Duke Basketball 2017-2018

[Slap the Floor]

I'm just so dejected with Duke basketball as a whole right now. This probably sounds insane, but the one and done game is grating on me. Every season with 3-4 one and dones the expectation is to reach a Final Four, but that is extremely difficult to do with any team let alone a team full of freshman leading the way. Every single season the expectations are so damn high and they should be, but it's just so difficult reaching those expectations.

Was 2015 fun? Yes, but I think Kentucky greatly helped with that. Kentucky lowered our expectations a lot and took a lot of pressure of us. The last two seasons, and including next season will be the third year in a row we are the "team" with all of the talent like UK was in 2015, and i don't know it's just a very fatiguing way to be a fan, if this makes sense.

I hope that the NBA changes the rule and next year is the last one and done class, and we are forced to try a new strategy. Next year being the last class for it would be ideal for me because it's the perfect class to end it with since we have the top 3 guys and 4 guys in the top 10.

 

[LastHearth]

All in all this was a good season tainted by an atrocious ending. We won't really remember this as being a good season. The 2004 season is an appropriate comparison as it reflects a good season which was just stained with the memory of an atrocious blown game. UCONN comeback as worse, but this was almost as bad. We were up 3 with ball with 35 seconds left and lost. Was the OT charge call horrific? Yes, but we lost the game before that. With or without Carter our defense wasn't good enough and Newman would've buried us regardless.

I'll still remember it as a nice season. Even 2004, as bitter as that ending was (the worst for me of all time), was still a pretty good year too. The frustration I have is that there is nothing to build on. We used to have losses and think about all the experience we learned and how we can come back stronger next year and build on what we did this year. You don't get any of that with the OAD. If you don't reach the final goal you start right back at zero at the starting point again. It makes not winning anything feels so much hollower.

 

[Devilsforlife]

Loss will drive Bolden and DeLaurier to be better next season.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

UVA getting romped by a 16 was a big deal to me, and a big part of this season being pretty good. Duke might lose to a 16 or two or three during my lifetime, but it won’t be the first time ever and it almost definitely won’t be a blowout.

If this happened to Duke first, it would have been a seismic event and maybe forced some of us away from caring about Duke as much anymore. I don’t think I’ll give much more of a shit if it happens now than I had about losing to a 15. Would just be a flawed team that wasn’t going to go much further anyway.

UNC getting blown out in the 2nd round with two key seniors was another external positive. I mean, any season without a UNC or Kentucky is baseline fine.

 

[Slap the Floor]

Being outrebounded by 15 is going to piss me off for a long fucking time.

 

[Devilsforlife]

UVA getting romped by a 16 was a big deal to me, and a big part of this season being pretty good. Duke might lose to a 16 or two or three during my lifetime, but it won’t be the first time ever and it almost definitely won’t be a blowout.

If this happened to Duke first, it would have been a seismic event and maybe forced some of us away from caring about Duke as much anymore. I don’t think I’ll give much more of a shit if it happens now than I had about losing to a 15. Would just be a flawed team that wasn’t going to go much further anyway.

UNC getting blown out in the 2nd round with two key seniors was another external positive. I mean, any season without a UNC or Kentucky is baseline fine.

We should all be extremely thankful that Duke didn't perform a little better in the regular season and earn a 1-seed in 2012 and 2014. Either of those teams could have very conceivably lost to a 16 seed. In fact, looking back at the tournament results from those years, there were four 1/16 matchups that were decided by 11 points or fewer. #Blessed

 

[krsmith16]

My favorite WTF moment from tonight's game is a toss-up between Bagley batting away a lob that he easily could have caught---leading to a KU 3 of course, or DeL stepping on the sideline then looking down at the line as if he did not know it existed.

 

[CMon85]

The more I think about it the more disappointed I am with this season.

Preseason #1, a 2000pt scorer, 2 top 6-7 picks, easily the most talented roster in the country.

