2011 Duke Basketball Predictions

2010-11 Results:

Overall: 32-5 (17-0 H, 6-4 A, 9-1 N)
ACC: 13-3 (8-0 H, 5-3 A)
Conference Tournament: 3-0, Champion
Postseason: 2-1, lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Another fantastic year came to a screeching halt perhaps earlier than expected. After being ranked in the top-five nationally all season (including No. 1 for a majority of the campaign), the Blue Devils suffered an upset loss in the Sweet 16 to Arizona.

The Team continued to favor defense, as the Blue Devils again were one of the best defensive teams in the country. Duke allowed just 64 points and 40-percent shooting by their 37 opponents. There is no reason to believe that defense would take a season off, and that should keep Duke in a lot of games – and the talent should help it win a lot of games.

Roster
Returning Starters
Seth Curry
Mason Plumlee
Ryan Kelly

Returning Lettermen
Andre Dawkins
Josh Hairston
Miles Plumlee
Tyler Thornton
Todd Zafirovski

Other Returning Players
None

Newcomers
Quinn Cook
Michael Gbinije
Alex Murphy
Marshall Plumlee
Austin Rivers

Head Coach
Mike Krzyzewski, 32nd year

Key Losses
The Blue Devils will have two starters and a key reserve to replace.

Nolan Smith was the No. 22 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after a very productive senior year, leading the team in scoring (20.6 ppg), assists (5.1 pg) and finishing second in steals (45) while being listed on four All-America teams and being named national player of the year by three media entities.

Kyle Singler is the other lost starter, who was first-team All-ACC and was a finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden awards. He was third in scoring (16.9 ppg) and was second in rebounding (6.8 pg), third in assists and steals.

Kyrie Irving left as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He was a one-and-done player at Duke, but played in only 11 games, averaging 18 points, 4 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Schedule

Date	Opponent
11/11/2011	Belmont
11/12/2011	Presbyterian
11/15/2011	Michigan St.
11/18/2011	Davidson
11/21/2011	Tennessee
11/29/2011	@Ohio St.
12/7/2011	Colorado St.
12/10/2011	Washington
12/19/2011	UNC-Greensboro
12/30/2011	Western Mich.
1/1/2011	Penn
1/4/2011	Temple
1/7/2011	@Georgia Tech
1/12/2011	Virginia
1/15/2011	@Clemson
1/19/2011	Wake Forest
1/21/2011	Florida St.
1/25/2011	@Maryland
1/28/2011	St. John´s (N.Y.)
2/2/2011	@Virginia Tech
2/5/2011	Miami (Fla.)
2/8/2011	@North Carolina
2/11/2011	Maryland
2/16/2011	N.C. State
2/19/2011	@Boston College
2/23/2011	@Florida St.
2/25/2011	Virginia Tech
2/28/2011	@Wake Forest
3/3/2011	North Carolina

2011-12 Preview

More than half of the Blue Devils’ scoring departed in three players, and now head coach Mike Krzyzewski is in the position to reload using the pieces he already has in place. Among the regulars from last year, the top three shooters, the top three shot-blockers and two of the top three rebounders are back this year. Reloading should be no problem, as Duke is expected to be among the national-title contenders once again. In some circles, Duke is considered a preseason No. 1.

Backcourt

Seth Curry is expected to be the starting point guard after playing the two-spot last year. He averaged 9.0 ppg (fourth on the team) and shot 44 percent from the 3-point line and had a 2.11 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is the top returning scorer.

Andre Dawkins averaged 8.1 ppg and hit 64 triples a year ago while listing fifth in minutes played last year and starting in seven games.

Tyler Thornton played about 10 minutes per game last year, averaging 1.6 ppg but is considered a solid defender with 16 steals.

Frontcourt

Mason Plumlee as a sophomore was among the conference leaders in rebounds (8.4 pg) and blocked shots (62) a year ago. He shot a team-best 59 percent from the floor while listing third in minutes played.

Miles Plumlee averaged just under five points and five rebounds in 17 minutes per game last year. He has 62 dunks in his career and is a 53-percent shooter from the floor.

Ryan Kelly recorded 51 blocked shots last year and averaged 6.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.

Sophomore Josh Hairston averaged 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in limited minutes as a freshman.

Junior Todd Zafirovski was primarily a practice player his first two years but may play a role in rotation minutes this year after earning a scholarship for this year.

Other Resources on Blue Devil Basketball:

More ACC Basketball Predictions

North Carolina Tar Heels	Duke Blue Devils	Florida State Seminoles
Virginia Cavaliers	NC State Wolfpack	Miami Hurricanes
Clemson Tigers	Maryland Terrapins	Virginia Tech Hokies
Wake Forest Demon Deacons	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	Boston College Eagles

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