CBS: Ranking all of Duke's 16 OAD Players

[NM Duke Fan]

A slow time of the year so they have to come up with something I suppose!

"1. Marvin Bagley, 2018
Bagley was the best player for perhaps the most talented Duke team ever under Mike Krzyzewski. Averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, he was named the ACC's Player of the Year, and was the catalyst of the Blue Devils' bruising front line last season that finished sixth in total rebounds per game and 14th in total blocks.

And even more impressive in his stellar season: Bagley reclassified last summer. If not for that move from the 2018 class to 2017, he'd have been preparing for his freshman season this summer. Instead, he's primed to make millions by likely becoming one of the top draft picks in mid-June thanks to his off-the-charts production."

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/from-marvin-bagley-to-harry-giles-ranking-all-of-dukes-16-one-and-done-players-under-coach-k/

[elvis14]

2. Jahlil Okafor, 2015
Duke went 35-4 and won the national championship in 2014-15, in large part because of Jahlil Okafor's freshman stardom. He, too, earned ACC Player of the Year honors, averaging 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Though Okafor's back-to-the-basket game hasn't quite meshed in the NBA as an old school big, it was the sole reason why he was viewed as the most fearsome center in the country at Duke. He was an unstoppable force in the paint whose 66.4 field goal percentage ranks 32nd among all college basketball players at the Division I level since 1992, according to Sports Reference (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/leaders/fg-pct-player-season.html).

[NSDukeFan]

I would certainly rank Trent higher than they did at probably 10 or 11.

[CDu]

I would certainly rank Trent higher than they did at probably 10 or 11.

Eh, I would say 13-15 for me. Ahead of Giles for sure, in the mix with Jackson and Duval.

[NSDukeFan]

Eh, I would say 13-15 for me. Ahead of Giles for sure, in the mix with Jackson and Duval.

Looking at it again, I would say 11, ahead of Kyrie, just below Winslow and Carter.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Eh, I would say 13-15 for me. Ahead of Giles for sure, in the mix with Jackson and Duval.

Jackson? Really? For me, he's #15.

[proelitedota]

I would certainly rank Trent higher than they did at probably 10 or 11.

GTJ should be above Duval imo. He had the biggest stones if all our guards this year in the clutch.

[CDu]

Jackson? Really? For me, he's #15.

Yeah, really. Jackson was pretty darn comparable to Trent in my opinion. Per 100 possessions, here are their stats:

Trent: 24.3 pts, 7.1 rebs, 2.4 asts, 1.9 stls, 41.5 fg%, 40.2 3pt%, 56.7 TS%
Jackson: 25.2 pts, 5.8 rebs, 3.9 asts, 1.3 stls, 47.3 fg%, 39.5 3pt%, 59.8 TS%.

Honestly, in looking at those stats, I'm actually more comfortable with having Trent behind Jackson.

[NSDukeFan]

Yeah, really. Jackson was pretty darn comparable to Trent in my opinion. Per 100 possessions, here are their stats:

Trent: 24.3 pts, 7.1 rebs, 2.4 asts, 1.9 stls, 41.5 fg%, 40.2 3pt%, 56.7 TS%
Jackson: 25.2 pts, 5.8 rebs, 3.9 asts, 1.3 stls, 47.3 fg%, 39.5 3pt%, 59.8 TS%.

Honestly, in looking at those stats, I'm actually more comfortable with having Trent behind Jackson.

I don't know. I'll take the starter, third leading scorer, sometimes crunch time scorer on just as good a team (because of injuries) over the sixth man.

[CDu]

I don't know. I'll take the starter, third leading scorer, sometimes crunch time scorer on just as good a team (because of injuries) over the sixth man.

I think that is a matter of circumstance. Put Trent on last year’s team and he is a sixth man. Put Jackson on this year’s team and he is a starter.

[NSDukeFan]

I think that is a matter of circumstance. Put Trent on last year’s team and he is a sixth man. Put Jackson on this year’s team and he is a starter.

I would have loved to have had a sophomore Jackson on this year's team. 😃

[Jeffrey]

I think that is a matter of circumstance.

