The Chronicle

Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: M Basketball
Last update: 3/14/08 at 10:56 PM EST

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CHARLOTTE-Someone had to step up for Duke Saturday night.

But in a show of just how much the No.7 Blue Devils have grown since their uncharacteristic first-round ousting from the ACC Tournament only a year ago, someone didn't just step up for Duke against seventh-seeded Georgia Tech. Everyone did.

A mere 30 seconds after tip in the Bobcats Arena, ACC Freshman of the Year Kyle Singler was relegated to the bench with two fouls, and the No. 2 seed faced its first challenge of the early postseason. The Blue Devils, however, answered with a vengeance, shooting a smoldering 57.1 percent from the field in the first half en route to an 82-70 win over the Yellow Jackets. Five Duke players registered in double-digits on the evening, led by senior captain DeMarus Nelson and sophomore sixth man Jon Scheyer, who put up 17 and 18 points, respectively.

"I'd rather not have that test," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Singler's early foul trouble. "But that can happen at anytime. He shouldn't be a freshman now, because he's played 30 games, but it just wasn't his game tonight."

Despite playing only three minutes in the first half and recording his third-lowest points total of the season, Singler came up with what Krzyzewski called the play of the game.

After trailing by as many as 20 in the first half and 15 at intermission, Georgia Tech (15-16) came crawling back within two points on a Lewis Clinch jumper at the 13:38 mark in the second. Less than a minute later, however, Singler tipped the ball at midcourt, stripping it from Georgia Tech senior Jeremis Smith, and advanced it to Duke's own captain, who drained a three from the corner to put his team up six. That shot sparked a 17-6 Blue Devil run, and Duke (27-4) would not let its opponent any closer to the lead.

Continued...

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