Duke hasn't won three games in an NCAA Tournament since 2004, but that should change during the next two weeks.
En route to a 79-69 win over Florida State for the ACC championship Sunday, the Blue Devils left the Atlanta Georgia Dome with all the markings of a national contender.
Mike Krzyzewski doesn’t have a tall roster and there’s little muscle. But with Nolan Smith back in the rotation and contributing important minutes, Duke again has enough depth, talent, accurate outside shooters, defensive tenacity and lineup options to reach a regional final and maybe a Final Four.
The team that shut down Boston College, Maryland and the Seminoles over the weekend was the fruition of much tinkering and patience by Krzyzewski since early February.
When the Devils lost by 27 at Clemson, by 14 in Durham to North Carolina and by six to Boston College during a four-game stretch at the outset of February, there was no reason to envision a 17th league championship for the program.
But Krzyzewski pulled strings, inserted freshman Elliot Williams into the lineup, moved Jon Scheyer to the point and put the leadership onus on Gerald Henderson. Once Smith eventually recovered from a head injury suffered in that Feb. 15 loss at Boston, the Blue Devils emerged with a tougher, more productive playing style.
Against a hot opponent and with much of Dome audience rooting for the underdog Seminoles, Duke on Sunday looked a lot like the Duke of old.
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It was a nice game after
Wed, 06/03/2009 - 08:45 — andytekIt was a nice game after all, Duke had a lot to offer. I can't say I was surprised though. Krzyzewski did a great job with those strategies. I look forward to seeing more action from them.
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Fri, 04/24/2009 - 23:11 — dannyjhosup23leadership long before you set your sites on it. Running away, giving up, living in ignorance is not the American way. Buy Essay Build things up and leaving it better than you found it is the American way.
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Hot opponent?
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 12:06 — SurferFSU? Generally speaking, yes. On Sunday? I think not. Duke still played well.
Kiss of Death!
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 23:40 — lil576A prediction from Tudor is worse than being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The guy has not finished in the money the entire sports season.
Make it official?
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 21:42 — billaySo Mr. Tudor, would you like to make official your prediction that UNC will lose this coming Saturday?
Don't tiptoe around it. If you think UNC can't win 2 games in the tourney, have the guts to come out and say so.
Looks like it's Ee-yooou-N-See -- again
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 20:42 — rataplan2Dook will get to the third round and lose to Pitt, which earlier will defeat FSU...Wake will fall 2nd round to Arizona....BC loses to Kansas in third round...Memphis eats Maryland in the second round ... UNC, with a healthy T. Lawson, will reach the Final Fo'.......the Holes will meet UConn in the championship game....normally, I'd pull for ABC, but Conn-man coach Jim ($1.6 mil/year and "Not a DIME BACK!") Calhoun is a disgusting individual, plus a smart-mouth snob of a Yankee ... I'm a Wufie fan who has family ties to UNC and so went along for the ride to St. Louis in '05....didn't care before that game who won (enjoyed the heck out of the St. Loo zoo), but then I met some Illinois fans ... another bunch of smart a...s... Yankees....Still waiting on my $100 payoff from the Ill. dood who mouthily accepted my wager while we stood in line, waiting to go up in the Arch, when he said Ill. would wipe up the floor with May, McCants, Williams, Felton, et al....my first colege hoops memory is watching the '57 title game, gratis C.D. Chesley, vs. Kansas and Wilt ... been around a while ... I knew four potential NBA first-round draft picks on one team weren't gonna be spooked by one half-decent guard and illegal high screens by former football players... If Lawson is healthy I thin the Holes will knock dey mouffs in de dirt ...
tar holes crying
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 20:04 — saltydawg1some things never change.....they say rediculous things like "the tournament was pre-fabricated.....fl. st. didn't show up" etc.
you crying ass holes have to accept the undeniable fact that the devils have been the champs eight out of the past eleven years!!!
Your predictions suck, jus as most of you do!!!
boring
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 18:54 — gvillegatrDuke got no game today from FSU. what an embarassment that was today. reminded me the ACC football chmapionship game. FSU gave it all yesterday (saturday).
Live by the 3, die by the 3...
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 18:29 — mrlunchCongrats on Duke winning the tourney, but to say they could go far in the NCAA tournament is a stretch. They were very lucky they didn't have to play Wake, Clemson, or UNC. And they were equally lucky their threes were falling. There will be a game BEFORE the Elite Eight where those threes will not fall and Scheyer and Paulus will be crying.
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i wonder if youre a tar......
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 17:20 — toddchrissbut your words speak volumes. listen here homie, dont hate , congradulate. lucky for use we didnt have to play fsu like unc did becuase there is no way we beat them,,,,,, oh yah we did sorry. 8 out of 11 is not to shabby.
FWIW
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 18:27 — mdavidhallIt was the Maryland game where Smith was injured, not Boston College.
-m
Duke Rolled Today
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 18:09 — manfredI am a UNC fan and a WFU fan, but no rational person can seriously argue against the proposition that Duke looked very good this afternoon. Will they win the NCAA Tournament, probably not, but that is true for every other team in the tourney.
Does Duke have a better chance to win it all than any other ACC team? UNC with Lawson probably has the edge, but not by a lot.
you are great
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 18:38 — loopholesaresillyyou are great
Who is great? Me? mike geary
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I doubt it!
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 17:45 — jeromfitzThe NCAA is a whole different level of game. Duke won't make the final 16 or to the final 4 unless they have everything pre-fabricated like the ACC Tournament in Atlanta.
tudor has seen the light
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 15:52 — saltydawg1I noticed that he didn't say now that the devils were not big enough, or didn't have an offensive minded power forwards!!
Hey toots, I can't help but ask.......which one of your powder=blue power forwards do you think is better than Kyle????
the answer
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 16:35 — gvillegatrALL OF THEM!