Season ending thoughts

[Quavarius]

I just want to say I’m proud of this Duke team for getting to the Elite 8. I’d felt more comfortable it we weren’t playing a team of destiny (NC State), but I’m proud of Coach Scheyer in his second season. We won 27 games again with no true center and Mark and Flip having off season surgery. Losing Foster later in the season certainly hurt as well but will be used as fuel for motivation for next season. I like the pieces we have coming in and will be interesting to see who stays and who we get in the portal. I like the direction of the program and think we are on a path to greatness.

 

[sheyduke]

They went further then I thought they would . Couple things . Duke needs to stop the injury bug. A lot of injuries slowed down the progression of this team . From Reeves, Flip, Mitchell in the off season . To Proctor and Foster during the season .
Scheyer needs to work on keeping the players he recruited such as Power, Stewart and Schutt.
Take your poison on the portal. In order to get elite players out the portal you must have either starting minutes or use your bench in order to convince them to come . Right now you just don’t have an opening for anything but bench players .
I’d like to see more players stay but like stated, Covid is over and the rankings on this new class and moving forward should be close to expectations.
We are a spoiled fan base because NC state hasn’t been to the final four since 1983 . Duke was looking at their second time in three years . Keep the faith !

 

[pisgah101]

They went further then I thought they would . Couple things . Duke needs to stop the injury bug. A lot of injuries slowed down the progression of this team . From Reeves, Flip, Mitchell in the off season . To Proctor and Foster during the season .
Scheyer needs to work on keeping the players he recruited such as Power, Stewart and Schutt.
Take your poison on the portal. In order to get elite players out the portal you must have either starting minutes or use your bench in order to convince them to come . Right now you just don’t have an opening for anything but bench players .
I’d like to see more players stay but like stated, Covid is over and the rankings on this new class and moving forward should be close to expectations.
We are a spoiled fan base because NC state hasn’t been to the final four since 1983 . Duke was looking at their second time in three years . Keep the faith !

It really puts things in perspective when you see state not being in an elite eight since 86, Clemson 80, Tennessee only once ever with pearl, Alabama 0 final fours.. crazy

 

[The_Only_Blue]

Really hard to say. Glad we got to the elite 8 but on the other hand, losing to the Cheats and State twice sucked. Especially losing to state last night. We picked the most terrible time to have our worst shooting night of the year. Not just outside shots but we missed so many close baskets. I would give this season a grade of a "B".

 

[JimboSlice00]

It really puts things in perspective when you see state not being in an elite eight since 86, Clemson 80, Tennessee only once ever with pearl, Alabama 0 final fours.. crazy

Agreed. I believe I saw Duke has made the elite 8 five of the last ten years. That's impressive no matter how you look at it.

 

[Duke Blu]

Feels great to be a Duke fan.

 

[Mac9192]

I’m a little down on what the team accomplished, given our preseason hype with four starters back. To beat a dead horse, Proctor and Mitchell underperformed. Not just last night. Proctor very seldom went downhill and his stroke was not consistent. Mitchell had no shot, and was weak finishing through any contact, and has little ball handling ability.

Stewart wasn’t (for possibly many reasons) the player we thought he could be. Power is another one. Some on here said preseason he would be hard to keep off the floor. He barely saw it.
Young gave it all he had, but sadly, it was little offensively.

It’s great Jon is getting elite talent. But I think we need a team identity.

 

[LetsGoDuke83]

Swept by unc
1-2 vs state
1-1 against wake
0 ACC tourney wins
Didn’t win a share of the ACC

Sorry but that’s not a great year. What was our signature win, against Baylor in NY?

 

[Duke_Fan_1338]

The elite 8 looks good on paper. We showed some grit against Houston.

However, we didn't beat them at full strength. And a mid-game injury is significantly different than preparing your team before a battle knowing who will be playing.

Losing twice to an inferior team from our conference with an opportunity to go to a final 4 is a let down. It's hard for me to just be excited about making an Elite 8

 

[christophero]

It's kind of a glass half full/empty thing. Elite 8 is a good year, no doubt, but it also feels like we let a golden opportunity pass by after our 1,2,and 3 seeds lost.

 

[springsportster]

I was at the game. Felt good until halftime and then we could not buy a bucket. I will say the NC State fans were all nice. I sat next to a guy from State. I suppose I'm rooting for the Wolfpack now lol

 

[pisgah101]

I was at the game. Felt good until halftime and then we could not buy a bucket. I will say the NC State fans were all nice. I sat next to a guy from State. I suppose I'm rooting for the Wolfpack now lol

That’s the thing about state.. being from Nc and knowing there fans they’re all usually super nice.. then again they don’t win so you gotta be a little humble haha but they are good people and the team is likeable

 

[Acc1950]

I think Scheyer getting coaching experience at the Elite 8 level will pay dividends in the future.

