Duke's Gerald Henderson (15) blocks a shot by Michigan's Zack Gibson (32) during the first half of an NCAA college men's basketball game Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
(AP)
Mike Krzyzewski roused the Duke Blue Devils on Friday and headed for Madison Square Garden, long before they were set to play Michigan in the 2K Sports Classic.
The reason was simple: Even though Duke practices against a variety of defenses every day, rarely do they see the confounding 1-3-1 zone that Wolverines coach John Beilein so relishes.
The extra hour of work certainly paid off.
Nolan Smith scored 16 points, Kyle Singler had 15 and the No. 10 Blue Devils coasted to a 71-56 victory over the surprising Wolverines in the championship game Friday night.
"Preparation with this team is huge," said Singler, who also had eight rebounds, four assists and was the tournament MVP. "We just put that game plan to use on the court — play hard and execute as much as possible."
Gerald Henderson added 12 points for the Blue Devils, who won their four games in the 2K Sports Classic by an average of 28.5 points. Duke has won seven straight in-season tournament games after sweeping through the Maui Invitational last season.
Manny Harris scored 25 points to lead Michigan (3-1), which will get another crack at the Blue Devils (5-0) when they visit Ann Arbor on Dec. 6. DeShawn Sims added 10 points off the bench.
"I wish we would have made some shots earlier and we'd have made a better game of it," Beilein said. "We have a couple guys in a funk and we have to get them out of it. When we do that, I think you will see a better team than what you saw in the second half."
In the consolation game earlier in the night, Alfred Aboya and Darren Collison led No. 4 UCLA to a 77-60 victory over Southern Illinois.
Singler struggled early in the Blue Devils' semifinal win over Southern Illinois, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half. But he was on target early in this one, going 5-for-8 from the field and playing everything from the post to shooting guard.
"He's one of the best players in the country," Krzyzewski said.
