Jon Scheyer News

The Men's Basketball Enhancement Group wants the NCAA to shorten the rigors of the basketball season by eliminating a regular-season game.

An already thin backcourt in Durham just got a whole lot thinner as junior guard Nolan Smith has been suspended for the first two games of the season.

For years, everything Duke and North Carolina achieved - the conference championships, Final Four trips and national titles - has been connected in a back-and-forth game of one-upmanship. These days the Tar Heels have the upper hand.

The ACC media poll named North Carolina and Duke co-favorites to win the league.

" As junior guard Nolan Smith, center, sat on the bench in the first half Tuesday night, Duke wobbled like a truck with one under-inflated tire.

The Duke men's basketball team is ranked No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, released on Thursday.

GREENSBORO, N.C. ACC basketball writers weren't ready to predict a complete transformation from Georgia Tech, but they see significant gains on the horizon.

" North Carolina or Duke. Duke or North Carolina. A A Take your pick. A A The difference between the ACC's traditional basketball superpowers is apparently so slim going into the rapidly approaching 2009-10 season that even the members of the league's media couldn't decide between them.

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski . Last season's record: 30-7 overall, 11-5 in ACC . Postseason: Lost in third round of NCAA tournament to Villanova .

This represents the second in a series of three previews breaking down the Duke Basketball season.

Defending national champion North Carolina and Duke each have Hall of Fame coaches, deep front lines and questions in the backcourt this season.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - He was the biggest guy in the room on Sunday afternoon. Then again, he's always the biggest guy in the room.

Kyrie Irving put on a blue ball cap and announced that he is committing to Duke on ESPN-U on Thursday evening.

DURHAM, N.C. This is the fourth time the Duke Blue Devils have gathered to officially prepare for the 2009-10 basketball season.

Duke's Seth Curry tries to move the ball around teammate Nolan Smith during the Blue White game at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, Friday, October 16, 2009.

After all the talk about how heavily Duke will rely on Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler for scoring this season, Nolan Smith wants to be part of that discussion as well.

Duke's Countdown to Craziness is under way. Check back for live updates on the festivities.

Durham County Story sdf Caption By Chris Cowperthwaite, NBC17, 1 hour, 26 minutes ago Updated: Oct.

I will not make many guarantees about the 2009-10 basketball season, but one thing is clear: It's going to get off to a more exciting start than any season in recent memory.

This article is a collaboration between Duke Community Leader Brad Frank and Duke Basketball Writer Tyler Lambert.