Th3G3ntleman
Superstar
A junior top 10 pick?
Random College Basketball Thoughts: 2017-18
- Thread starter str8up
- Start date
A junior top 10 pick?
Yep. My favorite player in this class. He won't fall out of the lottery that's for sure.
Villanova and Kansas are playing so well, I think they're the best teams in the country right now. Both are well-oiled machines, who are legit NCAA Championship caliber.
Nonetheless, I still think teams like Michigan St, Duke and Arizona have higher ceilings and that will be reflected during March Madness.
Nonetheless, I still think teams like Michigan St, Duke and Arizona have higher ceilings and that will be reflected during March Madness.
malbaker86
Gators
We're about to lose to Loyola-Chicago 
UserNameless
Veteran
Duke ain’t even hit their stride yet. Think about that .
If K wets the bed again with this squad by not making AT LEAST a final four appearance , then I dunno what to say ...
UserNameless
Veteran
11 games in: Is this the best Duke team ever?
Posted 3:02 p.m. yesterday
Updated 3:06 p.m. yesterday
By Ben Swain
Durham, N.C. — This might be the best Duke basketball team I’ve ever seen.
That’s such a dangerous way to open because commenters are probably skipping to the bottom already to post their “Blasphemy!” rebuttals or “would be the the biggest choke ever if they don’t win” barbs depending on rooting interest, but here’s a pretty solid disclaimer for both of you: March is weird, and the best teams don’t always win.
In fact, three of the teams that immediately jump to mind as “best Duke teams ever” didn’t win a title either. On top of March weirdness, things can change during the course of a season. Freak injuries like the one that sidelined Kyrie Irving in 2011 happen all the time.
Coach K had to take a leave for health reasons a season ago, and there’s no telling when time will catch up with the Hall of Famer again. Sometimes it’s just a kind of switch that gets flipped even without any changes to the roster or the coaching staff. A Duke assistant coach famously declared that the 2009-10 team didn’t have “it” after a blowout loss to Georgetown, and that team went on to win the title solely because they developed “it” almost overnight in the middle of the season.
This is not a declaration that Duke will win the NCAA championship, or even the ACC championship for that matter. But Duke’s never had a team like this, and this team is very good, and those two put together rightfully brings up the question – is this the best Duke team ever?
Here’s a look at each “all-time” Duke team, what made them so special, and how that stacks up against the 2017-18 Blue Devils.
1986 - Experience
The 1986 Blue Devils and 2017-18 Blue Devils are almost polar opposites. Both showcased legendary recruiting classes, but the ’86 group was in the final year of their time at Duke while this year’s team is just 11 games into their collegiate careers. The ’86 squad featured freshman Danny Ferry who started 21 games that season while the ’18 team has a lone senior star, Grayson Allen.
While the 1986 team obviously holds the edge in experience, what makes the 2018 team so special thus far is that they play like they’ve been together for years. I have no idea where they draw it from, but they’ve yet to face a situation where they look like they’re inexperienced and ill-equipped to handle it. It’s probably their best quality to date.
1991 & 1992 - Role Players
Duke started three players who have their jerseys hanging in the rafters in Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley and Christian Laettner. No “big three” in Duke’s storied history or bright future will ever top what that trio accomplished during their college careers. But what pushed those teams over the top wasn’t the star power, it was guys like Brian Davis (11.1 ppg), Thomas Hill (14.5 ppg) and Tony Lang who could make plays and do the dirty work while deferring to the stars to be, well, stars.
Davis, Hill and Lang were outstanding college players and will forever hold a place in the hearts of Duke fans, but compare them to “role players” like Gary Trent, Jr. and Wendell Carter and it’s an obvious advantage for the 2018 team. Players like Alex O’Connell, Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden are more apt comparisons, and none of them carry the same kind of importance as the role players on those championship teams.
