A plea to Duke Fans....

[hughesmiester]

Ok. I don’t normally post, you can find me during the game chats under the handle ‘Trajan’s Sled’ but felt the need to do so this morning. I am just sick of the general public constantly doubting and knocking down Duke. Why is it that everyone is talking about how tough of a matchup Texas or Minnesota will be in the second round, and then Villanova or UCLA in the Sweet 16? Why isn’t anyone talking about why these teams should fear Duke? You know what? Scratch that. I’m not bothered by the media as much as our fan base right now. Where is the swagger that made other teams so envious and scared to play us? “Villanova has good guard play, waaaaah, Pitt is too big for us, how can we ever handle Blair down low? Waaaaah” Please, for god sakes people: WE ARE DUKE. Take a deep breath and repeat that. WE ARE DUKE. What does that mean to you? That we should be fearful of who we play in the second round? Teams should FEAR US. We just won the ACC Tournament for crying outload.

A major reason Duke hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since 2004 is because of this attitude that we as fans have taken on, and it certainly has been passed down to our boys on the court. In 2005 we all said we were worried about a possible Sweet 16 Matchup against Michigan State, and look what happened. Same with LSU in 2006, VCU in 07, and last year against West Virginia. All I heard about after the brackets came out on this board last year was how much Joe Alexander posed a major matchup problem for us in Round 2. You don’t think the boys read this board? Think again. “If our fans are doubting us, maybe we really might lose tomorrow”. That’s not the mentality we want, there shouldn’t be any doubt that we are going to win.

The fact is, we are playing better than we have in years, and have the best team at Duke since the 2004 Final Four team. So here’s what’s going to happen, here is my official Duke Fan Creed for the NCAA Tournament. Feel free to add your own, or call me completely crazy, if you want.

-We’re going to roll into Greensboro, and rather than be FEARFUL of the boos from UNC fans, we are going to embrace them. Take on the roll of the villain that we’ve been pegged and stick it to the Tar Holes fans. Hey, if we can anger UNC fans on-top of winning, why not go for it? Set the tone from the outcome, none of that Belmont crap from last year, winning in the final seconds.

-We’re going to worry about Binghamton, and Binghamton ONLY. No looking ahead to Texas or Minnesota. I don’t even want to hear Villanova, UCLA, or Pitt’s name for a week.

-What does K always preach to his team? That the NCAA Tournament is three separate, four team tournaments. As a fan you will take that to heart. Starting Thursday, we are in a four team tournament against Binghamton, Texas, and Minnesota. THAT’S IT.

-Lastly, enjoy it. No matter what happens, it’s all going to be over a month from now, so let’s enjoy the ride, and sit back and watch yet another magical Duke month of March.

WE ARE DUKE.

[rsvman]

Preach on, brother!

We are, indeed, a formidable foe for ANYBODY. The other fanbases are definitely hating to see Duke in their bracket, I can assure you of that.


LGD!

[DukieInKansas]

Every time Duke is in the NCAA tournament, I fully believe we are capable of winning it. Some years there might be a little more faith than belief in that. This year, I fully believe and have complete and total faith that this team can win each of the next 4 team tournaments.

LGD!

[hughesmiester]

If I'm a Texas or Minnesota fan, I'm wishing I was the 7-10 game in Michigan State's bracket, not Duke's. I would NOT want to play us right now.

[jv001]

Does not shake so easily. They are led by 3 players that just seem to have an air about them. I's like, you may beat us, but you better bring your best shot. For the first time in a while I'm not worried about our chances of advancing in the tournament. Coach K has shown the ability to make adjustments that help us win close games. He deserves more credit than he's getting. Go Duke!