Strongly agree. IMO, Maggette would have gotten 30+ mpg predominately playing zone.

[BigZ]

I'd put Maggette much higher bc he wasn't playing in the one and done era.

[Truth&Justise]

I would have loved to have had a sophomore Jackson on this year's team. 😃

Been thinking about that a lot lately. The fit would have been incredible (assuming he was healthy, of course). And it's no far-fetched, it very nearly happened.

[ipatent]

Not impressed by the article, it's like he use a dartboard for the rankings.

[YmoBeThere]

Not impressed by the article, it's like he use a dartboard for the rankings.

It works for picking stocks, so why not?

[HereBeforeCoachK]

It works for picking stocks, so why not?

You mean it works for getting clicks...so why not? :cool:

What struck me was Bagley at 1 and Giles at 16. Obviously that's the way to rank them, but the irony is Harry Giles WAS the Marvin Bagley of his class...until the injury. Such a sad story to this date...and apparently everybody who knows Harry loves him...and his attitude remained awesome through it all. I hope and pray it works out great for Giles in the end...

[elvis14]

You mean it works for getting clicks...so why not? :cool:

What struck me was Bagley at 1 and Giles at 16. Obviously that's the way to rank them, but the irony is Harry Giles WAS the Marvin Bagley of his class...until the injury. Such a sad story to this date...and apparently everybody who knows Harry loves him...and his attitude remained awesome through it all. I hope and pray it works out great for Giles in the end...

Last week someone posted a video of Harry working out. It was just a short clip of him taking shots but he looked very healthy and mobile. My thought was: that's the Harry Giles we hoped we would get at Duke. I'm with you, on Harry, he seems like a really good kid and I hope he does great.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

And on a related topic.....with a healthy Harry Giles, what are the chances Duke wins the title in 17? I think pretty darned good. If that had happened, or if they'd reached the Final Four even, perhaps the entire discussion about Duke's OAD program would be very different.

[CDu]

And on a related topic...with a healthy Harry Giles, what are the chances Duke wins the title in 17? I think pretty darned good. If that had happened, or if they'd reached the Final Four even, perhaps the entire discussion about Duke's OAD program would be very different.

Yeah, I think a lot of things went wrong in 2017 that have unfairly marred folks' opinions of one-and-dones. The injuries to Giles and the injury and illness for Bolden are a big part of that. Jefferson's injury and Allen's injury/suspension also cost us games. Tatum's injury. Arguably Coach K's surgery may have cost us as well. Obviously Giles' injury was the biggest detriment as he was just never the player that he was in high school while at Duke. Last year's team was basically the borderline worst-case scenario in terms of health, which had nothing to do with one-and-dones.

If Giles is healthy, we become a MUCH more dynamic team. I'm not sure if our defense ever gets great, but we'd be even more deadly offensively.
Don't know if we would have won the title, but we'd have likely been a 1 seed instead of a 2 seed, and we'd have been much more likely to make the Final Four.

That being said, if we did win the title in 2017, our 2018 team might have looked a lot different too. I'd guess Allen would have gone pro with that second title. And then we'd be REALLY thin on the perimeter. So it might have been a bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[phaedrus]

That being said, if we did win the title in 2017, our 2018 team might have looked a lot different too. I'd guess Allen would have gone pro with that second title. And then we'd be REALLY thin on the perimeter. So it might have been a bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

I'd steal an Elite Eight from Peter to pay Paul a title.

[CDu]

I'd steal an Elite Eight from Peter to pay Paul a title.

Well sure. But no guarantee the 2017 team wins it all with Giles healthy. Could have just as easily ended up like this year. Conversely, if one more shot goes in for us, we might have won it this year.

I guess I should have clarified that even a deep tourney run might have decimated this year’s roster.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Yeah, I think a lot of things went wrong in 2017 that have unfairly marred folks' opinions of one-and-dones. The injuries to Giles and the injury and illness for Bolden are a big part of that. Jefferson's injury and Allen's injury/suspension also cost us games. Tatum's injury. Arguably Coach K's surgery may have cost us as well. Obviously Giles' injury was the biggest detriment as he was just never the player that he was in high school while at Duke. Last year's team was basically the borderline worst-case scenario in terms of health, which had nothing to do with one-and-dones.