Didn't win the acc regular season
Didn't win the acc tournament
Didn't make the final four
Didn't win the championship
Didn't even get a 1 seed


Just a huge let down of a year and probably one of Ks top 2-3 worst coaching jobs. Looking back, that Virginia Tech choke was a killer. We're a one seed with that win. The team was very likable and extremely fun and entertaining to watch. Allen loves Duke, Bagley and Carter seem like great kids, Trent and Duval played with a lot of fire. But I feel like K failed them and failed us and I never say that about K. I'm a Duke fan because of K. I'm as much a K fan as I am a Duke fan but this season and loss is really leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

[sjsj2448]

It was a season for an age, no, it was one for all-time. Coach K proved that his mind simply still is sublime. He worked hard and adjusted to his defense being ripped apart. The zone he constructed in its wake really was a work of pristine art.

Tricky Tre- a shooter much improved. Duke's eye doctors got him in the groove. Off to the NBA he goes. Not a single thing left to prove.

Big balls were attached to that sniper Gary Trent. We all know he was money very well spent. He had range from Brooklyn to The Bronx. He'll now be able to afford Manhattan rent.

Senior Grayson Allen had an eventful career. Every time he trippin', opposing fans quick to smear. Joke will be on them as he gets the last laugh. He'll be poking gorgeous underwear models in the rear.

Wendell Carter- that kid from the A. He turned down Harvard to play for Coach K. He had a complete skillset at six fucking ten. He won't return to Duke to rome-eighty-one-eighty's hearty dismay.

Bagley in the paint- he was such a gifted fella. He exploded off the floor like a shook up Mella Yella. In his final game, he was forgotten by a head coach with five rings. Sadly he will never suit up for us again, and that really stings.

Bolden came by way of Texas and was injured in his first year in school. He was much maligned and many thought the evaluators were massive fools. Then he transformed himself seemingly overnight. Marqueem Bolajuwon, they all proclaimed, what a towering and magnificent sight!

Javin was a hustler- that was his sole ambition. He'd muck up shit like a Don Chaney goon and foul opponents into submission. When he wasn't turning the ball over, he was quite effective. He'll be a key piece next year, even though I think his jumper is defective.

Alex was emaciated- a stick from another time. Back when Duke recruited whites who couldn't cut on a dime. He'll be a great shooter next year and he'll score a lot of points. He'll also be most likely to end up on the next Migos joint.

It was a season for an age, no, it was one for all-time. Coach K proved that his mind simply still is sublime. He worked hard and adjusted to his defense being ripped apart. The zone he constructed in its wake really was a work of pristine art.

 

[LastHearth]

The more I think about it the more disappointed I am with this season.

Preseason #1, a 2000pt scorer, 2 top 6-7 picks, easily the most talented roster in the country.

Didn't win the acc regular season
Didn't win the acc tournament
Didn't make the final four
Didn't win the championship
Didn't even get a 1 seed


Just a huge let down of a year and probably one of Ks top 2-3 worst coaching jobs. Looking back, that Virginia Tech choke was a killer. We're a one seed with that win. The team was very likable and extremely fun and entertaining to watch. Allen loves Duke, Bagley and Carter seem like great kids, Trent and Duval played with a lot of fire. But I feel like K failed them and failed us and I never say that about K. I'm a Duke fan because of K. I'm as much a K fan as I am a Duke fan but this season and loss is really leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

I don't know how you blame the season on coaching when he made a coaching adjustment that turned one of the worst defensive teams I've ever seen at Duke into one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Stop looking at the NBA draft board to determine how much talent is on this team, much of that is based on unrealized potential which is totally irrelvant to how they play at Duke. They were talented but not the most talented, they were consistently a low BB IQ team that made questionable decisions. Now if you want to blame K for roster construction maybe you can. But this was never a team at any point past Dec and you should have felt confident in making a FF or Championship run. I know some of the negativity on this board was tongue-in-cheek, but a lot of it was because deep down few of us were confident in this team.

 

[CMon85]

It just blows my mind he couldn't PT together a decent m2m defense. And that 1-3-1 or 3-1-1 he did to start the second half killed us. That's when they went on their big run.

 

[DukeCrow]

The more I think about it the more disappointed I am with this season.

Preseason #1, a 2000pt scorer, 2 top 6-7 picks, easily the most talented roster in the country.