1999 - Trustworthy depth
Langdon, Brand, Battier, Avery, Carrawell, Maggette, James, and just in case his dad is reading this, Burgess. Duke had 8 players averaging double-digit minutes, 9 if you round up Taymon Domzalski’s 9.9 minutes per game. That squad would wear teams down with arguably the deepest roster in Duke history, but only three of those players ever really panned out at the next level.
Looking at this year’s Duke team, it feels a lot like 1999 levels of hype, but it’s really hard to imagine a future NBA that doesn’t include 4, maybe even 5 Duke players solidly contributing. Duke also has guys like Bolden, O’Connell and Goldwire who have been pleasant surprises while Chris Burgess was a bona fide flop.
2001 & 2002 - Toughness
It wasn’t just the Miracle Minute in 2001 when Duke rallied from a 10 point deficit at Maryland with 54 seconds to play, this team had guts. The epic battles with Maryland. Shane Battier’s chase down block against Joe Forte in a blowout win in Chapel Hill after losing Carlos Boozer to a foot injury. The 2nd half rally in both games at the 2001 Final Four. It’s a shame that this era ended the way it did … a missed free throw to tie with seconds remaining in the Sweet 16 after Jason Williams hit a three pointer and got fouled (Boozer was mugged on the rebound too, but that’s a different story for a different time).
The 2000 team was knocked out of the NCAA tournament because they weren’t tough enough, and teams tried and failed to use that as a blueprint to beat Duke for the next two seasons. Over the first 11 games, Michigan State tried it, Portland State tried it, and Texas and Florida tried it. Each found levels of success in out-toughing the Blue Devils for a little while, but in the end, each team ended up losing. While they passed those four tests, this one remains the question mark for the 2018 Blue Devils. This year’s team has remained calm under pressure, but the 2001/02 teams fed off of it.
Through 11 games, obviously it’s too early to start throwing around the “best ever” tag, but it’s worth considering based on what’s been demonstrated so far. Marvin Bagley III is unquestionably a star. Grayson Allen is the rock as the senior leader.
Javin DeLaurier, Alex O’Connell and Marques Bolden have been more than steady off of the bench as role players, and few are tougher than Wendell Carter, Trevon Duval and Gary Trent, Jr. when things get tough. Again, this team will lose. There’s a better chance than not that they’ll lose in the post-season too. But when thinking about what’s made the great Duke teams what they were, the 2017-18 Blue Devils check every box.
11 games in: Is this the best Duke team ever? :: WRALSportsFan.com
Posted 3:02 p.m. yesterday
Updated 3:06 p.m. yesterday
By Ben Swain
Durham, N.C. — This might be the best Duke basketball team I’ve ever seen.
That’s such a dangerous way to open because commenters are probably skipping to the bottom already to post their “Blasphemy!” rebuttals or “would be the the biggest choke ever if they don’t win” barbs depending on rooting interest, but here’s a pretty solid disclaimer for both of you: March is weird, and the best teams don’t always win.
In fact, three of the teams that immediately jump to mind as “best Duke teams ever” didn’t win a title either. On top of March weirdness, things can change during the course of a season. Freak injuries like the one that sidelined Kyrie Irving in 2011 happen all the time.
Coach K had to take a leave for health reasons a season ago, and there’s no telling when time will catch up with the Hall of Famer again. Sometimes it’s just a kind of switch that gets flipped even without any changes to the roster or the coaching staff. A Duke assistant coach famously declared that the 2009-10 team didn’t have “it” after a blowout loss to Georgetown, and that team went on to win the title solely because they developed “it” almost overnight in the middle of the season.
This is not a declaration that Duke will win the NCAA championship, or even the ACC championship for that matter. But Duke’s never had a team like this, and this team is very good, and those two put together rightfully brings up the question – is this the best Duke team ever?
Here’s a look at each “all-time” Duke team, what made them so special, and how that stacks up against the 2017-18 Blue Devils.
