Duke is 0-13 in the month of November in David Cutcliffe’s three seasons, which gives you a good indication of the lack of depth in the Blue Devils’ program. Duke has some talent on its front line but lacks the back-ups that strong programs have, which is why the Devils get worn down as the season progresses.

This year, Cutcliffe believes Duke is better equipped for the rigors of the year.

“We’re much better,” Cutcliffe said Wednesday. “There’s no question, the last two Novembers we’ve come a part a little bit at the seams. There were a lot of reasons. Our people performed at a high level but there was a lot of pressure on a few players. It takes its toll. It’s like a baseball pitcher who throws a lot of pitches.”

Duke returns nine starters on offense, six on defense, and 40 lettermen overall. The Blue Devils aren’t saying they are Alabama or anything, but Cutcliffe did say he plans to play a total of about 40 players on offense and defense in Saturday’s home opener against Elon.

Last year, he said, Duke played only 14 on offense and 16 or 17 on defense in the opener against Richmond. Last year’s preseason was a bizarre one, with the team struggling with swine flu, but still, he said Duke would have played only around 30 or so players in the opener even if fully healthy.

“We’re getting competition at certain positions and we haven’t had that,” Cutcliffe said. “And that’s going to do nothing but continue to improve.”

Defensive end Robert Quinn worked with the tutor at the heart of the UNC probe but denied she wrote a paper for him, according to a report in the Durham Herald-Sun.

The Herald-Sun also reported Wednesday that cornerback Kendrick Burney said any questions about whether he is involved in the academic probe would have to be answered by Coach Butch Davis or athletics director Dick Baddour.

Both confirmed to the paper that they had been working some with the scout team but said Davis has been rotating players around to get ready for the LSU game on Saturday.

Neither said definitively if they would or would not play.

UNC continued to trim access to its football team on Wednesday, announcing in the morning that no players would talk to the media the rest of the week until Saturday’s game in Atlanta against LSU.

Carolina players are generally available on Wednesdays, by request. Coach Butch Davis is scheduled to be on the ACC coaches teleconference Wednesday and is scheduled to meet with the media on Thursday afternoon in Chapel Hill.

DURHAM BULLS NEWS RELEASE – The International League announced Tuesday its postseason All-Star Team and Award Winners as selected by the circuit’s managers, coaches, media, and club representatives. Durham slugger Dan Johnson has been named the IL’s Most Valuable Player on the strength of his League-leading 30 home runs and 95 RBI.

Johnson is the fourth Durham Bull since the club joined the League in 1998 to be named Most Valuable Player, following Steve Cox (1999), Toby Hall (2001), and Kevin Witt (2006).

Heralded pitching prospect Jeremy Hellickson, also of Durham, has been named the IL’s Most Valuable Pitcher. Hellickson’s 2.45 ERA leads the circuit. Hellickson is the first ever member of the Durham Bulls to be named IL Most Valuable Pitcher.

Manager of the Year is Charlie Montoyo of Durham. Montoyo’s Bulls have the League’s best record (84-52) and have already clinched their fourth straight IL South Division championship. He is now the first skipper since Durham joined the International League in 1998 to receive Manager of the Year honors.

Durham is the first franchise to win at least three of the League’s four Special Awards since Norfolk swept the honors in 1995.

Also, Durham’s Elliot Johnson has been selected as the International League’s top utility player for 2010. The 26-year-old Johnson was primarily a shortstop this season, but he has also seen significant time at second base and in the outfield for the Bulls. His .314 average is 4th in the IL, while he is also 5th in the League with 30 stolen bases.

Get ready, Carolina fans … the mocking has begun. Zazzle.com has a T-shirt out with a front that reads, “Butch Davis’ Nanny did my homework.”

On the back? “The University of No Compliance.” Yikes.

Ok, I admit, I don’t get it. There was a fifth annual Elite 24 outdoor basketball tournament held in Venice Beach, Ca. over the weekend and I watched like a Martian spying on an alien activity.

There was somebody named Bobbito Garcia, who I understand is famous and who was billed by ESPNU as “Legendary Playground Announcer.” I don’t know about you but when I was playin’ make-it, take it b-ball in South Rocky Mount, we didn’t need a playground announcer constantly yackin’ like some hip-hop DJ. (Although, come to think of it, we might have had some Average White Band, Parliament and Ohio Players playing in the background.)