If Giles is healthy, we become a MUCH more dynamic team. I'm not sure if our defense ever gets great, but we'd be even more deadly offensively.
Don't know if we would have won the title, but we'd have likely been a 1 seed instead of a 2 seed, and we'd have been much more likely to make the Final Four.

That being said, if we did win the title in 2017, our 2018 team might have looked a lot different too. I'd guess Allen would have gone pro with that second title. And then we'd be REALLY thin on the perimeter. So it might have been a bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Agreed with all, including your last paragraph....you can't make one change in a vacuum....so you throw a healthy Giles into the mix, and he gets minutes and touches, they win the title maybe..........but maybe Luke and Frank would've gotten less touches and stayed...for example. Fun and frustrating to think about.

[JNort]

Wonder how they justified these ranking? Mine would be much different I think.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Wonder how they justified these ranking? Mine would be much different I think.

Dice roll? Dart board?

Hard to tell what their criteria was... Number of wins? Impressive stats? Importance to the team? Banners? Sheer talent?

[sagegrouse]

Dice roll? Dart board?

Hard to tell what their criteria was... Number of wins? Impressive stats? Importance to the team? Banners? Sheer talent?

The key thing to me was that the ranking was based their college performance and contribution to the team. Those unable to play much are at the bottom.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

The key thing to me was that the ranking was based their college performance and contribution to the team. Those unable to play much are at the bottom.

I suspect that if we were to compile a list here on DBR, poor Harry Giles would be last on all but one ballot.

[Indoor66]

Well, one does not rate actual performance on "potential" still not realized a year later....

[JNort]

The key thing to me was that the ranking was based their college performance and contribution to the team. Those unable to play much are at the bottom.

Yeah but Kyrie is up there... shouldn't he then be back with Giles?

[CDu]

Yeah but Kyrie is up there... shouldn't he then be back with Giles?

That gets into the nuance of any list like this. Irving missed a bunch of games, but he played really really well when he was on the court (both before and after injury). Giles just wasn't physically able to play well.

If Irving had been healthy all year, he'd have been in the top 5 (probably top 3). His ranking of 11 there is the penalty for missing so much time.

[Steven43]

Conversely, if one more shot goes in for us, we might have won it this year.
Very unlikely Duke would have come close to beating Villanova. They destroyed Kansas while Duke looked to be about the equal of the Jayhawks throughout the entire game. The Blue Devils probably had more overall talent than Kansas, but were clearly lacking in solid, reliable PG play and 3-point shooting, particularity in the clutch. Additionally, the zone defense K employed was substandard and ineffective. Time and time again the Jayhawks were able to pass it inside for clean, easy looks at the basket. Duke also did a mediocre (at best) job of defending their three-point shooters. It was probably just due to an overall talent advantage that Duke was even able to get the game to overtime.

Regardless, Villanova—who has a very talented roster near the level of Duke’s—would have handily beaten our Devils. In this tournament Nova’s defense, three-point shooting, teamwork, and coaching just seemed a clear cut above everybody else, including Duke. If Grayson’s shot had gone in it would have only delayed the inevitable.

[sagegrouse]

Recognition as All-American or All-ACC? Marvin, Jah and Jabari were all first-team All-American and occupy the top three spots. Of the seven players who were neither A-A or All-ACC, Justise ranks highest at #8. Of the four players who were first-team All-ACC, Austin ranks lowest at #9.

Well, K said that by the end of the 2015 season, Justise was our best player. Counts for something.

[CDu]

Very unlikely Duke would have come close to beating Villanova. They destroyed Kansas while Duke looked to be about the equal of the Jayhawks throughout the entire game. The Blue Devils probably had more overall talent than Kansas, but were clearly lacking in solid, reliable PG play and 3-point shooting, particularity in the clutch. Additionally, the zone defense K employed was substandard and ineffective. Time and time again the Jayhawks were able to pass it inside for clean, easy looks at the basket. Duke also did a mediocre (at best) job of defending their three-point shooters. It was probably just due to an overall talent advantage that Duke was even able to get the game to overtime.

