A funny thing happens on the way to March. And it's borne out of everything that happens on the court and off in the time between preseason and postseason. And it is perhaps the one aspect of the game that we know the least about when it comes to the team and players we follow so closely.
(That's by no means a bad thing, either.)
We glean things here and there from that which we observe, or that which coaches and journalists tell to the press (and now, that which we read via Twitter and its peers).
It's extremely difficult to extrapolate anything from all of that, however, except to trust in the staff and in the players they work with every day that relationships are being built and fortified to complement the work they're doing on the court and under the lights.
There's no science to it, per se. And there are always unpredictable factors that come into play and shake things up...sometimes in the form of personality conflicts; sometimes in the form of personal tragedy; sometimes in the form of questionable recreational activities; etc., etc.
Stars align at times, however, which certain leaders just have an ability to help make happen better than others. We saw that last year, where the combination of leaders knowing their role and roleplayers knowing theirs, on top of a heap of perseverance and trust and determination led to some pretty extraordinary things.
That can't be duplicated by moving one piece out and another piece in. And these guys surely know that.
Nolan and Jon were tremendous leaders, and they were as such well before last season. They learned a great deal from one another in the course of cultivating their friendship; many of those lessons are being passed down now, just as K envisions the "Duke Way" being handed down like an oral tradition from one generation to another.
Every team has to forge its own identity. But there are few better equipped as a college seniors to take the reigns as Nolan and his equally-but-differently-gifted teammate, Kyle Singler.
There are unique challenges for this team up-front, namely those of expectations, something that certainly existed a year ago, but to a very different degree...that's a lot for any team to handle, which is why repeat national champs are so rare in college basketball.
We sure are lucky to get to watch along the way.