Duke Blue Devils
Atlantic Coast Conference (27-6, 13-3)
Not all Duke teams are successful in the NCAA Tournament. Duke players tend to disappoint once they make the jump to the professional ranks. Coach K’s squads are not always tough inside or the best defensive units in the ACC. Now here is a list of the things Duke always is: good in the backcourt, good from the outside, one of the best teams in the conference, and so very fun to hate. The 2012 season is no exception. Mike Krzyzewski has once again built a formidable foe for tournament opponents, even recruiting one of the more disliked freshmen in recent memory, adding to the list of Duke players everyone loves to hate.
Big Wins: 11/15 vs Michigan State (74-69), 11/23 vs Kansas (68-61), 2/8 at North Carolina (85-84)
Bad Losses: 11/29 at Ohio State (63-85), 1/4 at Temple (73-78), 2/5 Miami (74-78)
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (32 seasons at Duke)
Why They Can Surprise:
If it was not for Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist down in Kentucky, Austin Rivers would be considered the Freshman of the Year in a landslide. Unfortunately, Davis has been so good that he will beat Rivers in a similarly dominating fashion, but that does little to undermine the season Austin Rivers has had. Although he was getting his feet wet with some good games earlier on and improving month to month, his coming out party was the thriller at Carolina on February 8. Playing 39 minutes and finishing with an efficient 29 points, Rivers hit the dagger three to win the game as time expired: a solid entry in the Duke-Carolina rivalry, especially for a freshman. Aiding Rivers as knockdown shooters from the outside are Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly, although a sprained right foot cause Kelly to miss the ACC Tournament and he may need some time to get back into the swing of things. What makes Duke very interesting in March is the emergence of Mason Plumlee inside. In previous years he has been nothing more than a big body reminiscent of his older brother but 2012 has seen Plumlee take that next step to being an impactful offensive player as well as a defensive force.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Other than the aforementioned Mason Plumlee, Duke has little in the way of inside presence. Power forward Ryan Kelly is an outside shooter through and through, rarely displaying anything resembling a post-up game. Therefore, if Mason is having an off night or gets in foul trouble early, Duke is forced to turn to his older brother Miles, who is not nearly the player Mason is. And other than the Plumlees, Duke has nothing in the way of frontcourt players. Being guard heavy implies a team is weak on the inside but it also means, especially in the Blue Devils’ case, that a majority of their offense comes from jump shots. Living and dying by the three is a common phrase because it is literal in its meaning. Teams who live by the outside shot also lose because of it, if shots are not falling. In Duke’s early season loss to Ohio State for example, they shot 3-15 from outside the arc. Coupled with their inability to defend the Buckeyes, it was the perfect storm of everything that can go against Duke, and the final score indicated it.
Probable Starters:
Austin Rivers, Freshman, Guard, 15.4 ppg, 2.1 apg
Seth Curry, Junior, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 2.5 apg
Tyler Thornton, Sophomore, Guard, 4.0 ppg, 1.9 apg
Ryan Kelly, Junior, Forward, 11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Mason Plumlee, Junior, Center, 10.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Quinn Cook, Freshman, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 1.9 apg
Andre Dawkins, Junior, Guard, 8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Josh Hairston, Sophomore, Forward, 2.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Miles Plumlee, Senior, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.7 (11th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.1 (231, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.3 (55, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.7 (206, 12)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.3 (21, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.7 (24, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.4 (155, 7)
Rebound Margin: 2.8 (85, 6)
Assists Per Game: 12.7 (179, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (57, 6)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Duke 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
Duke 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan
Duke 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Arizona
Duke 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Duke 2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
Duke 2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Purdue
Duke 2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Baylor
Duke 2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over West Virginia
Duke 2010 NCAA National Final win over Butler
Duke 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Binghamton
Duke 2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas
Duke 2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Villanova
Duke 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Belmont
Duke 2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to West Virginia
Duke 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to VCU
*all team stats through 3/4
