Nov. 26, 2008
Complete Game Notes
DUQUESNE (4-0) at #7/#5 DUKE (6-0)
Friday, Nov. 28, 2008 • 3:00 p.m. (EST)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) • Durham, N.C. -- ESPN
Duke rank: AP/ESPN USA Today
ESPN: Bob Picozzi & Jimmy Dykes
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
STREAMING AUDIO: redzonemedia.com or GoDuquesne.com
DUKES MEET DUKE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE `77: Duquesne, which moved to 4-0 with a 79-69 win at South Carolina Upstate on Tuesday, heads to Durham, N.C. to face No. 7/5 (AP/ESPN USA Today) Duke on Friday, Nov. 28 (ESPN/KQV-AM 1410). The game marks DU's first ESPN national television appearance since a 71-49 loss at UAB on Feb. 18, 1995. It is also Duquesne's first game against a ranked opponent this season. Last year the Dukes lost at home to No. 12 (AP) Pitt, 73-68, and dropped an 80-78 decision at No. 22 (AP) Rhode Island. DU was also defeated 75-48 at No. 10 (AP) Xavier in late February. Duquesne, one of the youngest teams in the nation with eight scholarship freshmen and 11 underclassmen is off to a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season. Last year, DU opened 6-0 - its best start in 28 years - in going on to post the school's first winning record in 14 years at 17-13. It is the first time since 1985-86 (5-0) & 1986-87 (4-0) that Duquesne has opened 4-0 in back-to-back seasons. The Duke game is the last of four games in nine days for the Dukes who won at Saint Francis, Pa. (83-72) on Nov. 20, over Furman on Nov. 23 (85-65) and at USC Upstate on Tuesday (79-69). The Duke game is also the second of four consecutive road games for DU, which plays at city rival No. 4 (AP) Pitt on Dec. 3.
DUQUESNE LATELY: Duquesne is one of the youngest teams in the nation with eight scholarship freshmen and 12 underclassmen ... senior guard Aaron Jackson, a Bob Cousy Award nominee, flirted with a triple-double for the second time in as many games with 15 points, 8 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists at USC Upstate ... Jackson had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists against Furman on Sunday ... Jackson leads the team in scoring (17.3), rebounding (7.0), assists (7.5) and steals (3.3) ... Jackson's 37 career double-digit scoring games are five more than the rest of the roster combined (Bill Clark 15, Saunders 10, Jason Duty three, Jimmy Sherwood & Eric Evans two each) ... Duty, who entered DU's game at USC Upstate with a 4.7 ppg. scoring average, scored all of his career-high 17 points in the first 13 minutes of the game ... Damian Saunders posted his first career double-double (20-12) at USCU ... the Dukes are shooting .527 and averaging 20.5 assists/g. ... DU which entered the Upstate game shooting .542 from the foul line, hit 23-of-29 (79.3%) vs. the Spartans ... DU is 24-10 when scoring 80 or more in 63 g. under Ron Everhart ... the Dukes are averaging 11.5 steals and forcing 19.5 turnovers/g.
DUKES & BLUE DEVILS: Duke leads the overall series 4-1, with the last meeting coming at Raleigh, N.C. on Dec. 28, 1977 as part of the Holiday Doubleheader ... Duke won that game by a 74-65 score ... Duquesne's last appearance at Durham was on Feb. 10, 1975 when John Cinicola's Dukes, featuring sophomore point guard Norm Nixon, dropped an 80-73 decision in front of a crowd of 4,200 ... DU also dropped a 55-41 decision at Duke on Feb. 10, 1943 ... Duquesne's series win came on Dec. 15, 1961 in the first round of the Steel Bowl in Pittsburgh by a 66-61 score.
A victory over Duke would:
• Be Duquesne's first over a ranked team since a 78-70 win at No. 16 (AP) Xavier on Jan. 25, 1997.
• Be Duquesne's first over a Top 10 team since a 91-84 home win over No. 10 (AP) Florida State on Dec. 15, 1992.
