I've posted something like this in some year before, but to dust it off, make a few edits and post it again..
Such voices of pessimism. I remind people that it's still freakin' November. Unless Duke smokes [insert top-ranked team here] early in the season and is undefeated, after a loss or two some people will say this team is doomed, its ceiling is limited. To go so far as to predict failure in the tourney (or to predict hoisting the trophy) is so premature when Duke hasn't even played a conference game. A wise coach once said that a season is a lifetime. And over any lifetime, some early mistakes and failures are to be expected. But what do successful teams do? They learn from them. The [insert last game Duke lost to here] loss doesn't mean we are destined to be a first weekend washout in the NCAAs or not even make the tourney. Do we have weaknesses? Sure. Let's see how the coaching staff uses the loss to address those issues. But Duke has the talent to win it all, especially if they learn to play well as a team. In November, it *always* remains to be seen if they will or will not.
(Caveat - here is where my post has another significant variable different that before. It's not K on the sideline. So let's see how the Scheyer regime works this. I haven't posted this before, but long-term I think as long as this team makes the S16, Scheyer's reign will be off to a very successful start).
9F
I will never talk about That Game. GTHC.