2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Team Previews – Duke Blue Devils
Mike Kryzewski is entering his 32nd year as head coach at Duke University. He sits just two wins behind his mentor, Bob Knight, in the all-time wins department.
2011- 2012 Duke Blue Devils College Basketball Preview
Duke 2011-2012 Odds to Win NCAA Championship from Bookmaker: +1,100
Duke 2011-2012 Odds to Win ACC Regular Season Championship from 5Dimes: +275
Once Duke picks up their third win of the season, Coach K will be all by himself at the top of the all-time list. No one has made a bigger impact in college basketball over the last 25 years than Coach K.
Love them or hate them; Duke is always a factor in the national picture.
Last Year’s Results: 32-5 (Loss in Sweet Sixteen to Arizona)
Duke had senior leadership all over the floor last year. The team was looking to win back-to-back national titles. The Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament and they appeared ready for another deep run in the big dance. Derrick Williams and Arizona rose up and ran the Blue Devils off the floor in the team’s Sweet Sixteen matchup. It was a strong year overall for Duke, but fans had to be a little disappointed by the way the season ended.
Roster Changes
No one in the country lost as many extremely talented players as Duke did during the offseason. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith were great performers at Duke for four years. Singler and Smith played a key role in helping the team win the NCAA Championship in 2009-2010. Kyrie Irving only ended up playing 11 games with Duke, but he became the top draft pick in this year’s NBA Draft after declaring for the NBA following his freshman year.
All three of these players were legitimate All-Americans, and they will be missed in a big way.
Duke always recruits well, and this year was no different. The team picked up all the recruiting services top ranked player, Austin Rivers. Rivers is a true scorer from the point guard spot, and he has great ball-handling skills. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Quinn Cook should find some playing time with his solid skill set at the point guard spot as well. Michael Gbinije is a wing player with a complete game, and he should be a contributor from day one.
Alex Murphy is a forward who has drawn many comparisons to Kyle Singler, which is definitely high praise. Marshall Plumlee will make a third Plumlee brother at Duke, and he should help this team down low.
Top Players
He’ll be a true freshman, but there is little doubt that Austin Rivers will be the Blue Devils main man from the first day he steps onto the court. Rivers is a cerebral player who should catch on extremely quickly. Seth Curry is the younger brother of Stephen Curry, and he’ll be given plenty of chances to shine this year. Curry can definitely light it up when he gets hot, and his shooting stroke is very impressive.
Andre Dawkins and Tyler Thornton are two other backcourt players that will be counted on heavily this year. The Plumlee brothers will be the main cogs in the frontcourt. Look for Josh Hairston to get some more minutes this year as well.
Duke 2011-2012 College Basketball Prediction: #4 Seed in NCAA Tournament (Loss in Sweet Sixteen in NCAA Tournament)
The Blue Devils might be a little bit overrated going into this season. It’s tough to lose guys like Smith, Singler, and Irving and not take a bit of a hit the next year. I don’t think Duke will be able to keep up with North Carolina in the ACC.
How dynamic can Rivers be in his freshman year? Duke is counting on big things from him right away.
This team should improve as the season moves along, but don’t expect them to be a title contender.
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