Season Preview

Doc and Austin Rivers

2. Duke


2010-2011 record: 32-5 (13-3 ACC)


Games against NCAA Tournament teams: 13
Best non-conference game: 11/29 at Ohio State




Projected Starting Five:




F - Mason Plumlee (Senior)
F - Ryan Kelly (Junior)
G - Andre Dawkins (Junior)
G - Austin Rivers (Freshman)
G - Seth Curry (Junior)




Last year did not go quite as expected for Duke.  First, they had to deal with a tough injury to super freshman Kyrie Irving.  Then, they had a couple unexpected losses in the regular season.  And just when they got Irving back, they had problems integrating him back into the lineup and lost to Arizona in the Sweet 16.  Now the Blue Devils will go into this season overshadowed by their hated rivals, UNC.


Duke certainly has the pieces to once again be an elite team.  They lose Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, plus Irving to the NBA draft.  They will rely a lot more on the Plumlees this year, who haven't really fulfilled their full potential (they combined for about 12 points per game last year).  Ryan Kelly is one player who might have a breakout year.  He really improved as the year went on, becoming a threat from the perimeter.


The backcourt has some more question marks.  Seth Curry definitely has a lot of talent, but at times he seemed lost among the other talented Duke players last year.  Curry scored just 11 points in 3 games in the NCAA Tournament.  He will move over to play the point.  Andre Dawkins seemed to peak early in the year, and tapered off in ACC play, only three times in ACC games hitting double figures.  The other guard is one of the most coveted recruits in the country: Austin Rivers.  The son of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, Austin has the reputation of a big time scorer.


I expect Duke to get their bigs involved much more than in years past.  They will have a size advantage on most teams in the conference.  The Plumlees will need to be rebounding machines, to get offensives boards for kick-out 3s for Dawkins or Curry.  Curry is not their traditional point guard who has a lot of speed, so expect them to not get out in transition as much as a team like North Carolina.


You have to love the way Duke schedules.  They have to have one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country this year.  Duke will play Michigan State, Tennessee, Michigan or Memphis (in Maui), Ohio State, Washington, Temple and St. Johns this year.  And they could face Kansas in the Maui final.  That will get this team battle tested and ready for conference play.  There is no reason to think that they will do any worse than 12-4 in the ACC this year (and 2 of those losses might be to UNC).