One week ago the Duke Blue Devil’s season came to an end, with the loss to Virginia Commonwealth. And as I write this Duke nation is talking about the departure of Josh McRoberts.

The season hasn’t been a highlight for this young Duke team. They have had to deal with losing like no other Duke has had to do in a decade. The final record was 22-11, which for most teams is pretty darn good. However, this is Duke, but it wasn’t a typical Duke team. The national media and Duke-haters everywhere had many chances this season to go on a rampage. Headlines everywhere asked the questions….Is this the end of Duke?…..Has Coach K lost his touch? Everywhere you looked people seemed to be smiling about the “punch in the stomach” that Duke received this year.

Coming into this season, Coach K warned everyone about how young and inexperienced this team is, and growing pains would be apart of the whole season. However, Duke early in the season, looked like every other Duke team that came before them. Maybe not scoring a hundred points, but winning games at an alarming rate. Then the ACC season came along, and brought Duke back down to earth. After two losses to open conference play, Duke went on a four game winning streak, then lost four in a row, and then won four in a row. However, Duke ended the season with a lose to Maryland, to UNC, and then got bounced for in the first round against NC State.

The end of the regular season and conference tournament play was a relief for Duke. The ACC season took a toll on this team, and they finished with a non-Duke like record of 8-8 in the league. Once forced with the idea of not making the NCAA tournament, Duke was able to manage a sixth seed, which was the lowest in a decade. However, Duke fans looked forward to being down playing in the rough ACC and playing opponents never seen before. We got our wish when Duke faced first round opponent VCU. On paper Duke was a better team. VCU didn’t get the message, and the skilled guard Eric Maynor took the game over and eventually hit the game winning shot, forcing Duke to end its season earlier than usual.

The season was an up and down affair, that left a sour taste in Duke nation’s mouth. At times, this team looked tired and uninspired. The offensive struggles were hidden early by stellar defense. However, the defensive play didn’t last forever and it showed with Duke losing their last four games.

Greg Paulus was the most abused player all season. After being hampered with injuries in the preseason, he looked like a deer in headlights. This led to a criticism onslaught, which only rivaled JJ Redick. The difference was the JJ had great play to talk for him. Paulus was unable to find a groove the entire season, and never looked like he was truly leading this team. The turnovers were much publicized, and Greg was forced to work on another aspect of his game. His shooting late in the season was a great surprise to everyone. He became automatic at times, and really gave the team a boost. NEXT SEASON: Going into next year Paulus will still be the leader of this team. Everyone hopes he can continue his great shooting, but can work on his ball handling skills.

DeMarcus Nelson was an offensive force early for the Blue Devils, and was starting to live up to the hype he came to Duke with. After being plagued by injuries in his first two seasons, his junior year was injury free. And having a healthy Nelson all year, made a big difference for Duke. Late in the season Nelson fell off his game a little bit, and didn’t contribute much to the cause. It showed with Duke losing the last four games. NEXT SEASON: Nelson will be a senior next year, and for his final year at Duke will have to prove to everyone that he came be a great scorer. This year he was good, but next year he needs to be great.

David McClure was the big surprise of the season. After playing few minutes his freshmen year, and being red shirted his sophomore year no one knew what McClure was capable of. We found out this season, that McClure can be the special piece to the championship puzzle. He provided so much spark to this team, it lead them to a record that they probably didn’t deserve. NEXT SEASON: Fortunately McClure will be here at Duke for another two years, and hopefully this season was just a preview of what he can provide. Now he needs to step into a bigger role next year, and provide more offensive output for the Blue Devils.

Jon Scheyer was the most important freshmen this year. At time he looked inconsistent, but was a starter most of the year, and did great things on the college level. Hopefully Scheyer can continue working on his game, and become more of a consistent scorer. Let us not forget that he scored 26 points against UNC, and was named to the ACC All-Freshmen team. NEXT SEASON: Scheyer will be looked on next year to provide a lot of the scoring. He isn’t just a role player, he is THE player.

Gerald Henderson came in as the most athletic player in the freshmen class. We didn’t get to see this until late in the season, when he started getting more playing time, and started living up to his ability. He is a great player and hopefully will continue to be for Duke. NEXT SEASON: Like Scheyer, Henderson will have to step up and become a go to guy for Duke. He definitely has the ability, but he needs to take the role and run with it.

Lance Thomas looked to be on his way to a great year for Duke. However, an injury and illness slowed him down, and he was never able to get back to what he was doing early on. Lance has tremendous ability and definitely belongs at Duke. He will have more opportunities to prove himself next year. Much has been said about Thomas leaving Duke, but these rumors are exactly that, rumors. Thomas says he is happy at Duke, and I definitely hope so. NEXT SEASON: With McRoberts leaving, Thomas can be a starter next year, and will be the down low guy Duke counts on. I hope he is ready to step up.