[namvet1965]

Excellent post! Bashing Duke only means envy: of the school and the team. They see Duke as being bunch of Yankee,elitist snobs. They may be right about the Yankee part. By Yankee I am talking about Ny and NJ, not New England. But, what the heck, Duke attracts very good students and many of those come from that part of the country. Naturally, a big state school like UNC is going to be antagonistic andxenophobic. Same with UTenn and Vandyover in our sister state

[dukie8]

A major reason Duke hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since 2004 is because of this attitude that we as fans have taken on, and it certainly has been passed down to our boys on the court. In 2005 we all said we were worried about a possible Sweet 16 Matchup against Michigan State, and look what happened. Same with LSU in 2006, VCU in 07, and last year against West Virginia. All I heard about after the brackets came out on this board last year was how much Joe Alexander posed a major matchup problem for us in Round 2. You don’t think the boys read this board? Think again. “If our fans are doubting us, maybe we really might lose tomorrow”. That’s not the mentality we want, there shouldn’t be any doubt that we are going to win.

Sorry to burst your bubble but the reason why Duke has flamed out the past 4 NCAATs has ZERO to do with the fans and everything to do with teams that had fatal flaws. This year's team is much better than the prior 4 so hopefully the outcome will be different this year. However, whether you are "pumped" or not isn't going to affect what happens to Duke in the coming weeks.

Also, why would anyone waste print or air time on how a 15, 10 or 7 seed is going to have match-up problems with a 2 seed? Isn't that kind of assumed since the 2 is supposed to win those games?

[jimsumner]

"A major reason Duke hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since 2004 is because of this attitude that we as fans have taken on, and it certainly has been passed down to our boys on the court."

I'm sorry but this is nonsense. I've made no secret of my belief that a good portion of the Duke fan base is infected with an entitlement mentality. But to argue that the attitude of the fan-base somehow drives the on-court performance of the basketball team strains credulity well past the breaking point.

IMO.

[roywhite]

The non-believers seem to be mostly in the talking head category. If there are truly Duke fans who have watched this team over the last several games and are not on board, shame on them. As to the "wise men" from The Worldwide Leader and from CBS, let them watch with surprise. :)

We've got an excellent team this year, and come into the tournament with depth, energy, and momentum.

And, oh, by the way, we also have the best coach in the Tournament.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I say let the pundits say what they want and let the team prove otherwise. It's always more fun to watch the team win when "they aren't supposed to".

[OldPhiKap]

I'm happy that no one's talking about us, frankly. But I guarantee you that no one who is matched up with us is taking us lightly.

While I agree that the fans have gotten a bit complacent, I will also guarantee you that K and the players have not. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but they're gonna win or lose regardless of what "the fans" think or say or do.

[Kedsy]

"A major reason Duke hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since 2004 is because of this attitude that we as fans have taken on, and it certainly has been passed down to our boys on the court."

I'm sorry but this is nonsense. I've made no secret of my belief that a good portion of the Duke fan base is infected with an entitlement mentality. But to argue that the attitude of the fan-base somehow drives the on-court performance of the basketball team strains credulity well past the breaking point.

IMO.

Thank you, Jim. I was about to say this but now I don't have to.

[Chard]

"A major reason Duke hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since 2004 is because of this attitude that we as fans have taken on, and it certainly has been passed down to our boys on the court."

I'm sorry but this is nonsense. I've made no secret of my belief that a good portion of the Duke fan base is infected with an entitlement mentality. But to argue that the attitude of the fan-base somehow drives the on-court performance of the basketball team strains credulity well past the breaking point.

IMO.

I'll second that opinion. I can see what the OP is saying regarding the media but to place any fault on the fans is a big stretch.

I think Duke has an excellent change to advance to the FF. However, I also have seen the weaknesses of this current Duke team and I've seen the strength of the possible opponents in the rounds of 32, 16 and 8. Duke will have to play like they did on Sunday; maybe even better. If they keep playing like that in the tournament they have a good chance at winning #4. Yes, I said it.

[moonpie23]

i judge duke's success and CHANCES of success by what i see on the court. This team is playing very well. I think they will play well against binghampton....that's all i'm going to speculate on...

[CLT Devil]

I love the enthusiasm, but the sentiment that the fans have much to do with the team's success is putting a little too much stock in the fanbase.