Regardless, Villanova—who has a very talented roster near the level of Duke’s—would have handily beaten our Devils. In this tournament Nova’s defense, three-point shooting, teamwork, and coaching just seemed a clear cut above everybody else, including Duke. If Grayson’s shot had gone in it would have only delayed the inevitable.

I don't think you can apply the transitive property like that. Kansas was basically a poor man's Villanova. So they were going to get killed by Villanova. I don't know what the outcome would have been, but I think it would have been MUCH closer than the Kansas game. And I'd have given Duke a reasonable chance, with another week to work on the zone, of beating Villanova. As you mentioned, we'd have a substantial talent edge. And hopefully we wouldn't shoot nearly as poorly against Villanova as we did against Kansas. Because the only reason that Kansas game was even close was because we couldn't hit ANYTHING from 3, and because Carter was out of the game for most of it. If either of those things is different, we probably blow Kansas out.

[UrinalCake]

His ranking of 11 there is the penalty for missing so much time.

Even with all that missed time, he still won more tournament games than three players ranked above him (Rivers, Parker, Tatum) and as many as Ingram. IMO Irving should be ranked around 5 on this completely arbitrary list.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

That gets into the nuance of any list like this. Irving missed a bunch of games, but he played really really well when he was on the court (both before and after injury). Giles just wasn't physically able to play well.

If Irving had been healthy all year, he'd have been in the top 5 (probably top 3). His ranking of 11 there is the penalty for missing so much time.

I know there's no way to prove any of this, but I suspect Irving would have been our greatest OAD had the infamous turf toe not encroached on his excellence. He was nearly unguardable, and he would have had six assists a night lobbing to various Plumlees for dunks.

[CDu]

I know there's no way to prove any of this, but I suspect Irving would have been our greatest OAD had the infamous turf toe not encroached on his excellence. He was nearly unguardable, and he would have had six assists a night lobbing to various Plumlees for dunks.

Maybe. Worth noting that he averaged only 4 assists per game at Duke, and has rarely average 6 assists per game in the NBA (with more minutes per game).

He would certainly be in the conversation for best OAD, but I suspect it would be more in the 20 pts, 4 asts range.

[NSDukeFan]

Maybe. Worth noting that he averaged only 4 assists per game at Duke, and has rarely average 6 assists per game in the NBA (with more minutes per game).

He would certainly be in the conversation for best OAD, but I suspect it would be more in the 20 pts, 4 asts range.

But no Plumlee dunking company to pass to 😀

[lotusland]

I know there's no way to prove any of this, but I suspect Irving would have been our greatest OAD had the infamous turf toe not encroached on his excellence. He was nearly unguardable, and he would have had six assists a night lobbing to various Plumlees for dunks.

Kyrie got to dazzle against the Early non-conference schedule. He’d have probably hit a wall and struggled in a couple of poor shooting ACC games and dulled the luster a little. No doubt the talent was real as evidenced by his NBA career but Kyrie never faced the ACC meat grinder.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Kyrie got to dazzle against the Early non-conference schedule. He’d have probably hit a wall and struggled in a couple of poor shooting ACC games and dulled the luster a little. No doubt the talent was real as evidenced by his NBA career but Kyrie never faced the ACC meat grinder.

Early non conference opponents like Michigan State and Butler???

The "wall" that Kyrie might or might not have hit is also the same wall for the other 15 people he is compared to.

[lotusland]

Early non conference opponents like Michigan State and Butler???

The "wall" that Kyrie might or might not have hit is also the same wall for the other 15 people he is compared to.

Yeah that was my point. Other folks played through it. Kyrie didn’t. What am I missing?

[fuse]

The premise of this article is completely weighted by individual statistics, which I suppose it must be.

Can Bagley be the best freshman ever at Duke, and still not the best one and done?