Marty Pocius got little playing time last year. He received fewer minutes this year, and wouldn’t even have been mentioned if not for late in the season, when he provided great minutes for the Blue Devils. Marty is a great talent, and will have more opportunities to show that he belongs at Duke. NEXT SEASON: He will probably have to fight for minutes again, but has the talent to do great things. He will have to prove that he can play hard for forty minutes before he sees that sort of playing time.

Josh McRoberts has been looked on as a disappointment since he got here. He was the topped ranked player in his class, but never really showed it. This year, he was supposed to be the go to guy, but was more of a stat sheet filler, than unbelievable scorer. Josh finishes his career at Duke as a borderline bust. Josh was a good player, but never great like he was supposed to be. I wish him the best of luck, but I am ready to move past the McRoberts era.

This season definitely tested are patience with this team. It was sometimes hard to watch them play. They provided us with great moments at times, but in the end disappointed us with their inability to play as a team.

Obviously with the loss of McRoberts it hurts, however this team is getting great talent with the incoming freshmen class. Kyle Singler is an unbelievable player, and some think he is the best all around player in this class. Taylor King can shoot lights out, and has a cockiness about him that will remind you of Redick. Nolan Smith looks like he can be a better version of Nelson, and will be able to take pressure off of Paulus at the point. Duke is still waiting on Patrick Patterson, and with the departure of McRoberts, and Tubby Smith leaving Kentucky (one of his top choices) Duke looks to be in great shape to get him.

I am looking forward to the 07/08 edition of the Duke Blue Devils. With the talent on this team, they definitely should be better. The question is, has much better?

Share on Facebook

Despite monster games from two captains, Duke was unable to stop the “nothing to lose” mentality of the VCU Rams. Duke loses in the first round for the first time since 1996, and puts an end to what has been a very tough year for the “Blue Bloods” of college basketball.

Coming into the tournament, Duke had no momentum. They lost three in a row, and were bounced in the first round of the ACC tournament. That lack of momentum was just one of the reasons that Duke was the first higher seed to lose on the first day of the tournament.

Eric Maynor was talked up all week as being the best player of the VCU roster. He didn’t disappoint as his team high 22 points, two of them the game winner, helped the Rams pull of the upset. Everyone on the VCU squad came to play, and were hustling on every single possession. The pressure they applied to Paulus, the entire game, was forcing Duke to turnover the ball much like they have done all season. VCU had six players with 8 points or more. Five with 10 or more. And the CAA conference continues sending great teams to the tournament.

Duke had leads of 6 or more many times throughout the game. However, VCU never looked dead. Duke has had the inability to close out games all year, and this was no different. VCU’s great three point shooting kept it close enough for them to wait to pounce. When the opportunity came they took it.

Duke looked tired on the floor in the second half. This season has drained them physically and emotionally, and it showed. Late in the game, countless free throws were off the front of the rim, which is a clear sign of fatigue. Duke at times looked like they just wanted to pack off for the year, and move on. They got their wish, and will have to spend a whole off season wondering what the future will hold for each of them.

McRoberts and Paulus put up captain-type numbers, but the lack of team play was what done the Devils in. Paulus was unable to rally the troops, and convince them all the play as one. The lack of any scoring from other than McRoberts and Paulus is unacceptable.

The good news is, is that the whole team has room for improvement. No one is even close to their ceiling. However, it will be a long off-season waiting to see the Blue Devils again.

*In a few days you can check out my season in review for the Blue Devils.

Share on Facebook

Duke comes into the tournament losing their last three games.  Duke, who is the perennial powerhouse in the ACC, was forced to bow out early.  Not that it makes it better, but the team they lost to went on to the championship game and gave North Carolina a run for their money.  Either way Duke is the #6 seed in the NCAA tournament, which is the lowest they have been since a #8 seed in 1996.

The season has been a test in futility for all Duke fans.  We are so use to watching a winning product night in and night out.  However, we knew coming in that this team was young and there would be growing pains.

Duke will enter the tournament with no expectations.  No one is talking about the powerful Duke dynasty, and the day of Duke’s first game, there will probably be no big talk about Duke’s quest for a fourth national championship.  For such a young team, the low expectations might be a welcome change.

Duke’s first match up puts them against #11 seed Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).  Last year, this might be a bigger match up because of the fact that Jeff Capel, former Duke player, was the coach.  This year no such talk is being made of this one.  The only time the national media mentions it, is when they talk about upset.  As every game this year, this will be no walk in the park for the Blue Devils.  They must play more inspired than they did when they played against NC State, when they were beat in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

If Duke gets by VCU they will have a tough game in the second round against, most likely, Pittsburgh.  Pitt has been one of the top teams in the Big East all year.  However, Duke, and their fans can’t look ahead, as the VCU game will be a test for the Blue Devils.