 

[kingbluedevil]

I'll be pulling for state they were calm in the press after the game. If it had been the cheats whole different story

 

[The_Only_Blue]

I'll be pulling for state they were calm in the press after the game. If it had been the cheats whole different story

I'll be pulling for State but think Purdue will have better shot against UConn. Wished the UConn game was first though.

 

[smashmouth5]

Duke's season ends with encouraging signs, big questions ahead of star-studded recruiting class' arrival

Jon Scheyer made it two rounds further in Year 2 than he did in Year 1 after taking over for the legendary Coach K

www.cbssports.com

 

[wjbmd]

It's kind of a glass half full/empty thing. Elite 8 is a good year, no doubt, but it also feels like we let a golden opportunity pass by after our 1,2,and 3 seeds lost.

I have been following Duke basketball closely since 2007 when my daughter enrolled in Duke. The second half of the NC State game was the worst half I have ever seen by a Duke team. Maybe I missed one but that was terrible.

 

[yoshukai]

Swept by unc
1-2 vs state
1-1 against wake
0 ACC tourney wins
Didn’t win a share of the ACC

Sorry but that’s not a great year. What was our signature win, against Baylor in NY?

I would say Houston.

 

[Neue Regel]

I have been following Duke basketball closely since 2007 when my daughter enrolled in Duke. The second half of the NC State game was the worst half I have ever seen by a Duke team. Maybe I missed one but that was terrible.

Yep. Can’t think of many worse halves either. Duke was 20 minutes from the Final Four and kind of melted after leading at the half. And there appeared to be a tightness to it. Lot of front rim shots. And it’s just odd because they survived the battle they needed to Friday night. And State was fabulous, Congrats to them. It is what it is. This Duke team’s epitaph is “good, but not good enough.” As they came up short in every event they tried to get a banner for and got dominated by two long time rivals along the way. Good, but not good enough.

 

[christophero]

They were also verbally sniping at each other. Talented team, but no leader and did not seem to particularly like each other from what I saw this year. Still, Elite Eight is close to where we want to be.

 

[bullcity gamer]

Agreed. I believe I saw Duke has made the elite 8 five of the last ten years. That's impressive no matter how you look at it.

This is just my measuring stick.

Elite 8 (your team is Elite)= Very Good Season
Final 4 = Great Season

There are what 366 Division 1 NCAA Men’s Basketball Programs in the country? Your team is one of the Best 8 Teams in The Country competing for The National Championship. It shows your team was poised and disciplined enough to make it to The Regional Championship. Proud of The Blue Devils, they faced criticism all season long, they didn’t pout, they just kept working and stuck with one another. My worthless 2 cents, Duke finished the season as the 7th Best Team in the Country.

5) Illinois (Big Ten Tournament Champions)
6) Tennessee (SEC Regular Season Champions)
7) Duke
8) Clemson

For perspective, Duke has been Elite all the following seasons recently:

2017-2018
2018-2019
2021-2022
2022-2024

Winning the whole thing, let alone making the Final 4 is not a birth right. Like Coach Scheyer said, “I don’t take getting to this Elite 8 game for granted.”

 

[lahusker01]

Up and down…preseason = I thought we’d be great (starters back hasn’t happened in a while). Then I was disappointed. We didn’t play like a preseason top 3 team. Then…happy we beat Houston. Then laid an egg against State.
Never take these tournament runs for granted but if going in, you told me all we had to do was beat NCST to get to the final four, I’d have taken that in a heartbeat.

 

[pisgah101]

I just realized we are officially on our longest championship drought since our first one

 

[kingbluedevil]

We couldn't have had an easier bracket to get to the final four. We didn't have a championship team too many weaknesses.

 

[KDSTONE]

This is just my measuring stick.

Elite 8 (your team is Elite)= Very Good Season
Final 4 = Great Season

There are what 366 Division 1 NCAA Men’s Basketball Programs in the country? Your team is one of the Best 8 Teams in The Country competing for The National Championship. It shows your team was poised and disciplined enough to make it to The Regional Championship. Proud of The Blue Devils, they faced criticism all season long, they didn’t pout, they just kept working and stuck with one another. My worthless 2 cents, Duke finished the season as the 7th Best Team in the Country.

5) Illinois (Big Ten Tournament Champions)
6) Tennessee (SEC Regular Season Champions)
7) Duke
8) Clemson

For perspective, Duke has been Elite all the following seasons recently:

2017-2018
2018-2019
2021-2022
2022-2024

Winning the whole thing, let alone making the Final 4 is not a birth right. Like Coach Scheyer said, “I don’t take getting to this Elite 8 game for granted.”

I love Scheyer, he’s recruiting at a high level, and he got them playing hard on defense, represents the school well, but the offense is a bit of a train wreck

 

[sheyduke]

I love Scheyer, he’s recruiting at a high level, and he got them playing hard on defense, represents the school well, but the offense is a bit of a train wreck

That’s an understatement but like the players said their offense was effecting their defense .