If you take season results into account, I’d order the list

Okafor
Winslow
Jones
Bagley
Parker
Ingram
Tatum
Deng
Irving
Carter
Trent
Duval
Rivers
Maggette
Jackson
Giles

Using my logic, you could probably shift Carter, Trent and Duval a few notches higher, and it does look weird to have Irving mid-list.

It’s also stunning as amazing as Maggette was, to see him near the bottom.

[Troublemaker]

Kyrie got to dazzle against the Early non-conference schedule. He’d have probably hit a wall and struggled in a couple of poor shooting ACC games and dulled the luster a little. No doubt the talent was real as evidenced by his NBA career but Kyrie never faced the ACC meat grinder.

Eh. 2011 was before the latest ACC expansion (Notre Dame, Syracuse, Louisville) and before Tony Bennett had gotten UVA humming. I mean, even without Kyrie playing a single ACC game, Duke went 16-3 (including the 3 wins needed for the ACC Championship). I can't see how adding Kyrie would've led to anything but utter dominance, possibly an 18-1 or 19-0 destruction of the conference. So, while you're right that he would not have played well / shot well in every single game because that's impossible, the luster would've remained.

[Acymetric]

Eh. 2011 was before the latest ACC expansion (Notre Dame, Syracuse, Louisville) and before Tony Bennett had gotten UVA humming. I mean, even without Kyrie playing a single ACC game, Duke went 16-3 (including the 3 wins needed for the ACC Championship). I can't see how adding Kyrie would've led to anything but utter dominance, possibly an 18-1 or 19-0 destruction of the conference. So, while you're right that he would not have played well / shot well in every single game because that's impossible, the luster would've remained.

Put me in this camp as well. Of course there is no way to know (sadly), but a full season of Kyrie would have been something to see. Seeing Nolan get to lead that team and flirt with NPOY status was a pretty good consolation prize though.

[sagegrouse]

Put me in this camp as well. Of course there is no way to know (sadly), but a full season of Kyrie would have been something to see. Seeing Nolan get to lead that team and flirt with NPOY status was a pretty good consolation prize though.

Many of you remember Gary Williams' observation at the end of the 2011 season (approximately): "If Kyrie had not been injured, Mike's team would have gone undefeated."

[Troublemaker]

Put me in this camp as well. Of course there is no way to know (sadly), but a full season of Kyrie would have been something to see. Seeing Nolan get to lead that team and flirt with NPOY status was a pretty good consolation prize though.

Yeah, I mean, the only way for the memory of Kyrie-in-college to lose luster WAS for it to play out like it did. An injury, missing the entire ACC slate (so no memorable plays against UNC), and coming back at the very the end of the season when there wasn't enough time to regain team chemistry.

[Bluedog]

Maybe I'm saying something controversial, but our defense with Kyrie probably would not have been nearly as good that season. Obviously, Kyrie's offense was (and is) otherwordly, but I don't think it's so obvious that we would have been better than 16-3 in the ACC. In fact, I predict we would have been worse. Nolan would have had to guard 2's and we wouldn't have been as versatile. As evidenced by the NCAA tournament, we barely held on to beat Michigan and then got destroyed by Zona -- it's hard to predict how things would have gone down. (Of course, if we had a whole season to practice as that unit, we may have worked on the kinks and been better in the end, but impossible to go back in time and play out both scenarios. Certainly our potential with Kyrie was higher so of course I'd love to have had him on the court for the entire season. But I don't think placing him where they did is totally unreasonable considering how much time he was out.)

[Troublemaker]

Maybe I'm saying something controversial, but our defense with Kyrie probably would not have been nearly as good that season. Obviously, Kyrie's offense was (and is) otherwordly, but I don't think it's so obvious that we would have been better than 16-3 in the ACC. In fact, I predict we would have been worse.

Except Kyrie had been a very good defender until his injury, from what I recall. He absolutely dominated a couple of star seniors in Jacob Pullen and Kalin Lucas. Dominated them on both ends.

