Duke is #1 in both the AP poll and the Coaches' poll this week.
We usually have a thread following the polls throughout the season, so I thought I'd start one up.
I noticed something very unusual, but I have yet to see it anywhere, so I guess I will be the one to point it out: I'd say that this is without a doubt the first time that any team has been ranked #1 nationally, while sitting way down in eighth place in their own conference.
Hard at work making beautiful things.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
But it is true that 0-0 is a half game ahead of 0-1 and a half game behind 1-0. As I keep telling my significant other during baseball season, only the loss column matters because you can't un-lose a game (and assuming that the total number of games to be played is equal, whether 162 or 18 or 20).
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com
Patrick Davidson can un-lose a game (https://forums.dukebasketballreport...trick+davidson)
Rich
"Failure is Not a Destination"
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016
kansas had a more "crappy" game than we did....UK didn't show on it's home floor...I don't think we're the best team in the country...
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese
MSU was ranked #1 and tied for last place in the country after their first game.
Very true, like when we lost to BC at BC on (if memory serves) 12/12/2017 during a horrendous snowstorm, in our first conference game. I believe we were undefeated (5-0) and ranked #1 in the country.
Cake, you stated it better than I did, but what I meant was that this must be the first time that a team achieved the #1 ranking (rose to the rank, as you put it so well) while already sitting in eighth place in their conference.
The difference to me is that we were first in 8th place and then rose to the #1 ranking, as opposed to being ranked #1, then dropping to a low standing in the conference. I'm sure the latter has happened many times, but in the reverse order, sitting at 8th in the conference, then rising up in the polls to #1 nationally... that can't have ever happened.
Hard at work making beautiful things.
Caught part of the ACC network last night - yes I am privileged😀
The talking heads said K at Duke has played more games while ranked #1 than games while unranked. If I heard that correctly, just WOW.
I initially was thinking this too--especially after CTC and our exhibitions--and it could be true. Mostly I think this is confirmation bias, since I've now watched a number of games this year among "top teams" and they all look super vulnerable. With the exception of tOSU trouncing Nova (and my God, Nova looked inept), nobody has looked like a complete team. Either you have teams like UMd or Gonzaga shellacking JV squads or you have really raw, choppy play in bad-but-competitive games.
I'm totally fine with #1. We did beat KU. We are undefeated. There's no other team that has a strong case to be ahead of us.
And I don't worry so much about this team getting complacent or over-confident. If anyone shows signs of that - and it usually shows up on defense - then that player sits and the next highly-talented guy steps in. It's a huge luxury with this team having the option to go 10-11 deep.
Which will probably end by 12/3, at the latest. Sparty in East Lansing? Based on what we've seen so far, there's no way we beat them. Unless this is just the weakest college basketball season in recent memory. This current Duke team being ranked #1 fails the eye test miserably.
Maybe things completely change in 12 days. It's possible, I suppose.