Duke’s Grayson Allen Drops Career-High 34, Including Two Awesome Dunks
By MIKE McCURRY Grayson Allen’s junior campaign didn’t
By MIKE McCURRY Grayson Allen’s junior campaign didn’t
NEW YORK –– If people in the basketball world were wondering just how Duke would look once they started getting their star-studded freshmen class on the floor, Jayson Tatum gave them a pretty good idea on a national stage on Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-8 freshman forward looked silky smooth in going for 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals as No. 5 Duke handled No. 21 Florida, 84-74, in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. You wouldn’t have known that he went down with a foot sprain during an NBA Pro Day back in October.
Tatum, currently the projected No. 6 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, put on a show in front of former Duke and current Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving and a slew of NBA personnel at the Garden.
NEW YORK –– Duke could get an early Christmas present in the form of a projected NBA lottery pick.
Freshman big man Harry Giles is expected to make his debut against Tennessee State on Dec. 19, a source told ZAGSBLOG. The Blue Devils play UNLV on Saturday before playing Tennessee State and then Elon on Dec. 21 — both in North Carolina.
“Harry’s practicing, he hasn’t had as much contact yet,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Tuesday night after freshman forward Jayson Tatum went for a career-high 22 points and 8 rebounds in his second game of the season as No. 5 Duke beat No. 21 Florida, 84-74, in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
NEW YORK — Bobby Hurley and Duke share a double-bill in Manhattan on Tuesday night.
But the former Duke point guard won’t be coaching against his old coach, Mike Krzyzewski, and his alma mater. Neither side would want that game — unless it absolutely had to happen.
“We’ve never had that conversation, I wouldn’t look to schedule that game [with Duke],” Hurley, who led Duke to back-to-back NCAA championships in the early 1990s, told me Monday after his Arizona State team (5-3) practiced at the New York Athletic Club ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with No. 18 Purdue (6-2) in the Jimmy V Classic. No. 5 Duke (8-1) meets No. 21 Florida (7-1) in the second game of the doubleheader.
“If we’re fortunate enough to be in the [NCAA] Tournament,” Hurley added, “we’ll play anyone that we get a chance to play.”
Kentucky made a bold move last month
If you’re a college hoops fan, the New York metropolitan area is the place to be this week.
Syracuse, UConn, Duke, Florida, Villanova and Kentucky are among the teams that will play games this week at Madison Square Garden Garden, Prudential Center and Barclays Center.
The head coaching roster includes Naismith Hall of Famers Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and John Calipari of Kentucky, along with names like UConn’s Kevin Ollie, Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey and Villanova’s Jay Wright.
Here’s the schedule of events:
Monday: Tire Pros Classic, MSG
UConn vs. Syracuse, 7 p.m. ESPN2
