Duke Blue Devils News

Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Duke's backcourt is thin this season.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.- For years, everything Duke and North Carolina achieved - the conference championships, Final Four trips and national titles - has been connected in a back-and-forth game of one-upmanship.

There can only be one. None of this co-favorite cop-out. Despite losing its top four scorers, UNC gets the nod to claim the ACC crown over rival Duke and a possibly potent pair, Gary Parrish says.

DURHAM, N.C.-Duke guard Nolan Smith will sit out two games because he played in an unsanctioned summer league.

Bleacher Report writers have put together an extensive preview of the upcoming college basketball season. Below are the links to every preview written for the 2009-2010 season.

The most interesting thing about the preseason All-American team compiled by the Associated Press is that the consensus of 65 voters somehow turned out a squad that did not include: • The most talented returning player in college basketball, Oklahoma's Willie Warren. • The most talented newcomer to college basketball, Kentucky's John Wall. They're at the bottom of a list the AP released of "others receiving votes" — although their placement is an alphabetical issue, not a function of votes... attracted. It is curious that neither of these players moved the voters, though, given that the postseason All-American teams, the ones that count, generally are loaded with players bound for the NBA lottery. Of the 15 consensus All-Americans since the NBA draft age minimum was imposed — counting Tyler Hansbrough three times, because he made it in '07, '08 and '09 — 11 eventually were chosen in the lottery portion of the draft. And that's where Warren will end up after he makes All-American this year. We at Sporting News did not include Wall on our first team, either, thinking back to when Derrick Rose became the best player in the 2008 NCAA Tournament but spent the season as clearly the second-most influential player on his team, behind Chris Douglas-Roberts. The players the AP voters did choose: Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, Duke's Kyle Singler and both Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich of No. 1 Kansas. In the strictest sense, players don't have to do anything to make a preseason team. They just have to be enrolled in college. So what are the chances that the AP will have the same team next March? Let's look at it case-by-case: Luke Harangody As long as he stays healthy, Harangody will find a way to produce in the neighborhood of 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. He averaged double-doubles the past two years. He might actually put up bigger numbers if that's what it takes to keep Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament hunt. And, with the Irish missing forward Scott Martin because of a preseason knee injury, that'll probably be necessary. If ND flounders without Martin, though — which isn't out of the question given the depth of the Big East — even great numbers might not keep Harangody on the top tier. Postseason All-American chances: 88 percent Patrick Patterson We put Patterson on the All-American team for the Sporting News College Basketball yearbook because we expect him to have a sensational season and to be the leader of a team that ranks in the top five most of the year. Also, Wall ought to have at least some period of adjustment. But there's an excellent chance Wall will be such a force in his one college season that he'll be UK's All-American, and not Patterson. Postseason All-American chances: 65 percent Sherron Collins The point about Wall vs. Patterson is germane because it almost never happens that two players from the same team are named first-team All-American at the end. AP reports Collins and Aldrich are the sixth set of teammates to make the preseason team since 1986-87. But only three sets of teammates have made the consensus postseason squad during that period, the most recent being J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams at Duke in 2006. Picking two guys from the same team is kind of like choosing the defending champion to repeat. Even when it seems likely, it rarely happens. We went with Collins because he led last year's team in scoring and assists, and it seems likely that'll happen again. But if it does come down to a choice between him and Aldrich, that could go either way. Postseason All-American chances: 65 percent Cole Aldrich Excuse a little metaphor mixing here, but if Collins will be the engine driving Kansas' pursuit of the 2010 NCAA championship, Aldrich will be the foundation. He gives KU a shot-blocking presence who also can score in the post. If the Jayhawks win as much as we expect them to, how can we expect such an important player not to be an All-American? That's a fair question. Postseason All-American chances: 55 percent Kyle Singler In March, somebody wrote a column suggesting Singler might be the nation's most underrated player, given that he didn't even make first-team All-ACC. That's no longer a problem, obviously. This is a sign he's gaining the level of respect he deserves. Ending up in this position might be a tougher matter. Singler tied for the Duke lead in scoring last season. With co-leader Gerald Henderson gone to the NBA, Singler will become the team's clear No. 1 option. But the way the Devils are built, it's likely he'll end up leading them with something like an 18-point average, while guards Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer both score in the 14-16 range. Duke will surprise a lot folks who are suggesting a dip this season, and Singler will appear heroic as a result. But somebody's got to make room for Warren. Postseason All-American chances: 48 percent Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.more>>

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (30th year) Last season's record: 30-7 Spotlight player When Sporting News named Blue Devils senior Jon Scheyer one of the nation's top 10 point guards for 2009-10 a little while back, many readers scoffed. One asked how Scheyer could be listed in that company when even Krzyzewski has mentioned the team's absence of a true point guard and worked so hard to recruit John Wall. The answer is simple: Scheyer is not a true point guard. He'll tell you that. But that doesn't... mean he can't be one of the most effective players at the position. A year ago, Duke was 10-2 with Scheyer at the point, including eight wins over NCAA Tournament teams and both losses against Final Four squads. He is not a great set-up player, but he rarely turns over the ball and is so much more comfortable playing on the ball that he averaged better than 18 points after the switch. Scheyer has to continue that level of effectiveness for Duke to reach its potential. Reason to hope Only two years ago, 6-8 Kyle Singler was playing most of each game as a center. He battled despite being at a disadvantage in terms of height, weight and strength, but it was never ideal. Now, he's a small forward. Duke is no longer a puny team. Inserting the 6-10 Plumlee brothers – Miles and Mason – at center and power forward makes this a big team. Both players are agile and dynamic athletes and have a little nasty streak. Their presence in the lineup means opponents no longer will be able to overwhelm Duke physically, something that happened in the Sweet 16 loss to Villanova – even though the Wildcats were not a huge team. Reason to mope Related Links No. 8 Duke preview SN's countdown: Find your team Duke has only three true guards: Scheyer, shooting guard Nolan Smith and freshman Andre Dawkins. Beyond that – if foul trouble becomes an issue, or if injuries occur – the coaches either are reaching for walk-ons or moving Singler out of position again, this time to match him against smalls. Fielding such a big team will force Krzyzewski to tweak his defensive system and, at times, completely abandon it. The Devils won't be able to pressure the wings, as is their custom. They aren't really built for it and, because of the depth issues on the perimeter, can't expend that much energy defending. You will see Duke playing more zone than at any time in the modern era. Bottom line Duke needs good fortune. It can't afford injuries. The Plumlees have to be as confident and assertive when facing strangers as they are when going at each other. If it all goes right, this could be the program's best shot at a deep run since the 2004 team made the Final Four. Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com.more>>

Remember, remember the twelfth of November?if you're a Duke fan.

The 2009 Preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Basketball Poll was announced yesterday, and some Duke fans were scratching their heads at the Blue Devil's ranking.

Get ready, America.

This is the final preview breaking down the Duke basketball season.

The ACC held its annual Operation Basketball on Sunday to kick off the start of the conference's basketball season.