I have to be honest with you.
After the insane hype and the major disappointment of the past 3 seasons, I'm just not psyched up (yet) for this coming year. And maybe that's a good thing. Maybe some of us need diminished expectations to really enjoy the season. Maybe we need to not EXPECT a championship - at least, not to the crazy level that surrounded these previous teams. I hope our guys get a chance to fly (relatively) under the radar, so that we're not totally crushed if they get ousted before the Final Four, and so that we can be wildly ecstatic if they do make it there.
And no, I have not yet watched the Michigan State game. Nor may I ever.
We enjoyed last season immensely! Watching Zion was so much fun! It was the last game that left us deflated. LGD GTHc!
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
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It’s so much fun watching coach, the crazies, and, of course, the team.! We are all extremely fortunate to have such a stellar program with which to be affiliated.
Been watching Duke for 30 seasons. Only 5 of those it ended happily ever after. It's part of the game. Bring on the new season.
Don't watch the MSU game. Delete recording.
There is something to be said for flying under the radar. 2015 was all about the Kentucky super team's quest for an undefeated season. Same with the 1991 Runnin Rebs. And on paper our 2011 team looked much better than the 2010 team, until the toe vigil. Of course this isn't always the case, but it happens. I'm also going to try to lower expectations and enjoy the highs of the season, like I did in 99, regardless of the ending. Because the probability is never good to end the season on a win. Can't wait!
Yep. '99 was a real kick in the you know what for me. I was so, so sure we were going to win it all. That season was phenomenal and fun as all get out to watch, but the ending just about killed me. Taught me a valuable lesson for sure. Must admit I was close to falling into that same expectations trap again this year, but I kept things in perspective and just enjoyed the heck out of watching Zion and the rest of the team.
Sure, MSU was a big disappointment but I wasn't crushed. I have learned and grown throughout my 4 decades of watching Duke basketball and no longer die a thousand deaths every time they don't cut down the nets. Of course, there are now splinters in the windmills of my mind thanks to Richard Hamilton, so that might have something to do with it.
There's an element of balance - you win some you didn't expect (2010) and you certainly don't win all the times you feel you ought to (1999). My issue is that on this board and in this era of sports fandom, every loss is greeted as a shattering referendum on the program or sport, rather than "we'll get em next time."
K's mantra of "next play" is something I take to heart. Sure, you want to win every time on the floor. But sometimes ot doesn't work that way. Learn from mistakes, move on, get better.
Hmm, when I clicked on this thread title, I was hoping for some posts about the team itself, not posts about fan anxiety essentially. But, to continue the conversation, I think y'all shouldn't get too comfortable with lowered expectations. To whatever extent Duke even starts out "low" (probably still preseason top 8, right?), we have a habit of playing really well in November and December in the pre-ACC segment of the season. Remember, the expectations for last season's team weren't that high to start with, and we were actually the underdog in the season opener against Kentucky. This season, I really wouldn't be surprised if Duke earns wins against Kansas in the season opener and @MSU in the ACC-B10 Challenge. In which case Duke likely becomes the #1-ranked team in the country (the horror! :-)
I don't go into any season expecting a championship. For one thing, the team seems to have players get injured almost every year that impacts things. Plus one and done scenarios are always a crap shoot. Sad that 30 win seasons and ACC tournament titles are considered next to nothing. I will say again that people better figure out how to enjoy these last few Coach K seasons. Something tells me that fans will be longing for these types of seasons once he retires.
I guess I am the opposite. I go into every season expecting a championship... or at least hoping real badly. But like last year, while the Michigan St game was disappointing, the season was just a big blast for me. Starting with the complete blowout of Kentucky, wins over Virginia, Maui even with the loss to Gonzaga, and the ACCT championship, among others, was just a joy. And most all seasons are like that. I recall one season with 11 losses(?). That was one that was a bit harder...
That Kentucky game completely distorted our entire perspective last season. If you just erased that game and looked at the season as a whole, I think it's hard to say it was a "major disappointment." We were #3 or #4 in the preseason behind Kentucky and Kansas, neither of whom made the final four either. But yeah, once the hype train got rolling it was hard to keep perspective.
Totally agree with others that there is some relief that comes with lower expectations. I hate the fact that some polls still have us ranked #2 or #3. That is just insane and will only add fuel to the critics who love to call us overrated when we inevitably lose. I also like the fact that our players individually have fallen a bit in the rankings. One ACC coach (can't remember which one) spoke in a podcast last year about how hard it is to bring in a player ranked, say, #15 and then when some random mock draft comes out in November that has him out of the lottery, the kid's parents are going berserk asking why he's slipping.
Objectively speaking, we don't have the high-end lottery talent we've had for the past few seasons. We could potentially be a more balanced, deeper, and well-rounded team, and we could get more contributions from veterans. But it remains to be seen whether that development will happen. I worry about our lack of depth at the #1 and the #5, and about our interior defense. But I'm also looking forward to seeing more of a "team" and less isolation of one or two star players.
I agree, I think given the nature of the tournament and of CBB in general, setting the bar at winning a title is just not reasonable. You could have the most talented team every single season for 10 years and never win a title, and it wouldn't be a huge shock. Even with veteran teams, there's so much variability. But I do think that making the final four is a reasonable bar to set as a fan when you have an elite team, at least to the extent that if it doesn't happen you can feel a little disappointed. Which makes the past two seasons so brutal, being that close to a final four and in both cases missing out by an opponent's made three and our missed shot in the final minute.
I still haven't gotten over Bob Verga getting sick in 1966.
I haven't either, but then, I was at the game.😡
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?