No. 1 Duke coasts to opening win

The Blue Devils beat Boston College in the NIT Season Tip-Off 64-47.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- J.J. Redick failed to make a 3-pointer and missed two free throws. Other than that, Duke's season opener went about as expected.
Despite those shooting anomalies, Redick scored 19 points and Shelden Williams added 17 to help the top-ranked Blue Devils hold off pesky Boston University 64-47 Monday night in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The Terriers took an early lead and held it for nearly 12 minutes, patiently running time off the shot clock on nearly every possession to shorten the game. It worked, too. Duke averaged 112.5 points in two exhibition games but struggled throughout in the opener for both teams.
Good record
Still, Mike Krzyzewski improved to 24-2 in openers since he arrived in Durham, and the Blue Devils advanced to play the winner of Seton Hall-Manhattan on Wednesday night. They are looking for their third title in the annual preseason tournament after winning in 1985 and 2000.
Getting through this one took a bit more than anyone could have expected. Duke opened a 40-26 lead at the break before BU rallied to get within nine on a jumper by Corey Hassan early in the second half.
But the Blue Devils slowly pulled away and restored order. A 3-pointer by Sean Dockery made it 60-45 in the final 5 minutes and they held on from there.
Ben Colbyn was the leading scorer for the Terriers with nine points.
No. 1 for 13th time
This figures to be a fun year for Coach K, who has a No. 1 team for the 13th season to break a mark he shared with John Wooden. After making it through last season with a roster that featured only eight recruited players, Krzyzewski has the full complement, including talented freshmen Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts.
Those two entered their first games together with 16 1/2 minutes left in the first half, and McRoberts immediately made his presence felt. After Redick missed a 3 -- he finished 0-for-4 from behind the arc -- McRoberts leaped high to put back the rebound for his first basket.
He finished with six points and 10 rebounds, but Paulus had to wait until the final minute to get on the score sheet with a pair of free throws. He also had three turnovers and no assists while mostly serving as Dockery's backup.
Redick had made at least one shot from long distance in 21 straight games, and he got plenty of good looks to add to that run. His best chance came midway through the first half when he stepped around a screen and swished a jumper that normally would have been a 3.
International distance
But with this tournament using the international distance for the 3-point arc -- a good 7 inches longer than the NCAA standard of 19 feet, 9 inches -- his toe was on the line. It counted for only two.
Even more surprising, the career leader in free-throw percentage (93.8 percent) finished only 5-for-7 from the line, a measly 71 percent.
It was good enough to beat BU, which had seven players getting their first college experience.
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