.''That's going to be our team - we're going to play a lot of guys and see what works,'' coach Mike Krzyzewski said.They shot 54% and dominated the paint, hitting 70% of their shots inside the arc to win their 38th consecutive home opener.Wearing gray uniforms trimmed in gold to honor Krzyzewski - who led the U. S. national team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2008-16 - the Blue Devils pulled away by closing the first half on a 10-0 run, then outscored the Rams 47-29 in the final 20 minutes.''We know that that'll come - we're still learning a lot of things about ourselves,'' Jones said. ''We're really focused on defense right now, and that can lead to easy offense. We're still figuring out our offense, bit by bit, and always keep learning.'' Duke improved to 19-1 when Jones - the only member of last season's star-studded freshman class to return for his sophomore season - scores in double figures. He followed his 15-point, seven-assist performance in the opening victory over No. 3 Kansas in the Champions Classic with another strong game.He had a hand in 11 of Duke's first 21 field goals - hitting seven, assisting on four - and his reverse layup with 17 1/2 minutes left pushed the lead into the 20s.Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy had 12 points apiece for the Rams (1-1). They shot 33% with as many turnovers (18) as field goals.BIG PICTUREColorado State: The Rams were trying for their first win over a power-conference opponent (not including instate rival Colorado) since they beat Missouri in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but Cameron Indoor Stadium is a tough place to make that happen. Colorado State never led but kept this one competitive for about 15 minutes, giving second-year coach Niko Medved some positives to build upon as Mountain West play draws closer.''This will help them a lot more than they realize,'' Medved said.Duke: The Blue Devils simply don't lose nonconference home games - this was their 148th consecutive victory against a non-ACC opponent at Cameron - but there were plenty of teachable moments for Krzyzewski's young team. The Duke players aside from Jones combined for six assists, and the Blue Devils were just 4 of 22 from 3-point range.''We can improve a lot. There's no ceiling on any kid because ... none of them are in complementary roles,'' Krzyzewski said. ''When you're playing with Zion (Williamson) and RJ (Barrett), (Marvin) Bagley and (Wendell) Carter, (Jayson) Tatum. ... It's like a musical. When you have two guys (at a time) like that, they sing most of the songs and do most of the dances. Ours is more like a cabaret.'' PLAY OF THE NIGHTThe highlight-reel dunks didn't leave Duke just because Williamson did. O'Connell stole it from Kendle Moore near midcourt and passed upcourt to Stanley, whose tomahawk jam put the Blue Devils up 46-28 with just over 18 minutes left.IN THE CROWDJust your ordinary night at Cameron: Jerry Seinfeld sat next to David Robinson in the second row under Duke's second-half basket. Seinfeld's daughter is a Duke freshman while Robinson's son Justin was selected as the team's fourth captain earlier in the week.UP NEXTColorado State: Plays host to Omaha on Wednesday night.Duke: Plays host to Central Arkansas on Tuesday night.---For more college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Nov 07, 2019After opening the season with a monumental win, No. 4 Duke looks to avoid a letdown in Friday's home opener against Colorado State at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N. C.The Blue Devils are coming off Tuesday's 68-66 victory over No. 3 Kansas at New York's Madison Square Garden. Duke has won 20 consecutive season openers.Colorado State posted its 12th straight season-opening victory the same night, defeating Denver 74-63.Duke had freshmen Vernon Carey Jr., Matthew Hurt and Cassius Stanley in the starting lineup against the Jayhawks. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said having returning starter Tre Jones at point guard provides a soothing element for the younger Blue Devils."Tre having the ball as much as he does helps," Krzyzewski said. "I think you might have seen maybe some nervousness if (the freshmen) had to do more with the ball instead of just reacting because of the position Tre put them in." Stanley scored 13 points and Carey and Hurt both notched 11 points. Jones finished with a team-high 15 points as Duke improved to 18-1 when he reaches double figures.The Blue Devils pointed to defense as making a difference in the opener and that's something they hope carries throughout the season. Kansas was charged with a whopping 28 turnovers.Duke appears to have decent depth this season. Nine players received double-digit minutes in the opener and eight scored."The depth that we have this year is much different then what we have had in years past," Jones said. "We can go much deeper into the bench and not drop off at all and the more we go to the bench, the more guys bring." The Colorado State game is the beginning of a three-game homestand for the Blue Devils.The Rams committed 14 turnovers in their victory against Denver."You're going to make mistakes, but you've got to grow," said Colorado State coach Niko Medved. "We'll turn all of our attention to Duke and figure out how we can get better. We're going to have to take care of the ball and move on and find a way to meet the challenge on Friday. That's what you sign up for when you do this." The Rams felt good about aspects of their first game, though more might be needed against Duke."Great momentum going into the next game," senior guard Kris Martin said. "We came out with the right mentality, I believe, to be aggressive. I think we have to do a better job of rebounding the ball." Denver secured nine of its 30 rebounds at the offensive end. Duke is bound to be more imposing from a physical standpoint."Obviously Duke, they're going to be big, physical, strong," Colorado State sophomore forward Adam Thistlewood said.Duke has won both previous meetings with Colorado State, including in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.--Field Level Media
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