Keep in mind that 2011 was not only pre-expansion, it was also pre-NCAA cleaning up handchecking and emphasizing freedom of movement. Duke defense was not really an issue back then. Kyrie would've continued to be fine on defense (more than fine really). And if you're basing this criticism on his NBA rep, keep in mind that lots of NBA players were good defenders in college but poor defenders in the league; it's just a much higher level of basketball. Russell Westbrook really struggles on defense but was a terror at UCLA as I recall. Karl Anthony Towns is not nearly as good on defense as he was in college. Etc.

I just don't see how Duke would've been worse with Kyrie on the team.


Nolan would have had to guard 2's and we wouldn't have been as versatile.

2011 accomplished all it did with Seth Curry guarding 2s (after Kyrie's injury). Why would Nolan have been worse? In college, small wings aren't the detriment that they are in the NBA. As the 2015 Duke team showed.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Yeah that was my point. Other folks played through it. Kyrie didn’t. What am I missing?

I think you're missing how your point is inevitably going to be interpreted.The other point you missed is that Duke didn't have a list of creampuffs pre ACC.

[lotusland]

I think you're missing how your point is inevitably going to be interpreted.The other point you missed is that Duke didn't have a list of creampuffs pre ACC.

Seems like an average Duke non-Conference schedule. K State, MI State and Butler I think we’re all ranked. Without doing extensive research that doesn’t seem way more difficult. Probably there were no true road games. Either way Kyrie was injured at the end of the Butler game so he missed most of the season and never played an ACC Road game much less 2 ACC games a week. There is a reason we differentiate the regular season schedule by Conference and non-Conference in terms of lineup, MPG, etc. because there is a huge difference. I’ve seen our Freshmen, including the OADs struggle some making the transition. For instance this year’s group played poorly and lost to a pretty bad BC team in their first conference game which was also the first true Road game. I’m assuming Kyrie would also have struggled some and have a few bad games by his lofty standards. Maybe I’m wrong but we’ll never know for sure.


Regular Season
Sun, Nov 14*
5:00 pm, ESPNU No. 1 Princeton
CBE Classic W 97–60 1–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Tue, Nov 16*
7:30 pm, ESPNU No. 1 Miami (Ohio)
CBE Classic W 79–45 2–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Fri, Nov 19*
8:30 pm, ESPN3.com No. 1 Colgate W 110–58 3–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Mon, Nov 22*
7:30 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 vs. Marquette
CBE Classic – Semifinals W 82–77 4–0
Sprint Center (N/A)
Kansas City, MO
Tue, Nov 23*
10:15 pm, ESPN No. 1 vs. No. 4 Kansas State
CBE Classic – Championship W 82–68 5–0
Sprint Center (18,696)
Kansas City, MO
Sat, Nov 27*
4:00 pm, FSN No. 1 vs. Oregon W 98–71 6–0
Rose Garden (12,914)
Portland, OR
Wed, Dec 1*
9:30 pm, ESPN No. 1 No. 6 Michigan State
ACC – Big Ten Challenge W 84–79 7–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Dec 4*
3:15 pm, ESPN No. 1 vs. Butler
CARQUEST Auto Parts Classic W 82–70 8–0
Izod Center (14,215)
East Rutherford, NJ
Wed, Dec 8*
9:00 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 Bradley W 83–48 9–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Dec 11*
12:00 pm, CBS No. 1 Saint Louis W 84–47 10–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Mon, Dec 20*
7:00 pm, FSS No. 1 Elon W 98–72 11–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Dec 29*
7:00 pm, ESPNU No. 1 at UNC Greensboro W 108–62 12–0
Greensboro Coliseum (22,178)
Greensboro, NC
Sun, Jan 2
7:45 pm, FSN No. 1 Miami (Florida) W 74–63 13–0 (1–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 5*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 UAB W 85–64 14–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Jan 9
8:00 pm, FSN No. 1 Maryland
Duke–Maryland rivalry W 71–64 15–0 (2–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 12
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 1 at Florida State L 61–66 15–1 (2–1)
Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100)
Tallahassee, FL
Sat, Jan 15
2:00 pm, ESPN No. 1 Virginia W 76–60 16–1 (3–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 19
7:00 pm, ESPN No. 4 at NC State W 92–78 17–1 (4–1)
RBC Center (19,387)
Raleigh, NC
Sat, Jan 22
4:00 pm, ESPN No. 4 at Wake Forest W 83–59 18–1 (5–1)
LJVM Coliseum (14,107)
Winston-Salem, NC
Thu, Jan 27
8:00 pm, Raycom No. 3 Boston College W 84–68 19–1 (6–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Jan 30*
1:00 pm, CBS No. 3 at St. John's L 78–93 19–2
Madison Square Garden (19,353)
New York, NY
Wed, Feb 2
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 at Maryland
Duke–Maryland rivalry W 80–62 20–2 (7–1)
Comcast Center (17,950)
College Park, MD
Sat, Feb 5
6:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 NC State W 76–52 21–2 (8–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Feb 9
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 No. 20 North Carolina
Carolina–Duke rivalry W 79–73 22–2 (9–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Feb 13
6:45 pm, FSN No. 5 at Miami (Florida) W 81–71 23–2 (10–1)
BankUnited Center (7,972)
Coral Gables, FL
Wed, Feb 16
7:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 at Virginia W 56–41 24–2 (11–1)
John Paul Jones Arena (14,149)
Charlottesville, VA
Sun, Feb 20
7:45 pm, FSN No. 5 Georgia Tech W 79–57 25–2 (12–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Feb 23*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 No. 24 Temple W 78–61 26–2
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Feb 26
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 1 at Virginia Tech
College GameDay L 60–64 26–3 (12–2)
Cassell Coliseum (9,847)
Blacksburg, VA
Wed, Mar 2
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 4 Clemson W 70–59 27–3 (13–2)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Mar 5
8:00 pm, CBS No. 4 at No. 13 North Carolina
Carolina–Duke rivalry L 67–81 27–4 (13–3)
Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Yeah, after tearing up the NBA from day one, those ACC road games would've been too hard for Kyrie to handle.....