Garcia, also known as DJ Cucumberslice, got into the announcer booth with ESPNU’s Eamon McAnaney (yes, I looked up the spelling) and former Dukie Jay Williams, also known as Jayson Williams, and he said something I found disturbing.

“Look at the guys on the court, they are going to be millionaires very soon.” Is that really a message we want to be sending out – before they’ve even gone to college, before they’ve even graduated from high school? Williams pointed out that a lot of 16, 17 and 18-year-old basketball players now have 5,000 or so followers on Facebook and Twitter. Is that kind of celebrity at this point a good thing?

After being treated to rapper – or maybe rap group – Laws singing the supposed big hit “So nice” – during which I could make out only the words, “Yeah, Yeah” – we got to watch some mostly defenseless basketball from some guys we’ll see in the ACC.

Austin Rivers, who’s being recruited by Duke and Carolina, was a co-MVP of the game with 15 points for the losing white team. Unfortunately, he sprained his right wrist and even took, and missed, a free throw with his left hand. He’s probably going to miss the next all-star game, which is probably a good thing. Rivers is scheduled to take an official visits to Duke the weekend of Oct. 1 and to UNC the weekend of Oct. 16.

The other co-MVP of the white team was James McAdoo, who has verbally committed to UNC. The MVPs of the winning gold team were Myck Kabongo (verbal, Texas) and Kyle Wiltjer (verbal, Kentucky).

Others included Michael Gbinije (verbal, Duke), Deuce Bello (maybe Florida State or Wake), Quincy Miller (maybe Duke) and Quinn Cook (maybe Duke or Carolina).

I’m just not sure that these tournaments – and there are something like 75 playground tournaments in New York alone – are ultimately helpful. Yes, they play against good competition but defense is suspect at these events, there’s a chance of injury, players become celebrities at a young age, there are some shady hangers on, and there is an atmosphere around the events that may not be the best. In other words, the culture could add to the problems we see with sports agents, troublemaker friends and the attitude that playing college ball is simply a stepping stone to the pros, not a way to get an education. Even NBA careers are short for most who make it.

I’m sure most of those putting on these events are well meaning, good people and I’m sure ESPN has good intentions airing these events (even if the announcers are reminiscent of the Cosby kids when they were all laughing, joking and talking at once) but I can’t help but think it’s not good in the long run.

As one of the announcers said laughingly when someone leaped off the bench onto the floor during the game, “Everywhere else that’s a technical. At Elite 24, it’s encouraged.”

Let’s encourage these young men to conduct themselves well and not thrust themselves into the future already when they may or may not be a star making millions of dollars.

N.C. State held its third scrimmage Aug. 17, and we now know the Wolfpack coaches were not happy with what they saw. That led directly to Monday’s shocking announcement that redshirt freshman Dean Haynes will start at running back, and true freshman Mustafa Greene will be behind him.

State did not release any individual statistics, but did say the offense rushed 36 times for 122 yards in that third scrimmage. After that, Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien said on his radio show Monday, the State coaches made a change.

Haynes, a 5-foot-11 and 178-pound safety from Georgia, had impressed coaches on the scout team last year. He played running back and quarterback in high school, running for 878 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns, but was playing safety for the Pack.

O’Brien said Monday night that he considered moving Haynes to tailback in the spring but was concerned about his secondary. Once he was confident the secondary was solid, and the coaching staff continued to have questions about Curtis Underwood and James Washington at tailback, Haynes was moved.

“After the third scrimmage, I don’t think any of us were satisfied with the production we were getting out of our tailback spot,” O’Brien said Monday.

O’Brien said Haynes is a smart player who is quickly learning the pass protections so important for a running back.

“He took the challenge and certainly earned his position,” O’Brien said. “He will be there Saturday night, along with Mustafa Greene.” Greene, 6 feet and 190 pounds, is from Irmo, S.C. He was a four-star recruit after averaging 9.0 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns as a senior.

“He has really good vision he probably made more big runs in scrimmage situations than anybody,” O’Brien said of Greene. “Certainly, when he has the ball in his hands he’s a pretty exciting player.”

Radio host Tony Haynes asked about Underwood and Washington would fit in, and O’Brien said, “Um, they are going to fit in behind those two guys.”