming back,’’ Krzyzewski said to ESPN.com on Wednesday.

Krzyzewski tinkered with a variety of lineups against the Wolfpack, trying to see who could contribute. He got quality production from role players like Tyler Thornton, Josh Hairston and Ryan Kelly, as well as continued improvement from Andre Dawkins. Notice there was no mention of Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith in that last sentence. They are anchors of this team and the expectation is that they will produce. But to be a championship team, the Blue Devils will need contributions for the other eight.

Smith said there was an emphasis with the Blue Devils in practice to get more players involved. He also said they needed to be more aggressive at the start, unlike the Florida State first half.

“We’ve been running more motion offense so no one gets frustrated and everyone feels involved in the offense,’’ Thornton said.

“It’s good to see all nine players step up for us,’’ Kelly said. “I think we came out with a sense of urgency.’’

And in part that’s why the Blue Devils had to shake up some of the rotations, to free up Smith and take some of the burden off him. Smith still finished with 22 points and Singler 18, but the team had a more versatile look with the other seven contributing.

“We needed to switch Nolan’s position around and not just keep him on the ball,’’ Krzyzewski said. “We can’t have him dribble the ball up court and he creates it. We need different opportunities for us so it’s harder to guard him. We’ve got to develop a team and that’s what we’re doing right now. Most teams do this in November and early December. We did that with Kyrie. Now we have to do it on the fly.’’

Krzyzewski said this was an unusual situation to change the look of a team -- from one that could fly up and down with Irving to another that is discovering that it can have other scorers facing up and making shots or imploring the Plumlee brothers to be more effective (Mason had six blocks against NC State).

“This is an unusual situation. Kyrie is one of the top players in the country,’’ Krzyzewski said. “He’s not this little schmuck. He’s good.’’

Krzyzewski said the team as constituted wasn’t the same and shouldn’t be compared to the one that beat Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan State and Butler early in the season.

“Maybe we wouldn’t have won those games [without Irving],’’ Krzyzewski said. “Now we’ve got to use the ACC. We’ve got to get better and we’ll see where we’re at the end of February. We can’t worry about the rankings and things like that.’’

For the next month or so, our friends at The Mag are previewing one high-profile school per day for their Summer Buzz series. For the sake of all that is synergistic, yours truly will be attempting the same, complementing each comprehensive Insider preview with some adjusted efficiency fun. Today's subject: Duke . Up next? Kentucky.

The 2010-11 Duke Blue Devils aren't supposed to happen.

After all, it's a new era in college hoops. Back-to-back title winning teams have always been a rarity in the sport, but the one-and-done era is something different. Compared to the pre-2006 NBA rule change, the talent level isn't nearly as watered down. But because so many of those talented young players leave after one season, it's hard enough to build a title contender with the requisite veteran verve. Building a dynasty? It would seem impossible.

Still, that's exactly what Duke has positioned itself to do. So how do the Blue Devils follow through?

Simple, really: If Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and company want to become the first team since Florida to win back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, all they have to do is ... change absolutely everything. No sweat, right?

It's not something you'd suggest for a team that just won a national title and returned two of its top three scorers for likely All-American seasons. In Duke's case, though, it's true. The Blue Devils won the 2010 NCAA title with a plodding tempo, a slow-down offense, and the overpowering offensive rebounding prowess of Brian Zoubek.

Zoubek, like fellow senior Jon Scheyer, thrived in a down-tempo role. Zoubek was far too slow to get to both ends of the court in a fast-paced game, and needed time at the offensive end to gain the rebounding position that allowed him to keep so many Duke possessions alive. Scheyer was far better suited to a cautious, precise offensive attack, the style that allowed him to turn the ball over so infrequently during Duke's title run.

The result was the No. 249-ranked tempo in Division I hoops, a pace that saw Duke play about 65.5 possessions per game. With Zoubek, Duke had the seventh-highest offensive rebounding percentage of any team in the country, culminating in a dominant NCAA tournament.

Scheyer and Zoubek defined Duke's style. They're gone now. And so Duke, as a matter of sheer efficiency, must change.

That change will be most noticeable in the backcourt. Top recruit Kyrie Irving already has Mike Krzyzewski talking about pushing the pace, a style he adopted (and then discarded) after his work with up-tempo guru Mike D'Antoni coaching the U.S. Olympic team. Seth Curry will add to that speed, and hot-shooting sophomore guard Andre Dawkins could be the perfect spread-the-floor candidate. Scheyer was a great, if limited, college player; Irving and company could arguably be even better.