Duke will have plenty of time to prepare for VCU, as they played their last game on Thursday.  Hopefully this long week of practice can prepare the Blue Devils for a solid showing in the tournament they are expected to do nothing in.

A season that would be envied by most is a down one for the Blue Devils.  However, this team was at one time in danger of not making the tournament at all, and they were able to ratchet it up to do what they had to do.  If the Devils could play well enough to make a good run in tournament, maybe getting past VCU and Pitt to the sweet sixteen, then all of a sudden a team that had a disappointing season would looked at as overachievers.  The tournament can change everything, and anything can happen.  This usually has been the downfall of the Blue Devils, as lower seeds have ousted them the last two years.  This time Duke is the lower seed, and looking to be the “shockers”.

Will Duke surprise us, or will the frustrations continue?  Only time will tell.

Share on Facebook

The talk leading up to this game was mostly about Henderson not playing.  If you made your way through the bullshit, you heard talk of NC State point guard Engin Astur.  Astur didn’t play in the first game between Duke and State, and Duke dominated the whole game.  Astur was the difference in the game, as he made the big shots that NC State needed to take down the Blue Devils.  And when you throw in Brandon Costner’s huge night in the post, the Devils were on their heels most of the game.

Turnovers, like most of the season killed the Blue Devils.  They committed 18, and most of those lead to NC State points.  The defense in the post was horrific, as Josh McRoberts couldn’t stop Costner or McCauley from doing anything they wanted.  The entire game was like a title fight, as the two teams went back and forth.  At times Duke looked like they were going to run away with it.  But NC State turned it up with a few minutes left, and Duke was playing catch up in crunch time.  Duke’s dominance in the ACC tournament will not be defended this year, and they will have to sit and wait to see what the selection committee gives them. 

Josh McRoberts had a terrible defensive game against UNC.  This one was much the same.  He was never able to stop the two big men for State, who like Hansbrough, did whatever they wanted.  Josh was putting together a nice run in the second half, and finished with 17 points.  But his lack of stop defense was a huge reason Duke is leaving Tampa with nothing.

Greg Paulus was hitting his shot early on, and was looking like the one who could lead this team to something special.  But his inability to make the shots at the end of the game was devastating.  He went a horrific 3-9 from behind the arc.  He ended up with a team high 18 points, but only managed 2 assists.  Paulus’ improvement has been great throughout the season, but I hope next year he can find a way to create more for the whole team, and not just himself.

Jon Scheyer and DeMarcus Nelson had solid games in the Blue Devil loss.  Scheyer recorded 14 points, Nelson had 17.  Scheyer was better from behind the arc than usual, but his field goal shooting was suspect.  Nelson was able to get great penetration, and created many shots for himself.

It is hard to take anything good away from a loss, but one thing was remembering that Marty Pocius could play.  Not getting many minutes this season, Pocius had to play significant minutes because of the absence of Gerald Henderson.  Pocius was phenomenal on the offensive end, and gave Duke a shot in the arm.  He scored 14 points, which was a career high for him.  He has the ability to penetrate the lane and finish at the basket.  This proves that he can still be an important factor in Duke’s future runs at a national championship.

For the first time in a long time, Duke will not make the final game of the ACC tournament.  Obviously this has been a rough year for Duke fans, as we are definitely not accustomed to losing.  The season is not over, as Duke will be playing in the NCAA tournament.  Sunday they will learn their fate, and I am sure they are preparing as you read this.  They will have to look deep within themselves, and find something that I believe is there, but hasn’t come out yet.  A headline today read “The King is Dead”.  I don’t think the King is dead at all.  He just got punched in the stomach.  Duke might not be on the top of the mountain.  But rest assure that they didn’t fall all the way down.  They will eventually reclaim their throne that is temporally vacated, and return to greatness.

Share on Facebook

Duke fought hard. At many times they cut the lead to within reach. However, the quickness of North Carolina turned out to be the difference. From the start UNC looked to be the more dominant team. They were able to do whatever they wanted, and Lawson drove to the basket with little opposition. Duke’s defense, which never showed up against Maryland, and it again, never really showed up in this game.

