Nolan Smith

Gerald Henderson finally will find out what the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is like. Henderson, who starred at Episcopal Academy, scored 24 points and hit three free throws in the final minute to help Duke beat Texas 74-69 on Saturday night in the second round of the East Regional. Kyle Singler added 17 points and Jon Scheyer added 13 for the second-seeded Blue Devils (30-6). They reached the round of 16 for the first time since 2006 and will face third-seeded Villanova (28-7)

Kyrie Irving zipped down the floor toward an empty frontcourt and fired a pass to a teammate for an easy basket. Even during a simple drill with the reserves, the electrifying point guard once again had Duke off and running. Now the Blue Devils will find out how well he'll have them rolling in a game - and on college basketball's biggest stage, no less. No. 1 seed Duke's NCAA Tournament opener against No. 16 seed Hampton today (3 p.m., truTV) in the West Regional will mark Irving's return to the court.

It's almost as if they were playing hoops at the local playground or rec center, or in a high school gym or on an AAU court, places where they've competed with or against each other many times. But Boston's TD Banknorth Garden will be a far bigger stage tomorrow night when Villanova takes on Duke in the semifinals of the NCAA East Regional. Millions will be watching on television to see which team will climb one more step toward a potential national championship. It will be competitive, intense and physical, with a lot at stake, but nothing will take away from the familiarity and bond among players from both teams.

INDIANAPOLIS - Duke was considered to be the weakest No. 1 seed in the NCAA basketball tournament, and the experts certainly thought this team would not advance too far. Well, the Blue Devils not only made it to their 16th Final Four, but they now get a chance at their fourth national championship after knocking off West Virginia, 78-57, in a national semifinal Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Duke (32-6) advanced to a date Monday night with Butler (33-4), which edged Michigan State, 52-50, in the first game of the doubleheader.

INDIANAPOLIS - The feature that pops up at you about Nolan Smith, at least when he's not knocking down shots for Duke on the basketball court, is the striking tattoo that adorns his right biceps. The tattoo, which Smith got when he was 16, is a tribute to his father, Derek Smith, who made a lasting impression on everyone he touched in the NBA, including the 76ers, before he died of respiratory failure in 1996 at age 34. "Forever Watching" reads the imprint, which runs above a picture of his father and the years of his life.

DURHAM, N.C. - At the moment, Penn's basketball team has to take encouragement wherever it can find it, even when the Quakers lose by nearly 60 points as they did last night to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. "I think the biggest thing we can take away from this game is that there was a stretch there in the first half where we were doing the right things," Penn interim coach Jerome Allen said after the seventh-ranked Blue Devils routed the visiting Quakers, 114-55. "And we had a stretch where we were able to get off the shots we wanted to get off, and if we can continue doing that for 40 minutes, we can compete a little more.

Gordon Hayward has a pretty good theory as to why Duke center Brian Zoubek has been so successful in the NCAA tournament. "Well, for one, he's 7-1, 260 pounds," the Butler star said Sunday. "He obviously works hard to get in position. When he wants to go somewhere, I'm pretty sure it's going to be difficult to stop him from getting there. " Zoubek, a senior from Haddonfield who has averaged 10.0 rebounds in five NCAA games, will be called upon to dominate in Monday night's championship contest, especially if 6-foot-8 Bulldogs center Matt Howard can't play because of a mild concussion.

Kyle Singler had career highs of 30 points and eight three-pointers to lead No. 10 Duke past No. 21 Georgia Tech, 86-67, last night in Durham, N.C. Jon Scheyer added 21 points for the Blue Devils (18-4, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who were strong inside and outside - hitting nearly 67 percent of their threes and dominating Georgia Tech's foul-plagued front line. Duke held a 40-32 rebounding edge and remained atop the ACC by claiming an easy win in a matchup of the league's only two ranked teams.

Taylor King does not know quite how to feel about Thursday night's NCAA East Regional semifinal game between Villanova, his new team, and Duke, his former team. Yes, the game figures to be fun. He'll get to watch guys from his 2007-08 freshman class at Duke like Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith go against his new teammates. But it's not going to be easy. King is sitting out this season as a transfer and has not been eligible to play. Worse yet, under NCAA rules, he cannot be included in Villanova's official traveling party for the trip to Boston and must find his way there at his own expense.