• Be Duquesne's first over a Top 10 team on the road since a 73-72 win at No. 6 (AP) Bradley on Mar. 5, 1962.
• Be Duquesne's first win in the state of North Carolina since at 53-33 win at NC State on Jan. 14, 1937 (span of 12 games).
• Give the Dukes three straight road wins for the first time since December of 1985.
ON DUKE: Duke, 6-0, is coming off a 78-58 win over Montana on Sunday ... Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith led four Blue Devils in double figures with 14 points each ... Kyle Singler leads Duke in scoring (16.7 ppg.) and rebounding (6.8 rpg.) in just under 28 minutes per game ... the 6-8 sophomore also has a team-high eight 3-point field goals.
FOUR IN A ROW ON THE ROAD: This is the longest road trip of the year for the Dukes who left Pittsburgh Monday morning for their game at South Carolina Upstate on Tuesday. DU took a bus to Durham, N.C. Wednesday morning. Duquesne will return to Pittsburgh Friday evening and will begin preparation for the Dec. 3 game at Pittsburgh. DU concludes the stretch of four consecutive road games at Radford on Dec. 10.
AJAX A 100-100 MAN: Senior Aaron Jackson, who handed out 110 assists as a sophomore, added 104 last year making him the eighth player in school history to post more than one 100-assist season. The others are Norm Nixon and Clayton Adams (4 seasons), Kenya Hunter, Tony Petrarca and Mike James (3 seasons) and Martin Osimani and Courtney Wallace (2 seasons). Jackson, who barely missed the 100 assist mark with 97 as a freshman in 2005-06, has 30 assists and 12 turnovers in four games this season (7.5 apg.). He became the 13th player in school history to post a 10 assist game with 10 at USC Upstate.
DUQUESNE VS. THE ACC: Duquesne is 6-20 all time against Atlantic Coast Conference schools (record when opponents were members of the ACC only). The Dukes were 0-11 in ACC arenas, until Ron Everhart's Dukes posted a 98-93 overtime win at Boston College's Conte Forum on Dec. 28, 2006. Duquesne's last win over an ACC school prior to the victory at BC was on Dec. 15, 1992 when the Dukes upset No. 10 (AP) Florida State 91-84 at the Palumbo Center. That was also DU's last win over a Top 10 team.
HE'S 1-0, BUT HE WASN'T THERE TO ENJOY IT: This is the second game against an active member of the Atlantic Coast Conference for Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart - although it will be his first in person. Everhart was was in Pittsburgh's UPMC Passavant Hospital recovering from a gastrointestinal ailment when Duquesne posted its first-ever win in an ACC arena with a 98-93 overtime win over Boston College on Dec. 28, 2006. Everhart, who admitted himself after experiencing stomach pains on Christmas day, listened to a radio call of the game while watching internet video, which was on a 30-second delay, in the hospital's computer room. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon stopped by after practice and kept Everhart company for the first half. Former assistants Kim Lewis, Richard Pitino and Daryn Freedman "coached by committee" for the win. Everhart was discharged from the hospital - after a five-day stay - in time to greet the team at the Palumbo Center as they got off the bus from the Pittsburgh airport.
EVERHART VS. THE ALMOST ACC: Everhart faced two current ACC schools when they were members of the Big East. In 2001-02, Everhart's Northeastern Huskies dropped a 79-56 decision at Virginia Tech. On Jan. 5, 2003 he led Northeastern - minus two starters - to Chestnut Hill, Mass. and posted one of the biggest road wins in school history by defeating Boston College 72-67. It marked just the third time in 35 meetings that Northeastern had defeated BC (it was also the last meeting between the two schools).
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY?: Duquesne's last - and only - win in the state of North Carolina came on Jan. 14, 1937 by a 53-33 score at NC State. The Dukes have dropped 12 in a row in the Tar Heel State including a 1977 NCAA Tournament loss to VMI at Raleigh, N.C.
LONG TIME, NO WORLDWIDE LEADER: The Duke game marks the Duquesne's first ESPN appearance since at Alabama-Birmingham on Feb. 18, 1995.
