expectations / beliefs

[Kfanarmy]

In an effort to (hopefully) dispel some of the rumor that the sky is falling (getting no new good players, everyone is leaving, someone on Duke can't play the position, etc.) I would ask where does everyone think Duke will finish next year assuming everyone who can stays, the commits for 2008 stay committed, and the coaching staff performs at their collectively normal level.

Where will Duke men's BB finish next year?

[Lord Ash]

3rd in the ACC, 15-25 in the country, second round of the NCAAs. I hope.

[RelativeWays]

I think Elite 8 is reasonable with our talent and experience for next season.

[CenOhioDukeFan]

If no changes are made to the way we play defense, I see next year mirroring this year. 25-28 wins, 5-7 losses, 2nd round exit in the ACC to a Wake Forest or a Va Tech, and a struggle to get to the Sweet 16. If Zoubek can't play a one man zone and has to chase his man 20-25 ft from the basket, he won't be effective and we'll be stuck with Singler and Thomas having to deal with players that outweigh them by 25-35 lbs.

[brevity]

This is a good question that will be even better once revisited in the fall.

But for now, I think the 2008-2009 team can aspire to Sweet 16 caliber. It's not a given, but it's a fair assessment of where Duke's personnel stands in comparison to other teams. We may do better, we may do worse.

Aside from Carolina, I plead ignorance on the future developments of other ACC teams. I should think we'd be set for a top 4 league finish, but I'd like to hear what others have to say about Wake Forest and other teams on the rise.

[dukediv2013]

I am taking Ozzie's optimism!

Duke will WIN IT ALL in 2008-2009!

GO DUKE! and 9F!

[Richard Berg]

Assuming no defections or injuries, we should be a Top 5 team that wins at least 28 games.

As for the NCAA tournament results, the variance is too high to predict with any confidence. We could just as easily bow out to a mid-major as win the whole thing. I voted for a FF appearance.