Filling Zoubek's shoes will be less easy. That task will fall to Mason and Miles Plumlee, two athletic bigs who are at their best in the open court. The loss will also likely force Singler to play more power forward, making Duke considerably smaller -- and considerably quicker -- at the forward positions.

All of which adds up to a pretty enticing scenario: Coach K's familiarity with the fast-break offense, a lightning-quick point guard wreaking havoc in the open court, two multi-talented All-Americans playing off the ball, and a host of role players filling the lane and crashing the boards. That doesn't just sound successful. It sounds fun to watch.

Last week, Florida announced that Scottie Wibelkin, a 6-foot-2 junior point guard from Gainesville, Fla. would be doing something very few high school prospects do. Pending grades and the SAT, Wibelkin would be graduating from high school after his junior year and enrolling at Florida a year earlier than expected. Wibelkin was a 2011 recruit; now he's a 2010.

Wibelkin's addition won't be a game-changer for Florida. He's a good player, but he's not among ESPNU's top 100 recruits for 2011. The real story here is less about Wibelkin and more about this trend. In the future, will other players do this? Is entering college early the new hotness?

Of course, one player doesn't make a trend. But Wibelkin isn't the first hoops player to try this. Last year, Duke recruit Andre Dawkins -- more of an impact recruit than Wibelkin, to be sure -- did the same thing, enrolling at Duke a year earlier than either the Blue Devils or Dawkins had previously expected. Dawkins had an OK year at Duke. He started off very well before his minutes dwindled during the ACC regular season. But the point is that it's been done before, this early entry thing, and it'll be done again. Does that make it a viable strategy, one other players can emulate?

The strategy, in so far as it exists, makes sense. An extra year of high school basketball isn't going to markedly improve a prospect for the next level, so if a recruit can graduate early, get on campus a year earlier, and get his first couple of seasons of college hoops out of the way, he can get into the NBA earlier and become a slightly more intriguing prospect -- NBA teams love that extra year of youth, don't they? -- than he would have been before. It makes sense.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on whether this is something you think shouldn't happen in the first place) this isn't a strategy most players will be able to replicate. It's hard to graduate from high school in three years. It's hard to get ready for the SAT in time to take it early, and it's hard to get the grades in on time, and it's hard to focus on a high-level basketball career while doing both. Some recruits might be able to pull it off. Few will. More will stay for their senior years of high school even if they don't want to -- and if I were in high school, I'd want to stay for my senior year, basketball career or not. High school is fun. (OK, so high school is never as fun as people remember. High school was just OK. But that doesn't mean you want to miss your senior year.)

In other words, Wibelkin and Dawkins do not make a trend. Will more players do this? Yeah. Will it be enough to change college basketball? Probably not.

DraftExpress.com has a video series featuring some light-hearted trash-talking between McDonald's All-Americans who have signed to Duke and North Carolina.

In one video, future North Carolina guard Reggie Bullock says of Duke, "They have sorry wing players," specifically naming Kyle Singler and Andre Dawkins.

Kyrie Irving, who is headed to Duke and is also called out by Bullock, later responds in the video with his own words about the Tar Heels.

"I was proud of North Carolina this season," he said sarcastically while the UNC signees smiled. "They had a tremendous season. It was amazing to watch them on TV. They played so hard every night. They put on a show every night for me when they lost by 30, 25, 40, 15. You guys got rolling at the end of the season. It was amazing."

Bullock, not to be outdone, comes over the top in the second video when asked about Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski having bulletin-board material based on what was said earlier about Duke's wings.

"We're going to have signs about him, too -- that he look like a rat," Bullock said to the amazement and amusement of fellow UNC recruits Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall.

Fun times were had by all, and we'll see if it continues once the rivalry is renewed for real next year.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- If Duke is going to amount to a real threat later in March -- if the Blue Devils are going to be a team you can confidently advance on your bracket -- then they have to start to play smarter, poised and with even more energy away from Cameron Indoor Stadium.

That’s why beating Boston College Saturday at Conte Forum, regardless of how it occurred, was a must for the Blue Devils.

Duke is something at home, clearly the top team this season in its own building (yes, Kansas has the win streak but the Jayhawks get pushed more at home than the Devils). The numbers back up the debate as Duke scores 89 points a game, makes 44.2 percent of its 3s, and shoots at a near 50 percent clip at home.

Save the win at Clemson, which was significant, the Blue Devils have sagged in true road games -- losing at Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, NC State and last week at Georgetown. Of course, three of those four teams are bound for the NCAA tournament and are hardly slouches. Still, the numbers back up the premise that this is a different team on the road, where the Blue Devils shoot 30.9 percent on 3s, score 20 points less a game, and make just 41 percent of their shots.

