Seth Curry Saves Duke!: Bringggggg Me a Scheyer Love (whoa-oh-oh)!

Holy sweet crap, Jon Scheyer, you are the truth. (By the way, I specifically chose the picture above because it looked like the kind of cheesy inspirational scene that might appear in a Steve Winwood music video, if those even exist.) Check out this line from Duke's 113-68 win over Gardner-Webb last night:

36 points, 11-13 FG, 7-9 from 3, 7-7 FT, 8 Reb, 9 assists.

And that's in 30 friggin' minutes! If Coach K had left him in for like 2 minutes more, he would have had 40 points and a triple-double. Insane. (And I know it's bad form to care about stats like that in the midst of a rout, but seriously, COME ON COACH K!) It's one of the best individual games I've ever seen on the college level. Say what you want about the crappy opposition or whatever, but those numbers speak for themselves. And it's not like he was shooting wide open 3s all night; everything was contested, and Gardner-Webb actually kept it close for 10 minutes or so. Schey-Guy was just completely out of his mind. Honestly, look at those numbers again, let them settle, and have your mind blown all over.

His performance was providential for two reasons. First, he's been a bit cold from the floor the last couple games. That slump is officially over. Second, it kept yesterday's game from being another uninteresting blow-out. Here are some other thoughts from the Gardner-Webb stomping:

*Andre Dawkins is a pure, pure shooter. He posted a 3-5 performance from long range, and he's now 23-44 shooting 3s on the year, for a 52% mark. That's good for 9th in the nation, and he's still supposed to be a senior in high school! Dawk's form is so gorgeous to watch...I didn't realize it at first, but he's a legitimate sniper, and easily Duke's best since J.J. Redick.

*It seems like Scheyer and Singler alternate big games. Singler was basically absent last night, finishing with 11 points (0 in the first half) and 5 boards. He wasn't needed, but when ACC play rolls around, we'll need strong showings from both...in the same game.

*Nolan Smith showed signs that he can be a very good-to-great point guard for this team. When he makes up his mind to penetrate, he's incredibly adept, and he's downright lethal on the fast break. But he's still playing a little cautious up top, like he's holding something back. If he can break down that last barrier, he's a terrific fit for sharing the point.

*Along with all the stats he accumulated last night, Scheyer earned an official crush from my girlfriend. "Oh, he's cute!" she exclaimed at some point in the middle of his rampage. Which is always kind of a downer; there you are, appreciating someone's athletic ability, and your significant other has to chime in and make you realize that not only is this person a superior athlete, but also an attractive specimen of the human race for whom she would desert you in a heartbeat. At this point I've learned to quickly drown out such thoughts, but I think that's why everyone loved Larry Bird so much; not only was he awesome at basketball, but he was also so ugly that he posed no threat to anyone. Anyway, Scheyer joins Mark Teixeira from the Yankees and Eli Manning from the Giants in the rarefied pantheon of her crushes. Let's take a pictorial tour: