Seth Curry didn't let his right shin injury slow him down in the Bahamas. Credit: JOHN BAZEMORE/AP

Heading into the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, with its daunting three games in three days schedule, Duke wasn’t sure how much Seth Curry would be able to play.

Turns out, he was able to play quite a bit.

Curry, who is nursing a nagging right shin injury (it’s expected to bother him all year), played an average of 32.7 minutes per game. More than that, he played effectively, averaging a team-high 18 points per game. That scoring clip was also tied for third overall at the tournament.

Mason Plumlee had 16 points at Duke defeated Louisville to win the Battle 4 Atlantis title. Credit: JOHN BAZEMORE/AP

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas—After playing three games in three days Duke found the energy to spur the No. 5 Blue Devils to a 76-71 victory over No. 2 Louisville to win the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Duke has now won 23 straight regular season tournament games, a streak that dates back to 2006.

Quinn Cook, who ran Duke’s offense to perfection on Paradise Island, was named tournament MVP. Mason Plumlee was also named to the all-tournament team. 

“Everyone talks about a kid getting confidence, but it’s when a team gets confidence in a point guard that you take off,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They have great confidence in Quinn. He’s earned it.” 

Ryan Kelly blocks a Treveon Graham shot in Duke's win over VCU. Credit: JOHN BAZEMORE/AP

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas—Due to the compressed nature of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament—each team plays three games in three days—Duke had less than 24 hours to prepare for Virginia Commonwealth’s havoc, pressure-heavy defense.

And the Blue Devils preparation was a little unorthodox. Instead of traveling across the large resort to the designated practice facility, Duke made its own court.

“We condensed the day,” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “We were in a big ballroom, and our managers actually put up an entire full court in one of the ballrooms with tape. Between breakfast and lunch, when he had our scouting report, we just went through how we were going to defend without taking a physical toll on our team.”

Virginia Commonwealth guard Troy Daniels and Duke guard Tyler Thornton dive for a loose ball in the first half. JOHN BAZEMORE/AP

Updated 10:35 p.m.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Duke knew that Virginia Commonwealth would bring its trademark havoc defense, complete with a full court press and constant ball pressure.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas—Officially, the location for the Battle 4 Atlantis holiday tournament is Imperial Arena.

The Gophers had no answers for Mason Plumlee, who scored 20 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Credit: JOHN BAZEMORE/AP

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas—Duke didn’t miss many open shots and Mason Plumlee dominated under the basket on both ends of the floor. As a result, the No. 5 Blue Devils were able to beat Minnesota 89-71 in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

“Duke hit every big shot that they needed to,” Minnesota forward Rodney Williams said. “No matter how good the defense was that we were playing.”

While the Gophers (4-1) hung around throughout the game, Duke’s shooters never went cold. Minnesota had held its previous opponents to 28.6 percent shooting from the field. The Blue Devils, though, shot 54.5 from the floor, a season-high. And while Duke attempted a season-low 10 shots from behind the arc, 80 percent of them went in, including a running 3 at the end of the first half from Quinn Cook that gave Duke a seven-point halftime lead.

With three games in the next three days, Duke will have to manage Seth Curry's playing time accordingly. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Note: A cross-promotion: check out my Thanksiving Day story on the emotional recovery of Jamison Crowder. His parents, coaches, teammates and friends lent invaluable support in the aftermath of the jet ski accident that left teammate Blair Holliday unresponsive in a coma and Crowder physically unharmed. Both have come a long way since then. 

Duke vs. Minnesota

When: 3:30 p.m.

Where: Imperial Arena, Paradise Island, Bahamas

TV/Radio: AXS.tv/WKIX-102.9 FM

Projected starting lineups:

It's August, but there's no time like the present for Duke basketball news.

The Blue Devils will face Minnesota in the opening round of the Nov. 22-24 Battle 4 Atlantis preseason tournament, the school announced Thursday. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

There are eight teams in the second-annual tournament, which is held at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The winner of the matchup between the Blue Devils and the Golden Gophers gets the winner of Memphis vs. VCU in the semifinals. In opening action of the other side of the bracket, Missouri plays Stanford while Louisville takes on Northern Iowa.

If you'd like to see the bracket for yourself, click here.