Duke routs Presbyterian in Hoop home opener

#5 Duke defeated overmatched Presbyterian College 80-49 to open their home basketball season on Monday night in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic.  The Blue Devils legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski improved his record to 27-2 in home openers and extended Duke’s winning streak in their annual Cameron Indoor Arena to 26 consecutive years.

Despite the lopsided win, Coach Krzyzewski wasn’t particularly happy with his team’s performance on the offensive end.  The Blue Devils shot an uncharacteristically pool 47% for the game and turned the ball over 21 times.  Things were much better on the other end of the floor, where Duke’s defenders held Presbyterian to 30.2% shooting and led the Blue Hose by as much as 33 points before settling for the final margin of victory.  Krzyzewski didn’t elaborate on his team’s shooting woes beyond observing that:

"It's almost like we're trying a little bit too hard on the offensive end at times.”

Kyle Singler led the Blue Devils with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his second career double/double.  Al’Lonzo Coleman led Presbyterian scorers with 13 points and Pierre Miller contributed 6 rebounds and 3 assists to pace his team in those categories.  Despite his solid numbers and Duke’s blowout win Singler wasn’t pleased with their showing either:

"Tonight, [it] just wasn't there. That's on us. Our standards weren't met tonight, and we've just got to come back tomorrow with a different attitude, a different mindset. I know we will."

He also tried to read the mind of his notoriously taciturn coach:

"I would say [Krzyzewski] was happy with our defense. But that might be it."

Duke will face Georgia Southern on Tuesday night with the winner advancing to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York.  No one would blame the Blue Devils should they go ahead and book their air travel:  the victory tonight was Duke’s 60th straight non-conference win at home.