[NSDukeFan]

Yeah, after tearing up the NBA from day one, those ACC road games would've been too hard for Kyrie to handle....

I agree with lotusland that there is a reasonable chance Kyrie would have had some struggles in conference play, especially on the road. My impression is that Duke often struggles after exams and Christmas break and needs a bit of time to get their groove back. It seems to me almost every year we are waiting to see if the current Duke team will learn how to win close games and road games in conference play. Mind you, I think if Kyrie struggled, it would have been somewhat relative, and that team still may have been able to go undefeated with the two senior all-ACC players he had with him. His injury wasn't as bad as Giles' season long struggles and the other injuries that year that derailed the other potential undefeated team. I was hoping Giles' health would return and he would be Bagley (more of a defensive version) before Bagley. Now, I just hope he gets healthy so he can show what kind of a player he can be.

[jv001]

Seems like an average Duke non-Conference schedule. K State, MI State and Butler I think we’re all ranked. Without doing extensive research that doesn’t seem way more difficult. Probably there were no true road games. Either way Kyrie was injured at the end of the Butler game so he missed most of the season and never played an ACC Road game much less 2 ACC games a week. There is a reason we differentiate the regular season schedule by Conference and non-Conference in terms of lineup, MPG, etc. because there is a huge difference. I’ve seen our Freshmen, including the OADs struggle some making the transition. For instance this year’s group played poorly and lost to a pretty bad BC team in their first conference game which was also the first true Road game. I’m assuming Kyrie would also have struggled some and have a few bad games by his lofty standards. Maybe I’m wrong but we’ll never know for sure.


