Why Is Duke Having Trouble At Home This Year?

[NYC Duke Fan]

This is not meant to be a negative post so please do not take it as one. I am just trying to get an answer from those who attend the games at Cameron or who watch every game very closely.

Cameron used to be sacred. Duke would rarely lose there yet this year we have lost twice, once to an unranked team and even yesterday the final score was not that indicative of the relatively closeness of the game. Even the St. John's game became a closer game.

Does anyone have any explanation?

Thank you.

[anon]

This is not meant to be a negative post so please do not take it as one. I am just trying to get an answer from those who attend the games at Cameron or who watch every game very closely.

Cameron used to be sacred. Duke would rarely lose there yet this year we have lost twice, once to an unranked team and even yesterday the final score was not that indicative of the relatively closeness of the game. Even the St. John's game became a closer game.

Does anyone have any explanation?

Thank you.

I'm not sure I see your point. Before our recent home winning streak, the last season we went undefeated at home was 2002-3. We lost four games at home in 2006-7. Even the 2001 champs lost a couple games at home (albeit to Carolina and fellow Final Four team Maryland).

Cameron still is sacred, but that never meant that we don't lose there. That's really just an angle that ESPN likes to play up when we're on a winning streak. (Especially when that winning streak ends or, better yet, barely survives.)

[NYC Duke Fan]

I'm not sure I see your point. Before our recent home winning streak, the last season we went undefeated at home was 2002-3. We lost four games at home in 2006-7. Even the 2001 champs lost a couple games at home (albeit to Carolina and fellow Final Four team Maryland).

Cameron still is sacred, but that never meant that we don't lose there. That's really just an angle that ESPN likes to play up when we're on a winning streak. (Especially when that winning streak ends or, better yet, barely survives.)

You probably see more Duke games than I do and I catch clips or box scores when I do not actually watch the game, but it is just my perception which could be wrong, that Duke has struggled more at Cameron this year than in the past, even when they are victorious.

[Wander]

Because our defense isn't good. It's that simple.

[jimsumner]

Several Duke players have confided that they subconsciously began to take home wins for granted. I suspect the same can be said for portions of the fan base, both upstairs and downstairs.

[nobodybutDUKE]

When you have Duke on your jersey (in whatever color) you had better bring your A game everytime, because
you are going to get the other team's best. That is something I don't know if our guys have really grasped yet.
Therefore our home struggles. Playing "Duke Basketball" everplay, every minute, every game, has always been
the key to success for many years.

[-jk]

When you have Duke on your jersey (in whatever color) you had better bring your A game everytime, because
you are going to get the other team's best. That is something I don't know if our guys have really grasped yet.
Therefore our home struggles. Playing "Duke Basketball" everplay, every minute, every game, has always been
the key to success for many years.

What happens when your jersey has "Blue Devils" on the front?

-jk

[shereec]

What happens when your jersey has "Blue Devils" on the front?

-jk

You beat the turtles!

[OldPhiKap]

Several Duke players have confided that they subconsciously began to take home wins for granted. I suspect the same can be said for portions of the fan base, both upstairs and downstairs.

Could not have said it better.

As K said [poor paraphrase] "we focused at Carolina because with 25,000 folks against you, if we didn't we'd get annihilated." [/poor paraphrase].

This team and the fans have gotten kind of lax at home, and we don't match the intensity of those who are coming and KNOW they need to bring their A-game. This can be a very good team, maybe even an exceptional one -- but our "B" game does not beat most real team's A-game. We don't have the margin of error we've had with some teams in the past.

No worries -- we have the right man at the helm to get us where we need to be.

[Kimist]

I'm not sure I see your point. Before our recent home winning streak, the last season we went undefeated at home was 2002-3. We lost four games at home in 2006-7. Even the 2001 champs lost a couple games at home (albeit to Carolina and fellow Final Four team Maryland).

Cameron still is sacred, but that never meant that we don't lose there. That's really just an angle that ESPN likes to play up when we're on a winning streak. (Especially when that winning streak ends or, better yet, barely survives.)

Without digging up the details, I thought Singler/Smith team had at least one, if not perhaps two, undefeated home stands in Cameron.

k

[anon]

Without digging up the details, I thought Singler/Smith team had at least one, if not perhaps two, undefeated home stands in Cameron.

k

You're right. I said, "before our recent home winning streak." And I'm not referring to our two most recent one-game streaks.

[throatybeard]

So we're defining "having trouble" as losing a couple single-possession games?

[drcharl]

Expectations of always winning at home places a special kind of added pressure to the home team. The opponents come in loose since there is nothing to lose and can overachieve. The combination of pressure on the home team and a nothing to loose attitude of the opponents can create some very close games and occasional upsets. It happens in all sports.