Chestnut Hill, MA (Sports Network) - With a possible return to the number one
ranking on the line, the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils head to Conte Forum for an
Atlantic Coast Conference bout against the Boston College Eagles.
Florida and both Big Ten powers Michigan and Indiana sustained losses this
week, making Duke one of the prime candidates to become the top-ranked squad
in the nation once again.
Duke conveniently has a matchup against a team is has dominated for this
crucial game. The Blue Devils own a 14-2 all-time series lead over Boston
College. This is the first meeting of the season as Boston College will visit
Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 24.
Since being blasted by Miami in a 90-63 loss, Duke has reeled off four
consecutive victories with the most recent coming at home after it finished
off a 98-85 win over NC State. The victory improved Mike Krzyzewski's squad to
20-2 overall, but it still enters Sunday trailing Miami for first place in the
ACC by 2.5 games. Duke's inside-outside combo of Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry
has fueled its stellar season. Plumlee is posting 18.2 points and 10.7 boards
per game in his first season as the featured player in Coach K's system, while
Curry is netting 16.7 ppg with 42.3 percent efficiency from 3-point range.
Both players were very effective against NC State. Plumlee totaled a game-high
30 points to go along with nine rebounds, while Curry pumped in 26 points.
Quinn Cook added 21 points and four assists to help the Blue Devils avenge the
84-76 loss they suffered to the Wolfpack in Raleigh on Jan. 12. Duke shot an
overwhelming 53.8 percent from the floor, including 10-of-24 from beyond the
arc, while adding 32 additional points at the charity stripe in the contest.
The stellar offensive outing is customary for the Blue Devils, who are leading
the ACC with 79.0 ppg, outscoring the opposition by an average of 14.6 ppg.
Steve Donahue's Eagles are just a half-game ahead of the last place Virginia
Tech Hokies entering Sunday's action after sustaining losses in seven of nine
games since conference play began. Boston College was downed by 22 points on
the road on Tuesday when they visited the undefeated Miami Hurricanes in Coral
Gables. Sophomore forward Ryan Anderson, who paces the unit with 16.0 points
and 8.8 boards per tilt, was able to register a double-double of 14 points and
11 rebounds in the setback.
Olivier Hanlan went 8-of-14 from the floor for a team-high 16 points as the
team shot a collective 37 percent overall against the Hurricanes. Defensively,
Boston College allowed Miami to shoot 47.4 percent from the field including
11- of-22 from beyond the arc. The Eagles had previously lost to the ACC
leaders by just a single point at home. Hanlan is the second leading scorer
for the team with 13.8 ppg and freshman guard Joe Rahon runs the offense to
deal out 3.6 assists per contest.
The Sports Network