Much will be said about what happened in the final seconds. UNC’s Hansbrough was grabbing at an offensive rebound, when Henderson who was going for the same rebound, smacked his forearm into Hansbrough’s face. Hansbrough hit the deck, and when he came up, was covered with blood. He attempted to get into a scrum with the Blue Devils, but was taken to the locker room. The officials went to the monitor, and decided to eject Henderson. Henderson will now have to sit out Duke’s next game against NC State in the opening round of the ACC tournament. In my opinion, Henderson was going for a block when Hansbrough pump faked. The ball was jarred loose, and what happened was a possible shooting foul, to a “supposed intentional foul”. I don’t think it was in anyway intentional, but the national media will fly with it. Pat Forde, from ESPN, has already written and ridiculous article about Duke having a black eye now. Like many journalist, I am sure Forde love’s the opportunity to write hate about the Blue Devils.

Greg Paulus, who continues to be a scoring machine, put up 21 points for the Blue Devils. His defense against Lawson was terrible, as Lawson was able to do whatever he wanted when Paulus was on him. Also besides the 21 points, Paulus gave the ball up 4 times, and eventually fouled out of the game.

Jon Scheyer, who was the big scorer for the Blue Devils in the first match up against UNC, was never able to get into a groove. Credit the UNC defense with containing Scheyer and never letting him get hot. He ended up with 10 points.

Gerald Henderson for the entire game was able to create his own shot, and managed to have his best game as a Blue Devil. However, he will have to live with the moment at the end of the game. Henderson will hopefully be able to get back with the team in the ACC tournament on Friday, counting on a Duke win Thursday.

Josh McRoberts did nothing the entire game. His stat sheet will read 9 points and 10 boards. However, compared with Hansbrough looked like a bench player. McRoberts looked lost most of the game, and continued his streak of not showing up when it counted. McRoberts will have to show something in the ACC and NCAA tournament to prove to everyone that he can be a superstar.

DeMarcus Nelson was another double figure scorer for Duke with 14 points. However, it took him shooting 5-15 from the field. Nelson is a great scorer for the Devils, but his shot selection has been suspect all season.

The regular season is over, and the Blue Devils didn’t finish it the way they wanted. They will go into the ACC tournament as the number 7 seed. First up, NC State. A win on Thursday would mean a match up against Virginia who has a bye. All Duke needs to do is get one win. Then hopefully the momentum and confidence will get back on the Blue Devils side.

Share on Facebook

It is never easy getting beat by Maryland. It definitely isn’t easy getting swept by Maryland, but this is a year when Blue Devil fans have had to accept certain things. If one thing is clearly then any other, it is that Duke doesn’t have someone who can lead this team, and take over a game. Duke needed that guy last night against Maryland. The entire second half, Duke was playing catch up and a few times looked like they were going to take over the game. However, their defense couldn’t contain the experienced players for the Terps, and Duke ended up on the losing end.

Duke’s lack of experienced go-to players and Maryland’s experienced starters was a huge reason that Duke could never seem to get over on the Terps. Both teams came into this game playing great, but unfortunately Maryland seems to be the hotter team, and continued their recent success against Duke.

Greg Paulus was by all accounts terrific in his game. Not one turnover for the Duke point guard, along with 20 points. However, Paulus wasn’t able to help the rest of his teammates play at a high level. Paulus is playing with great confidence, and almost brought Duke this victory with his late shooting. However, Paulus needs to be able to make everyone around him better before he steps up to another level. But you can’t ask for more from the much-maligned Paulus.

Gerald Henderson was a huge reason Duke was in it late. He had some big shots, and once again showed those flashed of brilliance. He is going to be a great player, and is already showing that he can be special. He finished with 15 points, and will be a valuable player come tourney time.

DeMarcus Nelson had another productive night. He finished with 17 points, and 7 rebounds. The thing about Nelson is that he should try to be the guy who leads this team to victory, but he hasn’t shown that ability.

Jon Scheyer and Josh McRoberts were the other double-digit scorers for Duke. Their problem in this game was their poor shooting. McRoberts needs to have a softer touch when he is around the basket. He always seems to throw it up after making a great move. Scheyer, as usual couldn’t find his touch. More consistency is the only way he can be a powerful weapon.

Defense is usually the strong suit for the Blue Devils. Against Maryland however, they were never able to stop the athleticism that the Maryland starters possess. Maryland has been playing great basketball against Duke over the years, and for some reason a usual crappy team gets up when they play the Blue Devils. Every dog has their day, and right now Maryland is probably the better team. But that will not last forever. The fact of the matter is that Duke is having their worse season in a long time. Maryland on the other hand is enjoying their best season since their championship year. Maryland fans better enjoy it, because eventually Duke will return to reclaim their crown, and Maryland will fall back to earth.

One game left in the regular season, and of course it is one of the biggest. Duke will travel to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina on Saturday. Obviously a game in which the Devils will be the underdogs, but there is no question that this team can beat UNC. Hopefully a good few days of practice can get them ready for what is going to be a great game.

Share on Facebook