Didn't win the acc regular season
Didn't win the acc tournament
Didn't make the final four
Didn't win the championship
Didn't even get a 1 seed


Just a huge let down of a year and probably one of Ks top 2-3 worst coaching jobs. Looking back, that Virginia Tech choke was a killer. We're a one seed with that win. The team was very likable and extremely fun and entertaining to watch. Allen loves Duke, Bagley and Carter seem like great kids, Trent and Duval played with a lot of fire. But I feel like K failed them and failed us and I never say that about K. I'm a Duke fan because of K. I'm as much a K fan as I am a Duke fan but this season and loss is really leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Don't agree at all that we would've had a 1 seed if only we'd beaten VaTech. No way that one win would have put us ahead of BOTH UNC and Xavier on the S curve. I think we needed to beat both UNC and UVa in the ACC Tournament to get there. Would have been nice to beat UNC at least and get the 2 seed out West, but then who's to say that we don't lose to Michigan in the S16? That would've been far worse bc we all would have lamented the easy path to the championship game and not being able to capitalize.

 

[DukeCrow]

The more I think about it the more disappointed I am with this season.

Preseason #1, a 2000pt scorer, 2 top 6-7 picks, easily the most talented roster in the country.

Didn't win the acc regular season
Didn't win the acc tournament
Didn't make the final four
Didn't win the championship
Didn't even get a 1 seed


Just a huge let down of a year and probably one of Ks top 2-3 worst coaching jobs. Looking back, that Virginia Tech choke was a killer. We're a one seed with that win. The team was very likable and extremely fun and entertaining to watch. Allen loves Duke, Bagley and Carter seem like great kids, Trent and Duval played with a lot of fire. But I feel like K failed them and failed us and I never say that about K. I'm a Duke fan because of K. I'm as much a K fan as I am a Duke fan but this season and loss is really leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

I don't know how you blame the season on coaching when he made a coaching adjustment that turned one of the worst defensive teams I've ever seen at Duke into one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Stop looking at the NBA draft board to determine how much talent is on this team, much of that is based on unrealized potential which is totally irrelvant to how they play at Duke. They were talented but not the most talented, they were consistently a low BB IQ team that made questionable decisions. Now if you want to blame K for roster construction maybe you can. But this was never a team at any point past Dec and you should have felt confident in making a FF or Championship run. I know some of the negativity on this board was tongue-in-cheek, but a lot of it was because deep down few of us were confident in this team.

Very true. It's even hard to blame the coaching staff for not having more high IQ guards on the roster. In theory, we should still have Luke, Frank, and Derrick on this roster, which would have made this team much more balanced. Losing Luke after 2 years and Frank after one was really a punch in the nuts. They both seemed like perfect college guards that are really good but not so good that they'd leave early. I think even DT would have been a great backup with another couple years of Duke coaching and guidance.

 

[LastHearth]

The more I think about it the more disappointed I am with this season.

Preseason #1, a 2000pt scorer, 2 top 6-7 picks, easily the most talented roster in the country.

Didn't win the acc regular season
Didn't win the acc tournament
Didn't make the final four
Didn't win the championship
Didn't even get a 1 seed


Just a huge let down of a year and probably one of Ks top 2-3 worst coaching jobs. Looking back, that Virginia Tech choke was a killer. We're a one seed with that win. The team was very likable and extremely fun and entertaining to watch. Allen loves Duke, Bagley and Carter seem like great kids, Trent and Duval played with a lot of fire. But I feel like K failed them and failed us and I never say that about K. I'm a Duke fan because of K. I'm as much a K fan as I am a Duke fan but this season and loss is really leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Don't agree at all that we would've had a 1 seed if only we'd beaten VaTech. No way that one win would have put us ahead of BOTH UNC and Xavier on the S curve. I think we needed to beat both UNC and UVa in the ACC Tournament to get there. Would have been nice to beat UNC at least and get the 2 seed out West, but then who's to say that we don't lose to Michigan in the S16? That would've been far worse bc we all would have lamented the easy path to the championship game and not being able to capitalize.

If we got the #1 seed there is a decent chance Kansas is our #2. Kansas is not some juggernaut that we were desperate to avoid like Louisville in 13.

 

[DukeCrow]

The more I think about it the more disappointed I am with this season.

Preseason #1, a 2000pt scorer, 2 top 6-7 picks, easily the most talented roster in the country.

