Last year, after Duke took down North Carolina in the ACC Tournament, many people found themselves picking Duke to win the national championship. However, Duke ended up losing in the Sweet 16 to Arizona. That game ended the careers of seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, and freshman Kyrie Irving, who only played in 10 games due to injury. Those were three key pieces, but like usual, Duke still has a roster full of talent. This should be another good year for the Blue Devils.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski lost three guys but brought in another five in this year’s recruiting class. The freshman that sticks out is Austin Rivers, who was rated by many as the top prospect coming out of high school. Rivers, son of NBA head coach Doc Rivers, will be inserted to the starting lineup right away. Duke hopes to get a lot out of Rivers in what could be his only year with the Blue Devils. Quinn Cook, a point guard, will not be a start at the beginning of the season; he has the skill set and potential to not only be the starter in the next few years, but maybe later in the season. Alex Murphy and Michael Gbinije are two wing-players who could see some time as the season progresses. The last freshman of this class is Marshall Plumlee, brother to Miles and Mason. He is athletic, but will need some molding before he is ready to play.
Duke has a very large freshman class, but the sophomore class is much smaller. Forward Josh Hairston and guard Tyler Thornton are the only sophomores on this season’s roster. Hairston could be set for more time this year if Duke’s big men get into foul trouble. Tyler Thornton’s playing time may also be reduced this year, given the addition of point guard Quinn Cook. However, if Cook still needs time, Thornton will be next in line.
The junior class, like the freshmen class, features five players. Seth Curry, who will start the season as point guard, had a pretty successful first season for Duke after transferring from Liberty. He averaged nine points and two assists per game. Since he will start as the point guard, his assist numbers should increase. Shooting guard Andre Dawkins will either start, or will be used frequently off the bench. Dawkins showed at times last year he could be a reliable go to scorer, racking up 28 points in a game against Bradley on December 8th. Big men Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee will play huge roles in this year’s team. Kelly is a big man that can also take shots from the outside. Plumlee is very athletic and will need to compliment his big brother, who will be the starting center. Both of these guys will see ample playing time for Coach K this season. The last junior on the roster is Todd Zafirovski, a walk on to the roster.
The senior class is very small: one person, Miles Plumlee. Last season, Plumlee averaged 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Duke will need that production to increase so they are not forced to rely on the young guards to do all the scoring. He has continued to work on his post game since he got to Duke, and has only gotten better. Duke will need him to be their athletic center, playing strong defense and grabbing rebounds.
Duke has a loaded roster of players, but they also have one of the best coaching them. Coach K is three wins shy of passing Bob Knight (902) for the most all time wins as a Division I Men’s basketball coach. This team will get him there, and may get him much more. North Carolina will be tough, but do not count Duke out in the ACC. They will be strong and will be talked about when March rolls around.
Robert Edgcomb - I have been a sports enthusiast my entire life. I have strong opinions and I use facts and statistics to support everything I write.
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