“We needed to win this game," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "This is a big, big win for our basketball team based on how things have gone for us."

Duke did win, 66-63, after Brian Zoubek and Nolan Smith did a terrific job of shutting down a potential game-tying, 3-point attempt on the final play of the game. The play started out with Reggie Jackson looking for his second consecutive trey, but Smith shadowed him and Joe Trapani missed the final shot with Zoubek jumping out.

Had Trapani’s shot gone down, and the Eagles won in overtime, then Duke would have had yet another true road loss to ponder.

But the Blue Devils don’t. They earned this one by making free throws late (Jon Scheyer, Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly for 1 of 2) and rebounded when needed (19 defensive rebounds). In late-shot clock situations, Smith made a deep 3 early in the game and then drove for a key hoop that was a dagger for the Eagles.

The win comes on the heels of Duke’s dominant victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday. That’s two wins in less than 48 hours after a disastrous trip last Saturday to Georgetown.

“We weren’t emotionally ready,’’ Krzyzewski said of the Georgetown loss. “We just weren’t there and that leads to all the other things. We gave up 15 layups. They were really good. We were not very good.’’

Krzyzewski put a wrinkle into the offense to create more motion. The plan was to ensure more players touched the ball on a possession. Not everyone was going to shoot it, but at least there was a feeling that they were a part of the play. The opportunities to score were there, even if they didn’t always convert.

Still, there are warts to fix on the road with games to come Wednesday at North Carolina, at Miami (Feb. 17), at Virginia (Feb. 28) and a senior night at Maryland (March 3). Remember, the NCAA tournament is a neutral-court event without the comfort of Cameron.

Scheyer said the lack of that “killer instinct” is apparent. The “silly” errors keep occurring -- like fouling after successive rebounds to create more opportunities for the opponent (which happened to allow BC to stay in the game). That can negate Duke’s size advantage.

“We haven’t shot the ball as well on the road and that’s because we haven’t moved the ball as well,’’ Scheyer said. “When we get our best 3s, we move the ball.’’

Whatever Carolina’s record is Wednesday it won’t matter. Duke will have to be sharp to win.

“We’ve never had a problem winning on the road as long as I’ve been here," said Duke senior Lance Thomas of the issue this season. “It gets frustrating. We have to make sure everybody is right mentally on the road. We have a target on our back. Everybody wants to get us."

To send me your links, hit me up on Twitter. Onward:

• Coach K has been thinning his rotation in recent weeks. Freshmen Mason Plumlee and Andre Dawkins aren't logging nearly as many minutes as they did before the season. What does it all mean? Well, it means Duke's big three -- Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith -- are stuck playing more minutes than before, which could, theoretically, lead to some fatigue. (This was not a difficult equation to figure.) It could also mean nothing: Fretting about Duke's rotation is nothing new, and the aforementioned big three are highly conditioned athletes in their early 20s with years of college hoops experience under their respective belts. Does Duke really need to be deep? The lads at Duke Basketball Report seem unconvinced.
• Mike DeCourcy looks at historical trends and current lineups and figures out who has the right combination of pro talent, post scoring, guard play and coaching to make a legitimate run at the national title. There are few surprises in the offing, but it's an interesting way to whittle the wheat from the chaff.
• SI's Pablo S. Torre wrote about Harvard's hoops resurgence in this week's Sports Illustrated. Torre went to Harvard, and this led New York Times writer Pete Thamel to question the veracity of Torre's story, leading to a totally awesome and unexpected Twitter spat between the two. (Thamel said he was merely reminding folks that Torre gave a "warm fuzzy hug to his alma mater." Uh, thanks?) Anyone following both on Twitter felt a little like a child watching his parents fight. No! Stop it! Stop yelling at each other! Don't question Mommy's journalistic integrity! Something like that, anyway.
• SB Nation's Blogger Power Rankings have Kansas on top of Syracuse, but only by a smidge. Will it be the same after the weekend?
• UNC-Wilmington coach Benny Moss resigns. This may or may not have had something to do with Wednesday's 40-point loss to Hofstra.
• Rush The Court opines on the latest college basketball hoops phenomenon ... rushing the court. Like everyone else in the world (including yours truly), RTC is shocked and appalled at the behavior of you darned college kids, with your MySpaces and your Nintendo. Stop it, already! Get off my lawn!
• A breakdown of the Mountain West's bubble. At-large teams, ahoy.
• In honor of former N.C. State women's coach Kay Yow, Oregon wore some delightfully tacky white and pink uniforms on Thursday night. Yow's logo was stiched on the uniforms as well. And, to be honest, these unis are not all that bad. (Not that it would matter if they were; aesthetics are beside the point here.) I'm being serious. Oregon takes its fair share of guff for its ugly uniform combinations, but, much like BYU's uniforms for Saturday, these unis pass muster.
• Indy Star reporter Terry Hutchens does a few man-on-the-street interviews with Indiana fans to gauge what he calls a "hint of dissatisfaction" among Indiana fans with coach Tom Crean. (For more on this weird phenomenon, go here.) Most of those interviewed remain pretty positive, though there is the obligatory "this coach doesn't run motion offense like Coach Knight" quote: "I like the enthusiasm of Tom Crean, but I have to say I am not impressed by his coaching style," [1978 grad Bruce] Kinsey said. "I see a lack of motion, picks and screens, and movement without the basketball." For those who didn't know, in Indiana, there is only one way to play offense, and that is the same way the Hoosiers played it in 1976. Ignore 30 years of basketball theory. Ignore the success Kentucky coach John Calipari has had playing a dribble-drive system. Just set screens! It's that simple!
• Kyle Whelliston spends the night in the Palestra, hears voices, lives to tell the tale.
• Using the power of statistics and projections, Buster Sports breaks down what would happen if Kentucky played the New Jersey Nets right now. Spoiler alert: The Nets win. Let's assume Buster didn't run the numbers for Kansas because the same result would happen. Though it might be a bit closer.
• Wisconsin's Jon Leuer's wrist is improving, but no one is saying when he'll be back -- only that he won't be ready in a week. That precludes an appearance in the Badgers' lineup for a showdown with Michigan State Tuesday.

