Duke Blue Devils
ACC (23-10, 11-7)
Traditionally Duke is marked for an earlier than expected exit from the NCAA Tournament. That went out the window in 2015 when the Blue Devils won it all. However, this is not the same Duke team as last year. Coach Krzyzewski reloaded with some youngsters, but their youth showed at times. In February Duke dropped out of the top 25 for the first time in 167 weeks. In January they lost back-to-back home games against unranked teams. That inconsistency is going to be a major concern.
Big Wins: 2/8 Louisville (72-65), 2/13 Virginia (63-62), 2/17 at North Carolina (74-73)
Bad Losses: 1/13 at Clemson (63-68), 1/18 Syracuse (62-64), 2/28 at Pittsburgh (62-76)
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
Why They Can Surprise:
Despite all of the troubles, this is a team that can score and has gotten better as the season has progressed. Grayson Allen went from a freshman that barely played in 2014-2015 to the leader of the team in 2015-2016. He is a great talent and led the team with 21.5 points and 3.5 assists per game during the regular season. Freshman Brandon Ingram is the other big time scorer, averaging 16.7 points and adding 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton are a couple more freshmen that are brimming with talent and have gotten the opportunity to show it off this year.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Defense and rebounding have been a huge problem for the Blue Devils. Despite having shot blockers like Ingram and Marshall Plumlee, Duke still allowed the opposition to shoot 44.0 percent from the floor, ranking 13th in the ACC and 207th in the country. Those two also have much of the rebounding pressure on their shoulders. A foot injury to Amile Jefferson certainly hurt this team on the glass throughout most of the season. Jefferson played in just nine games this season and will not return for the NCAA Tournament. As a result, the Blue Devils are thin in the frontcourt and must rely on Ingram and Plumlee to do everything in the frontcourt.
Probable Starters:
Grayson Allen, Sophomore, Guard, 21.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 4.5 rpg
Derryck Thornton, Freshman, Guard, 7.6 ppg, 2.5 apg
Matt Jones, Junior, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 2.4 apg
Brandon Ingram, Freshman, Forward, 16.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 bpg
Marshall Plumlee, Senior, Center, 8.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.5 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Luke Kennard, Freshman, Guard, 11.8 ppg, 1.5 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.2 (18th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.1 (159, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.1 (67, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.0 (207, 13)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.1 (27, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.9 (23, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.4 (76, 7)
Rebound Margin: 0.0 (197, 12)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (177, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.0 (10, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Robert Morris
2015 NCAA Third Round win over San Diego State
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Utah
2015 NCAA Regional Final win over Gonzaga
2015 NCAA National Semifinal win over Michigan State
2015 NCAA National Final win over Wisconsin
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Mercer
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Albany
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Creighton
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Michigan State
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Lehigh
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Purdue
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Baylor
2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over West Virginia
2010 NCAA National Final win over Butler
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Binghamton
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Villanova
*all team stats through 3/6
