Avery lights up Gators with 26 on 8 3-pointers

Coming into last night's game in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Florida head coach Billy Donovan's strategy was to trade offensive blow for offensive blow with the Blue Devils. But on a night when William Avery led Duke into not just the winner's circle but the record books as well, he probably should have reconsidered his game plan. The sophomore point guard played his finest game in Duke blue, setting the school's single-game record with eight three-pointers and leading his team to a 116-86 romp over the visiting Gators in what coach Mike Krzyzewski called "one of the better [individual] performances" witnessed in his coaching career. Duke's 16 three-pointers as a team also set a mark for three-pointers in Cameron, while the 116 points tied the mark for most points given up in Florida school history. But after the game, there was only one record that was being talked about. "Avery was sensational," Krzyzewski said, "I mean of all the kids on the court for both teams, Avery was just a level above everyone tonight.... I'm glad I coached him tonight, I was a part of that, a small part of that, but a part." His first three-pointer cut an early Florida lead to one just over five minutes into the game, and his second trey with 11:19 to go in the half pulled Duke out of the red for the final time. After finishing the half with a perfect six-for-six mark from behind the arc, Avery needed just a pair of threes to claim the record from co-holders Chris Collins and teammate Trajan Langdon. Amid a roar from the crowd he set himself alone in Duke history as he knocked down three-pointer No. 8 from the left corner, nine minutes into the second half. "I was in the right frame of mind," Avery said understatedly. "When I let it go, I just knew it was going in." Coming into the season, Krzyzewski had lauded the sophomore as the most improved player on his squad, but doubts still lingered as to his ability to lead the team. However, after being at the helm of one of Duke's most dominating offensive performances in recent history, charting a 26-point, nine assist to two turnover night, Avery is dealing out answers with the same ease as a three-quarters court alley-oop pass. "He's really been our leader this year," team co-captain Trajan Langdon said. "He's done a great job accepting that role. Everybody knows he can score, but he's doing a great job leading the team too, running the team and getting us going." On Duke's second 100-point performance of the season, what separated Avery's performance tonight from those earlier in the season was his ability to meld impressive scoring numbers with an impressive effort leading this team. Beyond the three-pointers and even beyond the assists, Avery was the floor leader of a finely tuned machine on both ends of the floor. For a team ranked eighth in the ACC in turnover margin, he quickly set the tone for a game that saw only ten Duke turnovers. His ball control and floor leadership also kept Duke out of problems created by Florida's highly praised full-court press. "We get really upset when another team is telling the media what they're going to come in and do to us," Avery said. "We wanted to come in and show them, [that they're] not going to press us, and we're going to break it every time. And that starts with the point, valuing the ball.... That's what great point guards do, they value the ball." What Krzyzewski realized this summer, and what Avery has realized in recent games, may just be what the country is about to find out also. "The nation is finally seeing what a great basketball player William Avery is," Shane Battier said. "All the hype they give Khalid El-Amin, Mateen Cleaves, Andre Miller... We believe that William is in that class too."