However, this year I don't feel as nervous as the last few when it's NCAA Tourney time. Two years ago I felt that we HAD to win some games, based on out past success. Last year I felt the same way, but for different reasons; I was very nervous that we wouldn't win more than a couple games, based on our weak finish and perormace the previous year.

Now this year, I am much more comfortable going into the tourney. I'm not looking past the immediate game and just have a better overall win. Great to win another ACC Tourney, let's hope the momentum carries over.

[killerleft]

Oh, the fan base can make a difference. We can help by showing up and making noise. There's nothing worse than letting Whina fans fill up the venue when there are plenty of Duke fans around.

If you're withing driving distance and have a little extra cash, get to Greensboro!! You can buy tickets cheap from the losers in earlier games. If Duke people who have tickets in the venue can line up some friends who will buy from them, they can get extras inside the arena as losing teams leave.

Go Duke!

[houstondukie]

Ok. I don’t normally post, you can find me during the game chats under the handle ‘Trajan’s Sled’ but felt the need to do so this morning. I am just sick of the general public constantly doubting and knocking down Duke. Why is it that everyone is talking about how tough of a matchup Texas or Minnesota will be in the second round, and then Villanova or UCLA in the Sweet 16? Why isn’t anyone talking about why these teams should fear Duke? You know what? Scratch that. I’m not bothered by the media as much as our fan base right now. Where is the swagger that made other teams so envious and scared to play us? “Villanova has good guard play, waaaaah, Pitt is too big for us, how can we ever handle Blair down low? Waaaaah” Please, for god sakes people: WE ARE DUKE. Take a deep breath and repeat that. WE ARE DUKE. What does that mean to you? That we should be fearful of who we play in the second round? Teams should FEAR US. We just won the ACC Tournament for crying outload.

A major reason Duke hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since 2004 is because of this attitude that we as fans have taken on, and it certainly has been passed down to our boys on the court. In 2005 we all said we were worried about a possible Sweet 16 Matchup against Michigan State, and look what happened. Same with LSU in 2006, VCU in 07, and last year against West Virginia. All I heard about after the brackets came out on this board last year was how much Joe Alexander posed a major matchup problem for us in Round 2. You don’t think the boys read this board? Think again. “If our fans are doubting us, maybe we really might lose tomorrow”. That’s not the mentality we want, there shouldn’t be any doubt that we are going to win.

The fact is, we are playing better than we have in years, and have the best team at Duke since the 2004 Final Four team. So here’s what’s going to happen, here is my official Duke Fan Creed for the NCAA Tournament. Feel free to add your own, or call me completely crazy, if you want.

-We’re going to roll into Greensboro, and rather than be FEARFUL of the boos from UNC fans, we are going to embrace them. Take on the roll of the villain that we’ve been pegged and stick it to the Tar Holes fans. Hey, if we can anger UNC fans on-top of winning, why not go for it? Set the tone from the outcome, none of that Belmont crap from last year, winning in the final seconds.

-We’re going to worry about Binghamton, and Binghamton ONLY. No looking ahead to Texas or Minnesota. I don’t even want to hear Villanova, UCLA, or Pitt’s name for a week.

-What does K always preach to his team? That the NCAA Tournament is three separate, four team tournaments. As a fan you will take that to heart. Starting Thursday, we are in a four team tournament against Binghamton, Texas, and Minnesota. THAT’S IT.

-Lastly, enjoy it. No matter what happens, it’s all going to be over a month from now, so let’s enjoy the ride, and sit back and watch yet another magical Duke month of March.

WE ARE DUKE.

Great post! You're absolutely right.

It frustrates me SO MUCH when "experts" like Jay Bilas say "Villanova has great guards and will beat Duke." Well, WHAT ABOUT DUKE!?!? I'll take Scheyer and Henderson over any of their guards, and even though Cunningham is a pretty good player who has improved, he is no Kyle Singler. Villanova is the one who should be saying, "Holy crap, we have to guard #15, #12, #30, #2, #20, etc."

