- (Sports Network) - The eighth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will attempt to close out the Durham Regional in the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, when they play host to the Georgia Southern Eagles in second-round action from Cameron Indoor Stadium this evening. The Blue Devils made light work of Presbyterian in the opening round on Monday, posting an 80-49 rout in front of the hometown faithful. With the victory, Duke became just the fourth school in NCAA history to amass 1,850 all-time victories. It was also the 60th straight non-conference win for Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Eagles advanced to the second round with a hard-fought 65-63 win over Houston. Georgia Southern finished last season with 20 wins, including 13 in Southern Conference action.

This is just the second all-time meeting between these two teams. Duke won the first matchup in 2006 in Durham (72-48). The winner will move on to the tournament's semifinal round on November 20th in New York City.

With only two starters returning, it could be tough for Georgia Southern to duplicate last year's win total, but if the season-opener is any indication, this is a team with a great deal of fight in it and a willingness to work hard. The two starters back are guards Willie Powers and Julian Allen, but both were overshadowed in the opener by Trumaine Pearson. The 6-7 forward led the Eagles with a double-double, consisting of 19 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Cougars. Pearson was able to convert 7-of-10 shots from the floor, but the Eagles as a team connected on a disappointing 38.7 percent for the game. Powers added 14 points in support, while Allen was able to chip in with nine. One of the team's newcomers, freshman forward Sandy Perry, was instrumental off the bench, as he hit 6-of-10 shots to post 12 points in the win. The Eagles will need similar balance offensively, but shoot the ball much better, just to be competitive against Duke.

Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils took care of business in the season-opener last night, making it look easy at times against the outmanned Blue Hose. The Blue Devils shot a solid .476 from the floor in the game, while forcing Presbyterian into 28 turnovers. Duke used its size to its advantage, outrebounding the Blue Hose, 44-29. Sophomore Kyle Singler led the way with a double-double, consisting of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Nolan Smith, who won a starting spot in the backcourt this off-season, added 15 points, followed by Jon Scheyer's 12. Lance Thomas was also effective off the bench, hitting 5-of-6 shots, en route to 12 points as well. The only negatives in the game for Duke were the fact that the team shot just .273 from behind the arc (3-of-11) and committed 21 turnovers.









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