No. 1 Duke Blue Devils Dominate in Exhibition Opener

Every college basketball team dreams of cutting down the nets, but only Duke was capable of completing this task last year.  The Duke Blue Devils finished last season as the best team in college basketball.  They are the current kings of the mountain.

The countdown to craziness is over and now, it's finally time for Duke to begin their championship defense.  This season it all started with an exhibition game against St. Augustine's.

This one was never close.  Duke was as dominating as Brett Favre playing against high school kids or Grant Hill playing against your neighbor's kids.  Once the game began, Duke was dominant in every facet, winning 141-68.

Team co-captain and potential player of the year Kyle Singler led all scorers with 31.  He started the season off where the last left off and is without a doubt the anchor for this team.  The second highest scorer was sharpshooter Andre Dawkins who scored 20 out of his reserve role.  Dawkins showed that he is continuing to grow and will play a huge role for this team.

In the game, all but two of the Duke players participated in double-digit minutes.  Coach K typically uses early exhibitions and games to let freshmen get used to the speed of the new game, as well as tinker with possible lineups for future games.

Throughout the off season, Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and Ryan Kelly grabbed their share of the headlines. 

In his first game as a Devil, Kyrie Irving showed the world what everyone inside of Duke have been raving about.  He went 6-for-9 from the field and scored 17. His most impressive stat was that he had seven assists with only one turnover—impressive for someone making their debut.

Senior Nolan Smith had a very similar night to the freshman, but had a few more assists for his effort as he almost dialed in a double-double.  Smith went 5-for-7 on the night and had nine assists.

Irving and Smith put the beginning touches on what could be the nation's best backcourt.

Ryan Kelly went 5-for-6, scoring 12 points.  He is bigger and in better shape this year, as he looks for an increase in minutes.

The other big headline over the offseason was the loss of big man Brian Zoubek.  Miles Plumlee started at center as a replacement for the 7-footer but wasn't as effective as many had hoped.  He only scored two points and pulled two rebounds.  Brother Mason had a much better night scoring 13 and grabbing eight boards.

It is extremely early in the season, but even in a game that doesn't count, you can tell this is a very good Duke team.  They are arguably as deep as any team in the nation, have one of the best back courts, and their hall of fame coach always gives them every chance possible to win.

Welcome back, Duke fans. It is finally basketball season!

Duke takes the court again on November 4th for an exhibition game against Cal Poly Pomona.