Regular Season
Sun, Nov 14*
5:00 pm, ESPNU No. 1 Princeton
CBE Classic W 97–60 1–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Tue, Nov 16*
7:30 pm, ESPNU No. 1 Miami (Ohio)
CBE Classic W 79–45 2–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Fri, Nov 19*
8:30 pm, ESPN3.com No. 1 Colgate W 110–58 3–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Mon, Nov 22*
7:30 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 vs. Marquette
CBE Classic – Semifinals W 82–77 4–0
Sprint Center (N/A)
Kansas City, MO
Tue, Nov 23*
10:15 pm, ESPN No. 1 vs. No. 4 Kansas State
CBE Classic – Championship W 82–68 5–0
Sprint Center (18,696)
Kansas City, MO
Sat, Nov 27*
4:00 pm, FSN No. 1 vs. Oregon W 98–71 6–0
Rose Garden (12,914)
Portland, OR
Wed, Dec 1*
9:30 pm, ESPN No. 1 No. 6 Michigan State
ACC – Big Ten Challenge W 84–79 7–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Dec 4*
3:15 pm, ESPN No. 1 vs. Butler
CARQUEST Auto Parts Classic W 82–70 8–0
Izod Center (14,215)
East Rutherford, NJ
Wed, Dec 8*
9:00 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 Bradley W 83–48 9–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Dec 11*
12:00 pm, CBS No. 1 Saint Louis W 84–47 10–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Mon, Dec 20*
7:00 pm, FSS No. 1 Elon W 98–72 11–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Dec 29*
7:00 pm, ESPNU No. 1 at UNC Greensboro W 108–62 12–0
Greensboro Coliseum (22,178)
Greensboro, NC
Sun, Jan 2
7:45 pm, FSN No. 1 Miami (Florida) W 74–63 13–0 (1–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 5*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 UAB W 85–64 14–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Jan 9
8:00 pm, FSN No. 1 Maryland
Duke–Maryland rivalry W 71–64 15–0 (2–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 12
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 1 at Florida State L 61–66 15–1 (2–1)
Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100)
Tallahassee, FL
Sat, Jan 15
2:00 pm, ESPN No. 1 Virginia W 76–60 16–1 (3–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 19
7:00 pm, ESPN No. 4 at NC State W 92–78 17–1 (4–1)
RBC Center (19,387)
Raleigh, NC
Sat, Jan 22
4:00 pm, ESPN No. 4 at Wake Forest W 83–59 18–1 (5–1)
LJVM Coliseum (14,107)
Winston-Salem, NC
Thu, Jan 27
8:00 pm, Raycom No. 3 Boston College W 84–68 19–1 (6–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Jan 30*
1:00 pm, CBS No. 3 at St. John's L 78–93 19–2
Madison Square Garden (19,353)
New York, NY
Wed, Feb 2
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 at Maryland
Duke–Maryland rivalry W 80–62 20–2 (7–1)
Comcast Center (17,950)
College Park, MD
Sat, Feb 5
6:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 NC State W 76–52 21–2 (8–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Feb 9
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 No. 20 North Carolina
Carolina–Duke rivalry W 79–73 22–2 (9–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Feb 13
6:45 pm, FSN No. 5 at Miami (Florida) W 81–71 23–2 (10–1)
BankUnited Center (7,972)
Coral Gables, FL
Wed, Feb 16
7:00 pm, ESPN No. 5 at Virginia W 56–41 24–2 (11–1)
John Paul Jones Arena (14,149)
Charlottesville, VA
Sun, Feb 20
7:45 pm, FSN No. 5 Georgia Tech W 79–57 25–2 (12–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Feb 23*
7:00 pm, ESPN2 No. 1 No. 24 Temple W 78–61 26–2
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Feb 26
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 1 at Virginia Tech
College GameDay L 60–64 26–3 (12–2)
Cassell Coliseum (9,847)
Blacksburg, VA
Wed, Mar 2
9:00 pm, ESPN No. 4 Clemson W 70–59 27–3 (13–2)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Mar 5
8:00 pm, CBS No. 4 at No. 13 North Carolina
Carolina–Duke rivalry L 67–81 27–4 (13–3)
Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC

I don't know about the freshman wall hitting Kyrie, but if it hadn't, I don't see Duke losing any of those games. Now that is with Kyrie playing like he did before the injury. He was that good. Don't believe me, ask Coach K and LaBron. :cool:GoDuke!