ACC Tournament 2012: Duke Showed True Colors in Loss to Florida State

The Duke Blue Devils needed a win to force a rematch with North Carolina on Sunday and prove to everyone that the loss one week ago was simply a fluke.  What they did was even worse, as they lost to Florida State in the ACC semifinals on Saturday.

Duke needed to win—it was that simple.  The loss to the Tar Heels last week was a brutal shot to their reputation and mental game heading into the ACC tournament.  But barely getting past Virginia Tech on Friday and losing outright to Florida State on Saturday was not the type of game the Blue Devils wanted to go into the NCAA tournament with.

Now, Florida State will meet up with North Carolina, who will most likely be a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

What is stopping the Blue Devils from being a second- or third-round upset right now?

Duke is sure to be either a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the tournament, but seeing the way they have been playing at a time of the year when it matters most is disheartening.  All they needed was a rematch with North Carolina to get some respect back, and they could not even do that.

The senior leadership is not there for Duke, otherwise someone would be talking some sense into a team that looks extremely overrated right about now.  A couple weeks ago, they were battling for a No. 1 seed.  Now, they are on the border of a No. 3 seed hoping to not draw a decent No. 14 seed or a good team in the second round.

It is not to count out the Blue Devils just yet.  They still have good, proven players and Mike Krzyzewski as their head coach.  The team will be prepared to play, as they are every year under Krzyzewski.

However, this team needs a wake-up call.  Austin Rivers and the Plumlee brothers have been the only consistent players on this team, but where is the supporting cast?

The Blue Devils are nothing without Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Tyler Thornton.  

The loss to Florida State showed just how shallow this team is on talent this season.  

The blowout loss at home to North Carolina hinted at it, but the loss in the ACC semifinals against Florida State confirmed it.