Oh, and what about the fact that Duke has THE BEST TOURNAMENT COACH EVER. Sure, recently he has struggled in the NCAA tournament, but ask TEAM USA if Coach K has lost a step.

Being from Texas and living in North Carolina, I can tell you that Texas fans are very, very scared of DUKE.

Maybe it's because we have really messed with their heads having blown them out twice in the last several seasons, or maybe it's the vote of no confidence in Rick Barnes, or maybe it's because they have Doug Gottlieb's turkish younger brother as their PG, but most of my buddies have little confidence they can win.

[tendev]

Ok. I don’t normally post, you can find me during the game chats under the handle ‘Trajan’s Sled’ but felt the need to do so this morning. I am just sick of the general public constantly doubting and knocking down Duke. Why is it that everyone is talking about how tough of a matchup Texas or Minnesota will be in the second round, and then Villanova or UCLA in the Sweet 16? Why isn’t anyone talking about why these teams should fear Duke? You know what? Scratch that. I’m not bothered by the media as much as our fan base right now. Where is the swagger that made other teams so envious and scared to play us? “Villanova has good guard play, waaaaah, Pitt is too big for us, how can we ever handle Blair down low? Waaaaah” Please, for god sakes people: WE ARE DUKE. Take a deep breath and repeat that. WE ARE DUKE. What does that mean to you? That we should be fearful of who we play in the second round? Teams should FEAR US. We just won the ACC Tournament for crying outload.

A major reason Duke hasn’t made it back to the Final Four since 2004 is because of this attitude that we as fans have taken on, and it certainly has been passed down to our boys on the court. In 2005 we all said we were worried about a possible Sweet 16 Matchup against Michigan State, and look what happened. Same with LSU in 2006, VCU in 07, and last year against West Virginia. All I heard about after the brackets came out on this board last year was how much Joe Alexander posed a major matchup problem for us in Round 2. You don’t think the boys read this board? Think again. “If our fans are doubting us, maybe we really might lose tomorrow”. That’s not the mentality we want, there shouldn’t be any doubt that we are going to win.

The fact is, we are playing better than we have in years, and have the best team at Duke since the 2004 Final Four team. So here’s what’s going to happen, here is my official Duke Fan Creed for the NCAA Tournament. Feel free to add your own, or call me completely crazy, if you want.

-We’re going to roll into Greensboro, and rather than be FEARFUL of the boos from UNC fans, we are going to embrace them. Take on the roll of the villain that we’ve been pegged and stick it to the Tar Holes fans. Hey, if we can anger UNC fans on-top of winning, why not go for it? Set the tone from the outcome, none of that Belmont crap from last year, winning in the final seconds.

-We’re going to worry about Binghamton, and Binghamton ONLY. No looking ahead to Texas or Minnesota. I don’t even want to hear Villanova, UCLA, or Pitt’s name for a week.

-What does K always preach to his team? That the NCAA Tournament is three separate, four team tournaments. As a fan you will take that to heart. Starting Thursday, we are in a four team tournament against Binghamton, Texas, and Minnesota. THAT’S IT.

-Lastly, enjoy it. No matter what happens, it’s all going to be over a month from now, so let’s enjoy the ride, and sit back and watch yet another magical Duke month of March.

WE ARE DUKE.

The fans don't play the game and I don't believe the paranormal psychological implication of your post that what fans think somehow affects the way players play. Trust me, the players know who should be feared and if they don't when the get on the court, they find out rather quickly.

[roywhite]

Maybe it's because we have really messed with their heads having blown them out twice in the last several seasons, or maybe it's the vote of no confidence in Rick Barnes, or maybe it's because they have Doug Gottlieb's turkish younger brother as their PG, but most of my buddies have little confidence they can win.

Is there a connection between Dogus Balbay and Gottlieb, or just a comparison that has been made?

Look forward to seeing this Duke team in action; they are certainly approaching the tournament with some momentum and confidence.

