Season Recap: Duke

2009-2010
National Champions
Duke: 35-5 (13-3 ACC)

What can you say about Duke this year? They had a great run in March and won the National Championship in thrilling fashion over Butler. This was Duke's first championship since 2001, and first Final Four appearance since 2004.

This was not the Duke team I figured would win a title. But they were a bit of a different Duke team, especially with the focus on size and rebounding. Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas were every bit as valuable as the Big Three. That being said, I think the main reason why Duke had so much success was that they had three people who could really shoot the ball. All they needed was two of the three to have a good game to win.

The Blue Devils were absolutely dominant at home this year. They did not lose a game, and their closest win was a 9 point victory over St. John's. They did have a few slip-ups on the road, but were at their best when it counted, in the NCAA Tournament.

Best Win: 78-71 over Baylor (3/28)

Duke hadn't really been that tested in the NCAA Tournament until this Elite 8 game. They played a tough Baylor team that was very long and athletic and could shoot it. But Duke didn't back down, turning a close game in their favor late. A lot of people were picking Baylor in this one, and this was the biggest hurdle for Duke until the championship game.

Worst Loss: 88-74 to NC State (1/20)

This is an easy choice if you look at their other four losses: Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Georgetown and Maryland. All of those teams made the NCAAs. This loss was a bit of a head scratcher at the time, but NC State had an amazing shooting night and just caught Duke on an off-night.

Postseason Play:

The postseason couldn't have gone better for Duke. They breezed through the ACC Tournament, with a fairly easy road that included games against a 9, 12 and 7 seeds. And once in they got into the NCAAs, they turned it up a notch. Duke beat great teams like Purdue, Baylor and West Virginia. And they were able to hold on against a very tough Butler squad in the final game.

What's Ahead:

Many people are putting Duke right back in the Top 5 for next year. They certainly should be the favorites to win the ACC again. The big question mark is whether Kyle Singler will come back for his senior year. We know the Blue Devils will lose Jon Scheyer, Zoubek and Thomas. They will still have Nolan Smith, plus they will add Seth Curry and a great recruiting class. If Andre Dawkins can develop into a dangerous shooter, this team could make another Final Four run.