1986 - Experience
The 1986 Blue Devils and 2017-18 Blue Devils are almost polar opposites. Both showcased legendary recruiting classes, but the ’86 group was in the final year of their time at Duke while this year’s team is just 11 games into their collegiate careers. The ’86 squad featured freshman Danny Ferry who started 21 games that season while the ’18 team has a lone senior star, Grayson Allen.
While the 1986 team obviously holds the edge in experience, what makes the 2018 team so special thus far is that they play like they’ve been together for years. I have no idea where they draw it from, but they’ve yet to face a situation where they look like they’re inexperienced and ill-equipped to handle it. It’s probably their best quality to date.
1991 & 1992 - Role Players
Duke started three players who have their jerseys hanging in the rafters in Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley and Christian Laettner. No “big three” in Duke’s storied history or bright future will ever top what that trio accomplished during their college careers. But what pushed those teams over the top wasn’t the star power, it was guys like Brian Davis (11.1 ppg), Thomas Hill (14.5 ppg) and Tony Lang who could make plays and do the dirty work while deferring to the stars to be, well, stars.
Davis, Hill and Lang were outstanding college players and will forever hold a place in the hearts of Duke fans, but compare them to “role players” like Gary Trent, Jr. and Wendell Carter and it’s an obvious advantage for the 2018 team. Players like Alex O’Connell, Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden are more apt comparisons, and none of them carry the same kind of importance as the role players on those championship teams.
1999 - Trustworthy depth
Langdon, Brand, Battier, Avery, Carrawell, Maggette, James, and just in case his dad is reading this, Burgess. Duke had 8 players averaging double-digit minutes, 9 if you round up Taymon Domzalski’s 9.9 minutes per game. That squad would wear teams down with arguably the deepest roster in Duke history, but only three of those players ever really panned out at the next level.
Looking at this year’s Duke team, it feels a lot like 1999 levels of hype, but it’s really hard to imagine a future NBA that doesn’t include 4, maybe even 5 Duke players solidly contributing. Duke also has guys like Bolden, O’Connell and Goldwire who have been pleasant surprises while Chris Burgess was a bona fide flop.
2001 & 2002 - Toughness
It wasn’t just the Miracle Minute in 2001 when Duke rallied from a 10 point deficit at Maryland with 54 seconds to play, this team had guts. The epic battles with Maryland. Shane Battier’s chase down block against Joe Forte in a blowout win in Chapel Hill after losing Carlos Boozer to a foot injury. The 2nd half rally in both games at the 2001 Final Four. It’s a shame that this era ended the way it did … a missed free throw to tie with seconds remaining in the Sweet 16 after Jason Williams hit a three pointer and got fouled (Boozer was mugged on the rebound too, but that’s a different story for a different time).
The 2000 team was knocked out of the NCAA tournament because they weren’t tough enough, and teams tried and failed to use that as a blueprint to beat Duke for the next two seasons. Over the first 11 games, Michigan State tried it, Portland State tried it, and Texas and Florida tried it. Each found levels of success in out-toughing the Blue Devils for a little while, but in the end, each team ended up losing. While they passed those four tests, this one remains the question mark for the 2018 Blue Devils. This year’s team has remained calm under pressure, but the 2001/02 teams fed off of it.
Through 11 games, obviously it’s too early to start throwing around the “best ever” tag, but it’s worth considering based on what’s been demonstrated so far. Marvin Bagley III is unquestionably a star. Grayson Allen is the rock as the senior leader.
Javin DeLaurier, Alex O’Connell and Marques Bolden have been more than steady off of the bench as role players, and few are tougher than Wendell Carter, Trevon Duval and Gary Trent, Jr. when things get tough. Again, this team will lose. There’s a better chance than not that they’ll lose in the post-season too. But when thinking about what’s made the great Duke teams what they were, the 2017-18 Blue Devils check every box.
11 games in: Is this the best Duke team ever? :: WRALSportsFan.com
Everyone including myself thought this nikka was a 4 year player. Boy was I wrong
These recruiting highlight videos mane
I really thought Trey Duval was so much better than him
This game is too emotional for me.
OK, BC!