I'm back at the United Center tonight. The occasion? Duke is playing Iowa State and -- wait. What? What did I just write? Yes, you read correctly. Duke is playing Iowa State at the United Center in Chicago in, oh, an hour or so. If this seems like a random match up -- or at the very least a random place for these two teams to play -- you're right. It is.

But it makes a certain kind of sense. For one, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is famously a Chicago native, and Krzyzewski's program has a tradition in which the coach tries to schedule at least one game in a departing senior's hometown. Jon Scheyer, who attended Glenbrook North High School in the North Shore suburbs here, is that departing senior. (Scheyer's high school exploits are legend in these parts; ask any Chicago-based "23-year-old about Scheyer's 21 points-in-75 seconds explosion as a senior in 2006 and you'll get at least a whiff of recognition. Never fails.) Iowa State also has a player -- freshman guard and former Whitney Young state champion Chris Colvin -- making a homecoming as well.

If there's one thing I know, it's this: When life gives you random college basketball match ups in your hometown, don't ask why. Just enjoy.

That's the plan, anyway, and much of that enjoyment -- in so far as you equate "enjoyable basketball" with a close game -- will hinge on how well Iowa State plays. Because, quite simply, Duke is beginning to look like a juggernaut.

The Devils have earned this reputation rather quietly. Their one loss -- at Wisconsin -- now looks forgiveable. The rest of Coach K's games have been handily won; Duke has the most efficient offense in the country according to Ken Pomeroy, and at No. 5 in the country, its defense isn't too shabby, either. You might also be interested to know that Duke is ranked No. 2 overall, ahead of Texas, in Pomeroy's overall rankings. See? Quiet juggernaut.

How has Duke done it? Scheyer and forward Kyle Singler are obvious reasons why, but Duke has received a big boost from the play of putative point guard Nolan Smith, who is averaging 18-plus points per game in 2009-10. It doesn't hurt that freshman Andre Dawkins is a lights-out three-point shooter. Nor is it bad that Duke's defensive toughness -- which took major strides in 2008-9, despite a few couple of rough run-ins with a vintage North Carolina squad -- has largely carried over (and maybe even improved) in 2009-10.

All of which means that Iowa State is likely to have a very tough time Wednesday night. The Cyclones are not untalented. Junior Craig Brackins ought to make an all-Big 12 team; senior Marquis Gilstrap has provided much needed balance in the post; and sophomore guard Scott Christopherson is posting a 66 percent effective field goal percentage in 2009-10. But if the Cyclones expect to compete with a deep, balanced, even-more-talented-than-themselves Blue Devils squad they'll need to go above and beyond. They'll need to be perfect, or some approximation therein.

Here's my question: Can you approximate perfection? Is it still perfection if it's merely approximate? Hmm. I think we just ventured into dangerous philosophic territory, and remember what we decided at the beginning of this post? Don't ask questions. Just enjoy. It works just as well for college hoops as it did for Plato.

Oh, and as always, I'll be around Twitter for much of the game. Follow me, dudes! Cowabunga! (This is what the kids say, yes?)