[gwwilburn]

This duke team is hotter now than any of the previous five (atleast) were at the start of the tournament. While the 04 team might have had more talent, especially in the Point Guard department, there were losses to Maryland in the ACC final and to a heating up Ga. Tech team to worry about. In 05, the ACC tournament was taken care of, but the team still had its share of late season problems, with the loss against Va Tech, to name one. In 06, the wheels came off at FSU, and then after a brief recovery in the ACC tournament, Duke was no match for LSU. We all know the stories of the last two years. This year, with the exception of a fairly competitive game at the HansParty, which I'm not so sure was easy to win with any team, we've had a good chunk of great basketball, with this team having gotten its losing done early.

[zingit]

Ok. I don’t normally post, you can find me during the game chats under the handle ‘Trajan’s Sled’ but felt the need to do so this morning. I am just sick of the general public constantly doubting and knocking down Duke. Why is it that everyone is talking about how tough of a matchup Texas or Minnesota will be in the second round, and then Villanova or UCLA in the Sweet 16? Why isn’t anyone talking about why these teams should fear Duke? You know what? Scratch that. I’m not bothered by the media as much as our fan base right now. Where is the swagger that made other teams so envious and scared to play us? “Villanova has good guard play, waaaaah, Pitt is too big for us, how can we ever handle Blair down low? Waaaaah” Please, for god sakes people: WE ARE DUKE. Take a deep breath and repeat that. WE ARE DUKE. What does that mean to you? That we should be fearful of who we play in the second round? Teams should FEAR US. We just won the ACC Tournament for crying outload.


I agree with you that other teams should fear us, but I also don't think there's anything wrong with dispassionate analysis of how we match up against other teams in our bracket. It's the NCAA tournament. Every team is a winner. There will be no gimmes, except for maybe the first round (knock-on-wood), and even that's no guarantee. Recognizing the strengths of our opponents does not necessarily mean that we are afraid of them or that we won't be ready for them. And saying "WE ARE DUKE" over and over means NOTHING. Teams should fear us because we're a dang good team, not because of some magical Duke mystique. If I recall correctly, we were still Duke when we lost to WVU, VCU, LSU, etc. So, I agree with you that I think we have a superb team that has a chance to go far, but I realize that there are some other superb teams in this tournament too.

[trinity92]

There is always something to fear when the brackets come out. It's the NCAA tournament, and you're going up against the best teams in the country. There's absolutely no way to win the title without playing some darned tough games, and there are no guarantees.

I remember being in Durham from 1988 to 1992, and even though we went to the FF every year, and the Championship game 3 times, and won it all twice, the brackets looked like shark-infested waters every single time. It's going up against the best and figuring out a way to beat them that makes winning a championship such a special thing.

A little fear is a normal thing, and isn't a problem. I was there and in my prime in the "good old days" and I can tell you first hand we didn't do anything different when we looked at the brackets coming out. Don't go pining for a yesteryear that never was.

[Papa John]

I am just sick of the general public constantly doubting and knocking down Duke.

My advice is to relish in it... It's the green-eyed monster rearing it's ugly head...


Why is it that everyone is talking about how tough of a matchup Texas or Minnesota will be in the second round, and then Villanova or UCLA in the Sweet 16? Why isn’t anyone talking about why these teams should fear Duke?

These teams should be fearing Duke, and I'm certain they are... And, if you want my opinion, UCLA and 'Nova might not have much to fear, because it's possible both might fail to make it through the first weekend...


Where is the swagger that made other teams so envious and scared to play us?

I think that swagger among our fanbase has taken a hit in recent years due to our failure to advance... However, I personally believe that had more to do with a lack of leadership experience than anything else... As K himself pointed out, these guys haven't really had upperclassmen leading them who had actually won a championship... I believe Singler is a Laettner-esque player in that he is the type of guy who absolutely despises losing and will simply refuse to allow it to happen... He's almost good enough to close that deal singlehandedly, too... Add to that the light bulb going off mid-season for Henderson and Scheyer's reemergence, and I think we're in good shape to go straight up against Pitt for a spot in the Final Four... Nobody else in our region worries me...

