Advice Column

kybluedevil said:
Dear Kedsy,

Are you perhaps virtue signaling, by taking the rational, even tempered approach?

How will this post look if we are no closer to a national championship game in five years? Or even 10 years?

Are we still going to be praising our laurels?
What if our national championship drought stretches for more than two decades?

Seen this play out before at Kentucky, Michigan State, Indiana.
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I’m struggling with the “no closer” part. I’m not sure how you can get closer than we have been the past two years. I’ve come to believe that luck is an inescapable factor in winning a natty. I think there is a very reasonable argument if we had been luckier in our health the past two years, we would have back to back national championships, with entirely different teams. Through that lens, all I can ask as a fan is that my coach and team be in a position to compete for a championship on a regular basis, and that they represent the school well while doing so.

From that point of view, I feel awfully good about our program.
 
Dear Kedsey,

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but if my frenemy loses to my enemy, should I still consider them a friend? After all, they are only of use to me if they make sure that 9F happens.

Thanks,
A fan of a school that has rotten luck against their rival.
 
PackMan97 said:
Dear Kedsey,

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but if my frenemy loses to my enemy, should I still consider them a friend? After all, they are only of use to me if they make sure that 9F happens.

Thanks,
A fan of a school that has rotten luck against their rival.
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Dear AFOASTHRLATR:

We've beaten them 4 of the last 5 times we've played them. Plus we always root for you when you play them (and in a lot of other games as well). I think you can trust our 9Friendship, at least until the next time we play you guys with a Final Four on the line.
 
dlmzzz said:
I’m struggling with the “no closer” part. I’m not sure how you can get closer than we have been the past two years. I’ve come to believe that luck is an inescapable factor in winning a natty. I think there is a very reasonable argument if we had been luckier in our health the past two years, we would have back to back national championships, with entirely different teams. Through that lens, all I can ask as a fan is that my coach and team be in a position to compete for a championship on a regular basis, and that they represent the school well while doing so.

From that point of view, I feel awfully good about our program.
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I totally concur with this. Luck (including unforseen injuries and illnesses) is a huge factor in a single elimination tournament.
 
Wasn't sure where to put this but ESPN's Kevin Pulsifer brings up a very good point.

www.espn.com

The Men's 2026 March Madness Pain Index

Some losses are understandable in the NCAA tournament. Others will haunt us forever (see: Duke). We rank them all.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

The most talked-about development to come out of one of the most shocking endings in recent college basketball history is the notion that Duke seemingly can't put away close games. It is a little bit of a stretch (and I'm not a Duke fan). The Blue Devils had win probabilities of 99%, 95%, 98% and 99% in their four losses, dating back to last year's Final Four. But here's the other side of that coin: Duke is 70-4 over the past two seasons in games in which it reaches a 95% win probability. I'll do the math for you: In that two-season span, Duke has won 95% of the games in which it held at least a 95% win probability.

In other words, the Blue Devils are blowing these leads at a slightly above-expected rate, nothing to write home about. But this ending is less about the collapse and more about the magic of March. If these games weren't outliers, they wouldn't feel special. You will remember where you were when you heard Mullins' shot swish through the net. That feeling is what matters most. Pain for some, elation for others. This is why we watch the games.
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It feels like we have blown leads more in bigger games against better opponents, though I suppose that win probability accounts for the quality of the opponent. But we hold a 95% win probability in every game that we win, so I don't really know what to make of this. Let me know what you think.
 
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jam said:
Wasn't sure where to put this but ESPN's Kevin Pulsifer brings up a very good point.

www.espn.com

The Men's 2026 March Madness Pain Index

Some losses are understandable in the NCAA tournament. Others will haunt us forever (see: Duke). We rank them all.
www.espn.com www.espn.com



It feels like we have blown leads more in bigger games against better opponents, though I suppose that win probability accounts for the quality of the opponent. But we hold a 95% win probability in every game that we win, so I don't really know what to make of this. Let me know what you think.
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As Coach Scheyer said, "How would you like us to lose?"

In a slightly related anecdote, I was in the press room in 2013, after Georgetown lost to a double-digit seed for the fourth straight season (that year it was as a #2 seed to #15 FGCU). The press kept badgering JT3, demanding he explain why it happened. He seemed near tears as he said, "If I knew why, don't you think I would have done something about it?"
 
Dear Kedsy,

As we are aware, there is a persistent narrative online and in some parts of the media that Duke "gets all the calls." Instead of shying away from this narrative, should we lean into it?

Instead of hosting youth basketball camps, what if Duke hosted youth referee camps? The program could focus on churning out referees that have actual Duke bias, increasing our likelihood of receiving more favorable officiating matchups. By offering the premiere referring camp in the country, Duke bias could be present in all officials 20 or 30 years from now, Has Jon lost his fastball if he doesn't implement this immediately?
 
luburch said:
Dear Kedsy,

As we are aware, there is a persistent narrative online and in some parts of the media that Duke "gets all the calls." Instead of shying away from this narrative, should we lean into it?

Instead of hosting youth basketball camps, what if Duke hosted youth referee camps? The program could focus on churning out referees that have actual Duke bias, increasing our likelihood of receiving more favorable officiating matchups. By offering the premiere referring camp in the country, Duke bias could be present in all officials 20 or 30 years from now, Has Jon lost his fastball if he doesn't implement this immediately?
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Dear L

I think you're on to something. Perhaps we should go a step further and create a generation of AI refs who are programmed to lean a little the Duke blue way. Sadly, I don't think Coach Scheyer is the right person to implement this. We're going to have to go straight to Rachel Baker.
 
Dear Kedsy,

I've been really making a valiant effort to put my copy of the WAINSTEIN REPORT in the trash. I just can't seem to do it.

any help at all?
 
Kedsy said:
Dear MP23:

Would it help if we threw the entire institution that was the subject of said report into the trash?
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they are already in there. in fact, they are in the dumpster by the curb, but the fire won’t go out. the report keeps mocking me so much, i have moments of putting more gas on the dumpster fire.

see: vicious cycle
 
PackMan97 said:
Dear Kedsey,

All the players on my team are leaving. Is it time to panic?

Thanks,
Coach's Roster Apparently Zilch this Year
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Dear CRAZY:

Please don't exaggerate. It's only 8 of your top 9. Plus your coach.

But I wouldn't panic yet. Your new guy has a rep as a recruiter and, after all, the 2026 national champs started five transfers, right?

Here are some teams that brought in 10+ transfers in 2025-26:

Texas A&M: 12 transfers in; 22-12 record
UCF: 11 transfers in; 21-12 record
USC: 11 transfers in; 18-14 record
Indiana: 10 transfers in; 18-14 record
Maryland: 10 transfers in; 12-21 record

So my advice is, don't be a Twerp and you may end up all right.
 
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