Speaking of arguing, how Duke dropped all the way to #13 in our rankings is beyond me. Sure, the Blue Devils aren't a top-five team, but ranking them behind Butler and Cal is like spanking your mother in law - just wrong.
But enough of that. Find out who we've chosen as number one in a few weeks.
#13 Duke Blue Devils
Conference: ACC
2008-09 Record: 30-7 (11-5)
NCAA Postseason: Lost to Villanova 77-54 in the Sweet Sixteen.
Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (29th season)
Losses: NBA - 6'5" G Gerald Henderson (16.5 ppg). Transfer - 6'4" G Elliot Williams (4.2 ppg). Graduation (sort of) - 6'0" G Greg Paulus (4.9 ppg), 6'6" F David McClure (1.9 ppg), 6'5" G Martynas Pocius (1.5 ppg).
Key Returnees: 6'5" Senior G Jon Scheyer (14.9 ppg, 2.8 apg), 6'8" Junior F Kyle Singler (16.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg), 6'2" Junior G Nolan Smith (8.4 ppg, 1.7 apg), 7'1" Senior C Brian Zoubek (4.1 ppg, 3.7rpg), 6'8" Senior F Lance Thomas (5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), 6'10" Sophomore F Miles Plumlee (1.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg).
Additions: 6'4" G Andre Dawkins (
The
Skinny:
It's going to be an interesting season for the Blue Devils, one that could lead to a deep post-season run or a middling finish in the ACC. As usual, the team is chock full of talent, but this year, the skill is unevenly distributed. If he desires, Coach K can use a 7-man rotation in the paint, but the Hall of Fame coach really only has three options at guard, and that could spell disaster in a sport that depends on ball control.
Kyle Singler will anchor the forward play. Big enough to bang with the tall boys but capable of facing up and putting the ball on the floor, Singler is a match-up nightmare for opponents. He'll be supported by seniors Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek, who have, up until this season, largely been role players, but maintain the potential to raise their level of play. Youngsters Ryan Kelly and the Plumlee brothers should also develop nicely as the season progresses.
It's the backcourt, typically Duke's strength, that is hurting. Jon Scheyer, a lights out shooter, did well playing point guard at the end of last season, but he doesn't have the quickness to hang with the top PGs in the game. Coming off a disappointing season, Nolan Smith will have to regain his confidence and handle the play running responsibilities. And then there is Andre Dawkins, the heavily hyped recruit who ditched a planned post-grad year in high school to shore up Duke's backcourt. If he turns out to be a superstar, all this doom and gloom talk about Coach K's recruiting failures will evaporate.
"Experts" claim that the key to college hoops success is guard play. Duke will certainly put that theory to the test this season.
Bloggers Say:
"With the likes of Ty Lawson, Toney Douglas, and Tyrese Rice now in the
NBA, and with the lack of experience throughout the conference at the point
guard position, Nolan Smith is poised to have a breakout junior campaign.
There is no doubt in my mind that Scheyer will begin the year as point
guard, but if Smith plays the way he did in the exhibition game against
Pfeiffer College (16 points, Duke's second leading scorer) he may take command
of the point guard position later on in the season.
Kyrie Irving's commitment to Duke for next season could now also change
things for Smith.
Best Games:
12/02 @
12/19 @ Gonzaga (
1/30 @
2/10 & 3/6 vs.
Almost every game in ACC play is a good game, so it's tough to whittle these
down to five. That being said, the first major test for the Blue
Devils will be against the ever-formidable Wisconsin Badgers up in
Famous Basketball Alums: Danny Ferry, Shane Battier, Jay
Bilas, Grant Hill, Mike Gminski, Christian Laettner, Elton Brand, Bobby Hurley,
Johnny Dawkins, Carlos Boozer, Tommy Amaker, Jeff Capel, Luol Deng, J.J Redick, Shavlik Randolph (I threw that one in for shits and giggles.)
Other
Famous Alums: Charlie Rose, Sam Seaborn's character in "The West Wing,"
plus Tucker Max graduated from
Best Places to eat in Durham: Magnolia Grill, Nanas and Pops. George's Garage is good for a date, especially if she's three mascara kits and four drinks away from being a supermodel. (As tallguy points out in the comments, George's Garage is no longer a valid option for food and drink.)
#15
I have found an excellent online store for shoe lifts and would really like to share it with your readers, I hope this is acceptable?
Good work mate! Ciao!
It appears that you have placed a lot of effort into your article and I require more of these on the net these days. I sincerely got a kick out of your post. I don't really have much to say in response, I only wanted to comment to reply wonderful work.
Hi, thank you for a fantastic post, a truly great opening to the 2010, keep up the fantastic work, Sue.
Hi, thanks for this excellent article, a truly great opening to the 2010, keep up the great work, Louise.
I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your site to check out the latest stuff you post.
Although I don't agree with everything there are some good valid point made here.
Thank you very much for this good article post! Not sure what you all have planned, but I can't wait for New Year's Eve 2010 myself!
"Jon Scheyer...did well playing point guard at the end of last season, but he doesn't have the quickness to hang with the top PGs in the game."
Well, then it's a good thing he doesn't have to do that. Scheyer plays point on offense, and will guard the 2 on defense. That's what they did at the end of last year, and it worked very well as long as they weren't playing someone that no one could guard (e.g. Ty Lawson). Nolan Smith can guard the point very well.
While George's Garage is now closed after 15 years, tell your readers that Vita is a terrific option. Terrific food at amazing prices. Check out the website.
Go Duke!
"The thing everyone forgets when they drool over Singler is the guy is an absolute sieve on defense."
Funny thing, Singler plays really good defense, and can guard any 3 or 4 in college basketball straight up right now without help. He would struggle against quick 2's, but if Duke goes big with Singler at the 2, Lance thomas will be at the 3, and he's quick enough to guard most 2s. Plus, the dreaded z word has been bandied about, so look for Duke to mix in plenty of match-up zone to supplement the usual man to man.
"George's Garage is good for a date, especially if she's three mascara kits and four drinks away from being a supermodel. "
George's closed this year due to lease issues. Doesn't matter though, because there's been a restaurant explosion in Durham recently, so there are a multitude of extremely delicious options available.
The thing everyone forgets when they drool over Singler is the guy is an absolute sieve on defense. He's too slow laterally to cover athletic 3s and 4s and too weak to lock down anyone inside. Hard to imagine that Plumlees and/or Kelly can guard the way Dook needs them to in the paint, and pretty obvious K doesn't trust Zoubek.
I had no idea they were traveling that much. Good challenges there.
If I remember correctly, Seth Davis went to Duke, too. Not sure if that makes him a hoops alum or non-hoops alum.