[KrazyKfan]

I say we make a statement and roll on Binghamton.

[tele]

Go Duke, Beat Binghamton!!

[dukemsu]

Any coach who sees how G, Kyle, and Jon are playing will be scared. Each can play and guard multiple positions. Throw in the role players (EWill, Dave, Greg, Zoubs, Lance, and the returning Nolan) and we can beat you in a variety of ways.

The guy in the suit on the bench ain't bad, either.

We have matchup problems with big teams, sure. But they have big matchup problems with Duke, too.

dukemsu

[DukieBoy]

For the first time I can remember, an analyst was siding with us.

Today on Sportscenter, Doug Gottlieb was braking down each bracket game by game, and got to the Duke game. I half expected, actually fully expected, a comment about how Duke got over ranked and won't make it out of the first weekend and Nova this, Texas and Minn. are better, and UCLA or VCU that.

Then it happened.

Gottlieb paused and said the words I though I would never hear...

"This Duke team is scary good."

He continued to talk about how we now have a presence of a superior on ball defender in Smith and Williams. He talked about Scheyer's ridiculous run since switching to PG. He finished up by saying Duke has 2 solid NBA players in Henderson and Singler. His last thoughts were that Duke has a shot at an Elite 8 and could take down Pitt.

I proceeded to pass out. Not really. But I didn't know there were analysts (excluding Bob Knight) that liked Duke.

I'm ready. Bring on Binghamton.

[Greg_Newton]

Gottlieb paused and said the words I though I would never hear...

"This Duke team is scary good."


I actually really like Doug Gottlieb as an analyst. Everyone else on ESPN seems to enjoy making broad, oversimplified, subjective comments about teams and matchups that sound good as sound bites but contain little to no actual analysis (i.e. "Team X has good guards so they'll win, Team Y is bigger so they'll win", etc...). Gottlieb, on the other hand, always seems to have solid sub-points and research to back up what he says, and provides some interest insights outside of the repeated popular talking points ESPN tends to pound through your head. Kind of reminds me of Bob Knight's in-game analysis in that sense.

Is it a coincidence that both Doug and Bob like Duke? Maybe, maybe not...:cool:

[dukegirlinsc]

Not everyone's going to like and praise Duke at all times. They're just "one of those teams". (Yankees, Cowboys, Lakers, etc.) People loveee to watch them struggle, and love it even more to watch them fail. The last few seasons, Duke has failed. (In my opinions anyways. I expect nothing less than excellence from those boys...and I may be wrong for doing so.)

Duke has been so successful in the past that people <b>expect</b> them to do well. So when they're not, it's easy to point out flaws and mistakes.

I don't feel like Duke's lack of success in the recent years has anything to do with myself as a fan. I still go to games and cheer my head off, and I still watch every game religiously, and cheer my head off. And I will, until I'm dead. Win or lose. Success or fail.

May they prove the world of ESPN wrong this year. That should give them even more motivation to play their butts off and shock the world. (The world minus us Duke fans.)

[gep]

I actually really like Doug Gottlieb as an analyst.

I hope I'm not taking this thread too much off course... but, isn't Doug a Maryland grad? and, if I recall correctly, over the last few years (of course when Duke was "down"), he seemed to be an anti-Duke, Duke basher. But maybe he was actually right then... like now:D If so, kudos to Doug for being objective...

[Kedsy]

I hope I'm not taking this thread too much off course... but, isn't Doug a Maryland grad? and, if I recall correctly, over the last few years (of course when Duke was "down"), he seemed to be an anti-Duke, Duke basher. But maybe he was actually right then... like now:D If so, kudos to Doug for being objective...

Doug Gottlieb was at Notre Dame for a year and then went to Oklahoma State.

[freshmanjs]

I hope I'm not taking this thread too much off course... but, isn't Doug a Maryland grad? and, if I recall correctly, over the last few years (of course when Duke was "down"), he seemed to be an anti-Duke, Duke basher. But maybe he was actually right then... like now:D If so, kudos to Doug for being objective...

no, he is not a maryland grad.