Didn't win the acc regular season
Didn't win the acc tournament
Didn't make the final four
Didn't win the championship
Didn't even get a 1 seed


Just a huge let down of a year and probably one of Ks top 2-3 worst coaching jobs. Looking back, that Virginia Tech choke was a killer. We're a one seed with that win. The team was very likable and extremely fun and entertaining to watch. Allen loves Duke, Bagley and Carter seem like great kids, Trent and Duval played with a lot of fire. But I feel like K failed them and failed us and I never say that about K. I'm a Duke fan because of K. I'm as much a K fan as I am a Duke fan but this season and loss is really leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Don't agree at all that we would've had a 1 seed if only we'd beaten VaTech. No way that one win would have put us ahead of BOTH UNC and Xavier on the S curve. I think we needed to beat both UNC and UVa in the ACC Tournament to get there. Would have been nice to beat UNC at least and get the 2 seed out West, but then who's to say that we don't lose to Michigan in the S16? That would've been far worse bc we all would have lamented the easy path to the championship game and not being able to capitalize.

If we got the #1 seed there is a decent chance Kansas is our #2. Kansas is not some juggernaut that we were desperate to avoid like Louisville in 13.

How? Xavier was the 4th 1 seed. Kansas wouldn't have gotten pushed down to the 2 line.

 

[LastHearth]

The more I think about it the more disappointed I am with this season.

Preseason #1, a 2000pt scorer, 2 top 6-7 picks, easily the most talented roster in the country.

Didn't win the acc regular season
Didn't win the acc tournament
Didn't make the final four
Didn't win the championship
Didn't even get a 1 seed


Just a huge let down of a year and probably one of Ks top 2-3 worst coaching jobs. Looking back, that Virginia Tech choke was a killer. We're a one seed with that win. The team was very likable and extremely fun and entertaining to watch. Allen loves Duke, Bagley and Carter seem like great kids, Trent and Duval played with a lot of fire. But I feel like K failed them and failed us and I never say that about K. I'm a Duke fan because of K. I'm as much a K fan as I am a Duke fan but this season and loss is really leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Don't agree at all that we would've had a 1 seed if only we'd beaten VaTech. No way that one win would have put us ahead of BOTH UNC and Xavier on the S curve. I think we needed to beat both UNC and UVa in the ACC Tournament to get there. Would have been nice to beat UNC at least and get the 2 seed out West, but then who's to say that we don't lose to Michigan in the S16? That would've been far worse bc we all would have lamented the easy path to the championship game and not being able to capitalize.

If we got the #1 seed there is a decent chance Kansas is our #2. Kansas is not some juggernaut that we were desperate to avoid like Louisville in 13.

How? Xavier was the 4th 1 seed. Kansas wouldn't have gotten pushed down to the 2 line.

The point is that Kansas is not a monster 1, they were a weak 1. You can't build you tournament hopes on the basis of avoiding playing every good team out there. There are teams even better than Kansas that we didn't have to play.

 

[DukeCrow]

Don't agree at all that we would've had a 1 seed if only we'd beaten VaTech. No way that one win would have put us ahead of BOTH UNC and Xavier on the S curve. I think we needed to beat both UNC and UVa in the ACC Tournament to get there. Would have been nice to beat UNC at least and get the 2 seed out West, but then who's to say that we don't lose to Michigan in the S16? That would've been far worse bc we all would have lamented the easy path to the championship game and not being able to capitalize.

If we got the #1 seed there is a decent chance Kansas is our #2. Kansas is not some juggernaut that we were desperate to avoid like Louisville in 13.

How? Xavier was the 4th 1 seed. Kansas wouldn't have gotten pushed down to the 2 line.

The point is that Kansas is not a monster 1, they were a weak 1. You can't build you tournament hopes on the basis of avoiding playing every good team out there. There are teams even better than Kansas that we didn't have to play.

You're arguing a point unrelated to what I wrote. I was replying to CMon's post about how he thought losing to VaTech was a killer bc it kept us from getting a 1 (which it didn't). I'm just talking the reality of this tournament. Quote CMon if you were arguing against his point.

 

[Slap the Floor]

I am not sure what is bothering me more today, Coach K's crappy 2nd half coaching or this call:



I am in such a bad fucking mood today. 76-75, and with Duke scoring fairly consistently with Carter in the game at that point, it's probably like scores inside next possession to go up 78-75 if the correct call is made. Jesus yesterday fucking BLOWS

 

[Devilsforlife]

I'll say it again: Worst tournament loss since UConn '04.

 

[Slap the Floor]

I'll say it again: Worst tournament loss since UConn '04.

It's brutal.