Nolan Smith scored a career-high 33 points to help No. 1 Duke beat visiting Alabama-Birmingham, 85-64, on Wednesday night. Kyle Singler added 15 points and scored his 2,000th career point during a game-opening 26-4 run that took the drama out of this one early. Duke (14-0) never let the Blazers (10-3) closer than 14 points the rest of the way. The Blue Devils have won 24 straight games dating back to last season's run to the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournament championships, and 32 of 33 overall.

It comes as no surprise that the majority of the attention recently being paid to Temple is focused on its frontcourt. Without injured center Micheal Eric (right kneecap), the Owls (9-3) have been lacking defensively against solid post players. And one can only assume Temple's undersized big men will have a tough time defending Duke's starting forwards, 6-foot-11 Ryan Kelly and 6-10 Mason Plumlee, in Wednesday's nonconference game at the Wells Fargo Center. The fifth-ranked Blue Devils (12-1)

Duke is no stranger to facing an underdog with uncanny touch from three-point range, one that's racing downcourt in the closing seconds, scrambling for one last shot at some NCAA Tournament magic. This time, it was Michigan's turn to miss. Nolan Smith scored 24 points and the top-seeded Blue Devils held their breath as the Wolverines' last shot clanged off the iron, sealing a 73-71 win yesterday in Charlotte, N.C., that marked the 900th victory of coach Mike Krzyzewski's Hall of Fame career.

Kyrie Irving zipped down the floor toward an empty frontcourt and fired a pass to a teammate for an easy basket. Even during a simple drill with the reserves, the electrifying point guard once again had Duke off and running. Now the Blue Devils will find out how well he'll have them rolling in a game - and on college basketball's biggest stage, no less. No. 1 seed Duke's NCAA Tournament opener against No. 16 seed Hampton today (3 p.m., truTV) in the West Regional will mark Irving's return to the court.

Seth Curry scored a season-high 20 points in his return to Duke's starting lineup, leading the third-ranked Blue Devils past Boston College, 84-68, Thursday night in Durham, N.C. Nolan Smith finished with 28 points while Kyle Singler had 14 for the Blue Devils (19-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). They shot 50 percent from the field, hit 10 three-pointers, and used a huge Curry-led run early in the second half to claim their fourth straight win. The expected duel between the ACC's top two scorers never materialized.

Nolan Smith scored a career-high 33 points to help No. 1 Duke beat visiting Alabama-Birmingham, 85-64, on Wednesday night. Kyle Singler added 15 points and scored his 2,000th career point during a game-opening 26-4 run that took the drama out of this one early. Duke (14-0) never let the Blazers (10-3) closer than 14 points the rest of the way. The Blue Devils have won 24 straight games dating back to last season's run to the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournament championships, and 32 of 33 overall.

Gordon Hayward has a pretty good theory as to why Duke center Brian Zoubek has been so successful in the NCAA tournament. "Well, for one, he's 7-1, 260 pounds," the Butler star said Sunday. "He obviously works hard to get in position. When he wants to go somewhere, I'm pretty sure it's going to be difficult to stop him from getting there. " Zoubek, a senior from Haddonfield who has averaged 10.0 rebounds in five NCAA games, will be called upon to dominate in Monday night's championship contest, especially if 6-foot-8 Bulldogs center Matt Howard can't play because of a mild concussion.

INDIANAPOLIS - Duke was considered to be the weakest No. 1 seed in the NCAA basketball tournament, and the experts certainly thought this team would not advance too far. Well, the Blue Devils not only made it to their 16th Final Four, but they now get a chance at their fourth national championship after knocking off West Virginia, 78-57, in a national semifinal Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Duke (32-6) advanced to a date Monday night with Butler (33-4), which edged Michigan State, 52-50, in the first game of the doubleheader.

INDIANAPOLIS - The feature that pops up at you about Nolan Smith, at least when he's not knocking down shots for Duke on the basketball court, is the striking tattoo that adorns his right biceps. The tattoo, which Smith got when he was 16, is a tribute to his father, Derek Smith, who made a lasting impression on everyone he touched in the NBA, including the 76ers, before he died of respiratory failure in 1996 at age 34. "Forever Watching" reads the imprint, which runs above a picture of his father and the years of his life.

Greivis Vasquez saved his best for last. Vasquez scored 20 points, including a clutch basket with 37 seconds left, and No. 22 Maryland beat visiting Duke, 79-72, last night to move into a tie with the fourth-ranked Blue Devils atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. It was the final home game for Vasquez, who was honored with seniors Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes before the game. Afterward, all three were mobbed with their teammates as fans rushed the court to celebrate Maryland's first win over Duke in seven tries.