Expectations definitely play a part. However, I don't think we had very unrealistic expectations, and I think that both fans and athletes themselves often have expectations of themselves.
Obviously everyone had high individual expectations this year.
I remember Jay Bilas making a comment about Mason being the most talented player on the team back when we had Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith.
Seth was the leading scorer in the NCAAs as a freshman, and people frequently said he was as good as anyone on the team in practice during his redshirt years.
Dre is very athletic and talented, and everyone was waiting to see how he would perform now that he had all the playing time he needed.
Ryan was a McDonalds AA whose basketball IQ is paired up with size and shooting ability, and seemed primed for a great year.
Quinn and Marshall were both McDonalds AAs, and Mike G was touted as having the highest basketball IQ of any player K had ever recruited. Austin was... well, Austin
The #1 recruit in the nation for a long, long time.
Tyler and Josh are both very talented players.
Given the growth players often show, especially in the second half of their careers and especially when they finally get a chance to be the "go to" guys on their respective teams, and the growth our players have shown in the past (remember freshman Nolan Smith, or freshman EWill, or freshman Cwell, or freshman Nate, or freshman Gerald, or freshman ZOUB!!!) I think it was actually "fair" to expect some similar growth among the players this year. Outside of Miles and Josh, I don't think we really saw it, especially from the start of the season to the end.
I think having expectations is not a BAD thing for a group of talented players like this. And I think expectations weren't actually that high; I think a lot of people would have been okay with more losses than the "typical" Duke team if it included watching a bunch of young players grow into themselves and their roles, growing into what we have come to expect of Duke players.
But I am not sure that growth happened. I know it left me a bit disappointed.