[gep]

Doug Gottlieb was at Notre Dame for a year and then went to Oklahoma State.


no, he is not a maryland grad.

thanks guys... I was mistaken... :(

[zingit]

I think this is the right attitude (from GoDuke (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=3693367)):


After the West Virginia game last year, several of their players said the Duke mystique had faded. Does this help restore it?

Scheyer: “To be honest with you, I have no idea what other people think about us. For us, it’s not like we’re an intimidating team. It’s not like I walk out there, and teams are all of sudden scared to go up against me. I think we just play hard, and we don’t really worry how other people feel about that. The only thing we can do is to keep winning.”

Henderson: “We can only control the things that we do, regardless of how people think of us. We just need to come out and handle our business.”

I'm not sure if they're being totally truthful (do they really have no idea what other people say about Duke? are they really this detached from all the media and all the pressures?), but it's certainly the right idea.

[crimsonandblue]

I think it's interesting that some are throwing the past several years' Duke teams under the bus as flawed entering the tourney. I think the move of Scheyer to the point and Williams into the rotation, supplanting Paulus, was a needed and helpful move, but I'm not sure Duke is in that much of a different position than it has been in the past several years.

Duke was really good last year. They had virtually the same overall resume (finished 28-6, kenpom #8, .9691 pythagorean win %, Adjusted O rank of 11 and Adjusted D rank of 9) in 2008.

In 2007, something of a "down" year, Duke finished 22-11 with kenpom #11, .9638 pyth win %, AdjO rank of 40 and AdjD rank of 5.

In 2006, Duke was 32-4 with a pyth win % of .9612, AdjO rank of 5 and AdjD rank of 13 (and an ACC championship).

In 2005, another ACC championship year, Duke was 27-6 with AdjO rank of 15 and AdjD rank of #1.

This year, it's 28-6, pyth of .9587, AdjO of 4 and AdjD of 17.

None of this is to say that Duke's not a better or hotter team entering the tourney than they have been. But I do think there's some revisionist history or willful blindness going on that's an attempt to show that this year, Duke's really ready.

I think Duke should cruise through the first weekend. Binghampton and either an underperforming UT squad or a middling Big Ten team that was something like 6 and 9 down the stretch with two of those wins coming against an atrocious Hoosier team? Please.

But the fact is, funny things happen in the tournament. I think if you look back at the past few years' teams, those were really good, really solid teams that got a bad break, or a bug, or ran into a hot team. It's just not an easy tourney to roll through. And frankly, I think this team is as likely to falter as the previous teams if the situation is just right/wrong. But, you're not going to face a West Virginia team. You've got a date with a very mediocre second round opponent. And after that, who knows. It really is a crapshoot at times.

[Papa John]

Duke was really good last year. They had virtually the same overall resume (finished 28-6, kenpom #8, .9691 pythagorean win %, Adjusted O rank of 11 and Adjusted D rank of 9) in 2008.

And were relying on freshman and sophomore stars who had not yet fully emerged... They had a great year, but it was inevitable that youth was eventually going to catch up with them...


In 2007, something of a "down" year, Duke finished 22-11 with kenpom #11, .9638 pyth win %, AdjO rank of 40 and AdjD rank of 5.

We limped to the finish line in 2007, and McBob never emerged as the grizzled warrior we all expected... Not his fault, but it isn't revisionist to suggest one may have had lower expectations for that group...


In 2006, Duke was 32-4 with a pyth win % of .9612, AdjO rank of 5 and AdjD rank of 13 (and an ACC championship).

In 2005, another ACC championship year, Duke was 27-6 with AdjO rank of 15 and AdjD rank of #1.

Agree, these were solid teams led by the duo of JJ and Shelden, with solid complementary players (particularly Daniel, who was more than a complement on the 2005 team)... I thought either could have gone further had they caught a favorable bounce here or there...