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Duke Blue Devils (that rat faced scumbag)

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Just to keep some perspective around here :wink:...

ESPN

Reports of Duke's demise were greatly exaggerated

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Archive

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- What did you expect? Did you really think Duke was dead?
"We never were," Duke sophomore point guard Greg Paulus said after the Blue Devils beat ACC leader Boston College 78-70, holding off the Eagles after getting up 24 points in the second half to end Duke's four-game losing streak, which began after Duke beat BC in Durham by 14 Jan. 28.
"We still believe in each other," Paulus said. "We were right there with the other games, it wasn't like we were getting blown out."
Let's be honest, any talk of Duke being on the bubble was ludicrous. Duke had four nonconference wins that most teams on the bubble would love to have -- over Indiana, Georgetown, Air Force and Gonzaga. The Blue Devils lost in the final possession to Florida State and Virginia Tech at home and to Virginia on the road. Sure, the Blue Devils won a game on the last possession against Clemson with a little extra clock time, but the only loss in the four-game skid that got away from them was Maryland Sunday night in College Park. Even the game against North Carolina, the second of the four games, was close throughout down to the final few possessions.

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I don't think many people really thought this was a bubble team though....it's just the eweakest Duke team since Coach K left temporarily during his hip replacement.......This is still a decent team, but far from as good as the upper echelon teams for this year, and IMO they are looking to be just as bad next year assuming McBob is gone......UNC is going to dominate the ACC the next several years until Duke gets some athletes
 
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billmac91;752845; said:
I don't think many people really thought this was a bubble team though....it's just the eweakest Duke team since Coach K left temporarily during his hip replacement.......This is still a decent team, but far from as good as the upper echelon teams for this year, and IMO they are looking to be just as bad next year assuming McBob is gone......UNC is going to dominate the ACC the next several years until Duke gets some athletes
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I agree that they aren't upper echelon this year, but they won't be bad at all next year... Even if McBob does leave, they return everyone else and add Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Taylor King, and possibly Patrick Patterson... They'll be fine, and have better athletes than people give them credit for... Their struggles this year come from the fact that none of the young guys have accepted the role of a go-to guy... They don't have anyone that will step up and want the ball when they need a hoop... That happens a lot when you have a lot of young players, which Duke does (only 1 Junior, no seniors)... None of Duke's players had the advantage of being the man last year like Hansbrough did, and it is showing this year... Give them one more year's experience along with the talent they are bringing in, and they will be very, very good next year...
UNC will lose Terry, and will be lucky to keep Hansbrough, Lawson, and Wright in-house next year, and they have no commits in this next class...
 
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I agree that they aren't upper echelon this year, but they won't be bad at all next year... Even if McBob does leave, they return everyone else and add Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Taylor King, and possibly Patrick Patterson... They'll be fine, and have better athletes than people give them credit for... Their struggles this year come from the fact that none of the young guys have accepted the role of a go-to guy... They don't have anyone that will step up and want the ball when they need a hoop... That happens a lot when you have a lot of young players, which Duke does (only 1 Junior, no seniors)... None of Duke's players had the advantage of being the man last year like Hansbrough did, and it is showing this year... Give them one more year's experience along with the talent they are bringing in, and they will be very, very good next year...
UNC will lose Terry, and will be lucky to keep Hansbrough, Lawson, and Wright in-house next year, and they have no commits in this next class...



I respectfully disagree....they havent recruited any big-time athletes the last two years, with maybe the exception of Henderson....even he hasn't looked exceptionally athletic, your go-to-guy to get it to the hoop.....Unless this Freshman class coming in is extremly atheltic I believe they will continue to struggle...this years team is so bad offensively b/c they have no players who can create shots....It's the most anemic/unathletic Duke team in a very long time...I dont know a whole lot about King/Turner/Patterson, and obviosuly freshman can turn it around any given year, but ijust don't see Duke being a National Powerhouse for the next few years at least
 
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billmac91;752877; said:
I respectfully disagree....they havent recruited any big-time athletes the last two years, with maybe the exception of Henderson....even he hasn't looked exceptionally athletic, your go-to-guy to get it to the hoop.....Unless this Freshman class coming in is extremly atheltic I believe they will continue to struggle...this years team is so bad offensively b/c they have no players who can create shots....It's the most anemic/unathletic Duke team in a very long time...I dont know a whole lot about King/Turner/Patterson, and obviosuly freshman can turn it around any given year, but ijust don't see Duke being a National Powerhouse for the next few years at least
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Henderson, Lance Thomas, and Nelson are all athletic... Henderson was hampered early by injuries and is just now playing at 100%...
Duke's athletic ability problems come with their ball-handlers, and I believe that's where the "Duke's not athletic" perceptions come from (along with the fact that people refuse to call white athletes athletic)... That is where they lack athleticism... Nolan Smith will help that out next year... King is the typical fundamentally sound Duke player that can shoot from long range... Singler is a do everything type of athlete that is ranked as one of the top 5 players by everyone... Patterson is a warrior underneath and would add some much needed post defense and rebounding should he decide to go to Duke...
 
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PosHtWtDOBYrCity (High School)34Jamal BoykinPF6-7230 SOLos Angeles, CA (Fairfax Senior HS)12Jordan DavidsonG6-1180 SO 15Gerald HendersonSF6-5205 FRMerion, PA (The Episcopal Academy)51Steve JohnsonF6-5195 FR 14David McClureSF6-62184/1/1986SO*Stamford, CT (Trinity Catholic HS)2Josh McRobertsPF6-10235 SOCarmel, IN (Carmel HS)21DeMarcus NelsonSG6-320511/2/1985JRSacramento, CA (Sheldon HS)45Joe PagliucaG6-218511/19/1984SR 3Greg PaulusPG6-1185 SOSyracuse, NY (Christian Brothers Academy)5Martynas PociusSG6-4185 SOPlymouth, NH (Holderness School)30Jon ScheyerSG6-5180 FRNorthbrook, IL (Glenbrook North HS)13Nick SuttonG6-2180 FR 42Lance ThomasPF6-8210 FRNewark, NJ (St. Benedict Prep)55Brian ZoubekC7-1260 FRHaddonfield, NJ (Haddonfield Memorial HS)NoNamePosHtWtDOBYrCity (High School)


That just isn't a roster that matches up athletically with a majority of the squads in the ACC. Yes they have lots of star power and nationally ranked recruits, but collectively, against Division I talent they are getting out-athleted IMO. If McRoberts leaves after this year, it's big time trouble next year. The wild-card is how big-time the incoming freshmen can be.
 
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billmac91;752877; said:
....they havent recruited any big-time athletes the last two years, with maybe the exception of Henderson....even he hasn't looked exceptionally athletic, your go-to-guy to get it to the hoop.....
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I've only seen Duke play a few times this year, but I think Henderson is extremely athletically gifted and is going to be a national star in a year or two.
 
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