 

[Devilinside]

Scheyer has recruited highly skilled players , no doubt. But what worries me is that he has been erratic in recruiting by position. We have yet to have a quality dependable PG, and the new class is adding nothing. I am really worried with only Foster to fill the role next year. Proctor certainly is not an answer, if he returns. This has been a continuing problem starting with K's final years. Hopefully, we will get some help from the portal. In addition, this year's team suffered because of the absence of a true center type, which forced Flip to play out of position. Had we had just an average center, Flip would have been at power forward and Mitchell at small forward. Finally, as others have said above, Jon has to make better use of his bench.

OFC

 

[Mac9192]

Our ability to take someone off the dribble has to be better. When we can't get by anyone as well as we should be able to, it clogs the offense down, and guys don't get open looks.

Duke's offense as a whole is like trying to drive a car with the park brake on.

 

[sheyduke]

Our ability to take someone off the dribble has to be better. When we can't get by anyone as well as we should be able to, it clogs the offense down, and guys don't get open looks.

Duke's offense as a whole is like trying to drive a car with the park brake on.

Agree with both but I really do think next years team is better suited for Foster or Proctor at the point . He will have shooters and dunkers which mean teams will have to cover lob threats and then recover to shooters .

 

[IPSYCHOSIS]

Mitchell can go. Proctor can go. What a space eater. And NOTHING in basketball annoys me more than a player catching a pass down low with an easy turn and shoot layup ,but INSTEAD catching the pass, getting as low as possible with a 2 hand 1 dribble pump fake …letting the defense recover and more times than not getting trapped or missing the shot. I cannot stand that!!!! Stewart had an highlight doing the exact opposite and that’s promising for him. It’s rare.

 

[pisgah101]

it should be a lot easier to add a PG in the portal this year then it was a C last year

 

[Liftee]

Wow, tough crowd. I'm assuming it's a generational thing that Duke fans don't find getting to the Elite 8 to be a big deal anymore.

 

[JimboSlice00]

Agreed Pisgah. If we have to go to the portal for one position, PG should be stocked.

 

[Quavarius]

I would love if Flip came back but would certainly understand if he’s done with college. From some Duke fans who have hated him to outside Duke haters trolling him online, no protection from refs (dude has been hit so much in the face, trampled in a court storming, etc.) and playing out of position all year.

I would love to see a revenge tour from him next season but again, totally understand if he’s done with college altogether!

 

[Quavarius]

Wow, tough crowd. I'm assuming it's a generational thing that Duke fans don't find getting to the Elite 8 to be a big deal anymore.

Has to be generational. We’re further along than most would have predicted.

 

[Mac9192]

Wow, tough crowd. I'm assuming it's a generational thing that Duke fans don't find getting to the Elite 8 to be a big deal anymore.

I like you Liftee, but we all know what a break it was beating Houston to get to the Elite 8. They were a slightly handcuffed team before Shead went down in the first half. We barely beat them, and the two teams we beat before them shouldn't scare a blue blood. Yet there were many concerned about James Madison. That should tell us plenty about the general view of Duke at that point.
This team had plenty of struggles during the season, and it sadly almost seems fitting that we lost to State.

Symbolic of our season.

 

[Neue Regel]

I just realized we are officially on our longest championship drought since our first one

That will keep going. It’s too hard to win. Duke may never win another one in our lifetime. Same with Kentucky, same with Kansas, same with Unc so I’m not trying to bag on just Duke’s chances.
It took 9 Final Fours to finally win one. And with much tougher Duke teams trying to do it.

 

[pisgah101]

Wow, tough crowd. I'm assuming it's a generational thing that Duke fans don't find getting to the Elite 8 to be a big deal anymore.

I’m relatively young and very happy with the elite eight.. that’s a huge accomplishment and a lot of very very good Duke teams didn’t reach it

 

[pisgah101]

I would love if Flip came back but would certainly understand if he’s done with college. From some Duke fans who have hated him to outside Duke haters trolling him online, no protection from refs (dude has been hit so much in the face, trampled in a court storming, etc.) and playing out of position all year.

I would love to see a revenge tour from him next season but again, totally understand if he’s done with college altogether!

If he wants to come back I’d take him in a heartbeat but don’t think it’s realistic at all unfortunately. Having him at the 4 with Flagg at the 3 and a true C we would terrorize teams

 

[pisgah101]

That will keep going. It’s too hard to win. Duke may never win another one in our lifetime. Same with Kentucky, same with Kansas, same with Unc so I’m not trying to bag on just Duke’s chances.
It took 9 Final Fours to finally win one. And with much tougher Duke teams trying to do it.

That’s a sobering throught.. think about NC state.. won it in 70 something won it again in 83 then….. crickets and no final four since then either? Kinda scary. That’s 41 years. I’m 33 so that puts me at 74.. we could all be dead tomorrow for all I know but that’s scary to think NO final fours for that long