Duke hoop finds rhythm with three guards; football adds 18 recruits

PHOTO (Duke Athletics): Matthew Hurt drives on Notre Dame. By TOM SHANAHAN They’re some of the top basketball recruits in the nation, but they also are essentially strangers in this oddest of seasons. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed their transition from highlighting individual skills in AAU ball to executing at the Division I college level. The eight days without a game -- following losses at home to Top 10 teams Michigan State Dec. 1 and Illinois Dec. 8 --…

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Coach K confident in his young team and March Madness taking place

By TOM SHANAHAN March Madness – in one form or another – is on its way back in 20201 assured Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski in a Wednesday Zoom call. And he likes the team he can put on the floor to chase an ACC title, Final Four and national title. “We have a lot of pieces,” Coach K said. “We’re going to play an up-tempo game -- fast paced. … We’re going to be playing more people…

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Roach’s favorite Duke player? Think DMV

By TOM SHANAHAN Jeremy Roach’s favorite Duke basketball player -- the guy that influenced the 5-star point guard to pick Blue Devils over a cast of others -- has two NBA championship rings to go with his national title. If you’re quickly racing through your mind who that might be, you’re obviously skipping over short-timers without NCAA rings like Kyrie Irving, Austin Rivers, Jabari Parker and more recent one-and-dones, Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum and Marvin Bagley. Better guesses…

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