I read an article basically stating yes Duke has one 7 in a row by under 10 points so we are not yet ready to suggest they are title contenders. I can agree that there are several teams that may be better one possibly beating Carolina who has punished some teams this year. Now, I can tell you I looked at the last 8 games that Kansas has played losing 2 and in their wins winning by a margin under 10... Baylor no different with one win above 10 points. Sure we can look at Gonzalez but not necessarily the greatest schedule. Now as much as I would like to see Duke defend better whose to say that Duke is not necessarily a title contender...
Duke as a Title Contender
- Thread starter GabeM1234
- Start date
I think if I had to pick a title favorite per se right now it would be Kansas. However there are probably 12 teams or so that are probably legit title contenders with the right matchups, unc being one of them.
Honestly I'm not even thinking about anything other than trying to get better and finding a way to win at the dome on Wednesday night.
Honestly I'm not even thinking about anything other than trying to get better and finding a way to win at the dome on Wednesday night.
We could win a title with a six man rotation and K. We've done it multiple times, once with two of our current starters.
Duke is as capable as anyone if we play decent defense or score 99 points.
I'd put Kansas probably at the top of that list and Louisville in the mix too. Duke is as capable as anyone. No they're not the juggernaut that everyone said they would be but they're good enough, have been battle tested, and are learning how to win those close games. That's important tourney time.
I'm still not sure about UNC....They destroy people in the Dome, but take them out and there seems to be a mental block or something. All of their losses and close games are away, and they rarely win in blowout fashion away.
At least one bracket I always pencil in Duke to win it all. When they won in 2015 I was sitting at a basketball game for my son before the tourney stared. Everyone asked who I was picking and I said Duke. Everyone laughed and called me a fool. They said UK would run the table and Duke would get destroyed if they had to play them. We all know what happened and let's just say I ended the season with a smile on my face and more money in my pocket. I have that same feeling his year.
DukeRules, I always say we have a shot. If we play solid D and the guys can play like they have offensively with Tatum, Luke, and Allen scoring double digits...then we are tough to be stopped.
I pick Duke to win it all every year . I can't help it. I'm a Duke fan. It's my nature. OFC
I have zero ill will against Kansas but every year they garner so much praise by winning the Big 12 only to crash & burn in the tourney. One title in 25+ years is pretty ordinary.
IMO, there is no clear cut favorite.
Guys, I live and die every game with Duke, especially in March Madness, but being realistic, if Grayson and Amile are not healthy (especially Grayson), Duke has 0 chance of winning it all. In all the years I've been watching the NCAAT, this is the strongest field I can recall. I've never said that there are 10-12 teams that can win it all until this year.
K must find a way to get Grayson and Amile healthy, and he can only do that by taking a gamble(?) with a couple players from the bench. I really like Frank to spell Grayson.
Right now, we should only be concerned with the Carrier Dome tomorrow night, and one (1) game at a time from here on out. Hard to believe, but a #1 seed is still possible.
If we can get the Grayson and Amile healthy, and Giles and Bolden can take it to another level by Tourney time, Duke has as good a chance as anyone to cut down the nets!
Go Duke!
OFC
K must find a way to get Grayson and Amile healthy, and he can only do that by taking a gamble(?) with a couple players from the bench. I really like Frank to spell Grayson.
Right now, we should only be concerned with the Carrier Dome tomorrow night, and one (1) game at a time from here on out. Hard to believe, but a #1 seed is still possible.
If we can get the Grayson and Amile healthy, and Giles and Bolden can take it to another level by Tourney time, Duke has as good a chance as anyone to cut down the nets!
Go Duke!
OFC
Tough week. Duke still only has one loss as a complete unit and that was at the buzzer. Completely believe with a healthy team they have a chance regardless of seeding or region. Ucla and Oregon are both interesting teams as well. I don't buy the nova and gonzaga hype.
Nova hype????? You realize they won the title last year right?
It isn't hype when you can possibly win it all...and they sure can....not saying they will buy they could
Well aware they aren't as good as last years team and how often does somebody repeat.
But to say they are all hype is ridiculous
As of now I would almost bet they go further than we do...love to be wrong though
Definitely can see them being the first one seed to lose. Their best win might be Purdue second game of the year as I think the first Creighton game was without their pg but I could be wrong on that. Same as Gonzaga just don't think they are battle tested enough to make a deep run. Last year was last year
Are we not a contender until we lose that last game. I'm not packing it in. OFC
I agree but I much prefer UNC be the first to lose to a 16 haha
Dang what's with all the hate on Gonzaga?!! Save it for UNC, Ky, and Maryland. Ha! Maybe Kansas as well but I sure as heck like Kansas better than I do those other three.
If they win their tournament I still think they get a 1 seed
Haha no hate on the Zags just think it's funny how we hear every year about them or some other west team and they do nothing. I don't mind UK either lol
Beating Kansas isnt a good win? Cannot overlook that win. But outside of that maybe the win over UVA....the rest are wins over average teams with a few lower ranked wins. Still think they are a tough out though and I would give them a Final 4 berth.
I was agreeing with that poster so the conversation about it would end
I think nova is pretty good
UNC is very good and a real threat to make a run. But I glanced at their schedule, and they don't have a single road or neutral site won over a team currently projected to be anything higher than a 5 seed. Wisconsin is currently their best win, and they are projected around that 5 line. Part of it is a product of their favorable scheduling, as far as not having to go to Louisville or to FSU, but they don't have some mind blowing resume.
I mentioned that in previous threads but in the end it really doesn't matter. They have taken advantage of their schedule and handled enough of their business to be a likely 1 seed. Duke has a very critical week ahead of themselves. We need at least one win, two would be sweet. Regardless of the ACC tourney if we beat both fsu and UNC this week I will be confident come tourney time. This is a critical week for us to regain some of our mojo and swag.
