Duke Basketball: 5 Surprises from the Blue Devils' Opening Games

Mike Krzyzewski is now tied with Bob Knight on the all-time wins list with 902 victories: Not a shocker.

Duke won their first two home, non-conference  games: After 88 in a row...Hardly a bombshell.

The Blue Devils have balanced scoring, with four players averaging double figures: With their talented roster...Not exactly a bolt from the blue.

But there are a few unexpected details of Duke's opening 2011-12 contests worth noting.

Here are five surprises from the Blue Devils' first two games:

Ryan Kelly Has Been to the Line a Dozen Times

Ryan Kelly and Austin Rivers lead the team in free throw attempts after the pair of home games this week.

Austin Rivers is known to be a "take-it-to-the-hole" player. In doing so, he gets fouled and goes to the line.

Ryan Kelly, on the other hand, is not exactly characterized as someone who looks for and deals well with contact in the lane. In fact, most people think that he shies away from battles in the paint.

Last year, Kelly shot a grand total of 41 free throws, never shooting more than four in any game.

He has shot six in both of the two games so far, hitting all twelve FTs that he has attempted.

If Kelly continues finding ways to get fouled and go to the line, he will add a missing dimension to his game, one that most Duke fans would enthusiastically welcome.

Mason Plumlee Leads the Team in Assists

Not really known as a passing big man, Mason Plumlee is showing off his ability to find open teammates so that they can knock down shots.

Unpredictably, the 6'10" forward has eight assists in the wins against Belmont and Presbyterian.

If Plumlee continues this passing trend, it is simply an added dimension to what Coach K is needing from MP2.

Andre Dawkins Is Struggling from Beyond the Arc

Many Duke fans expected Andre Dawkins to have a break out 2011-12 season.

And while two games does not determine what will take place for the entire year, Dawkins is off to a slow-shooting start.

Yes, I do remember that he is the one who knocked down a long three with 20 seconds left against Belmont to put Duke up by four.

But, all together, Dawkins is 3-for-10 (30 percent) from the floor and 2-for-8 (25 percent) from beyond the arc.

The most positive feature that the 6' 4" junior guard brings to this team is his ability to stretch defenses by dropping shots from downtown.

When he is not shooting well, it is much easier for Coach K to give minutes to Tyler Thornton or Quinn Cook to set up everyone else who is making their FGs. 

Miles Plumlee Is the Best Rebounder on the Team

On the other hand, Miles Plumlee is off to a good start to the 2011-12 season.

While Mason Plumlee has the most rebounds on the team so far (22), Miles holds a slight edge on his brother on rebounds per minute.

In the first two games, Miles has averaged 9.5 PPG and 8.5 RPG while only playing half of the games (40 minutes total).

Those are better numbers than Brian Zoubek or Lance Thomas gave to the 2010 Championship team.

If you say that MP1 will give 20 effective minutes of banging and boards per game, Coach K will probably take it.

Austin Rivers Is a Thief

Austin Rivers came to Durham with a detailed offensive resume, setting lots of high school scoring records in the state of Florida.

What many Duke fans didn't know is that Rivers is a a sly defensive player who does a good job of stealing the ball from his opponents.

Rivers has five steals (leads the team) in the first two games.

No one is ready to ask Jay Williams, Chris Duhon or Bobby Hurley to step aside yet. They are the top three on the freshmen-year steals leader-list.

But if Rivers keeps this up, he does have a chance of breaking this first year record. Williams had 81 in 34 games in 1999-2000.