(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Duke University, located in Durham, NC, is home to one of the most successful college basketball programs in the history of the NCAA. With that greatness and success, however, comes great expectations year in and year out.
Duke's 2008-2009 basketball season seemed to be a year of great triumph for the Blue Devils. Mike Krzyzewski's team won the ACC Tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2006.
Coach K and the Men in "Duke" Blue look to keep things rolling during the 2009-2010 season. Duke is without some of its top talent from a year ago (Gerald Henderson-NBA, Elliot Williams-transferred to Memphis; family matters) but they reload with a legitimate top five recruiting class.
2009 Duke commit Andre Dawkins will look to make an immediate impact after graduating early, the younger brother of Miles Plumlee, Mason, looks to stand tall at center for a tall Duke team, and Ryan Kelly will look to add versatility to a Duke team lacking multiple stong guard players.
They have senior Jon Scheyer and junior Nolan Smith in the backcourt, but besides the addition of Dawkins, that's about it for guard-play.
Duke teams of the past few seasons have had to play small, trying to run their opponents down, and ultimately beat them with their speed. Duke will have the option in 2009, however, to play at both a fast pace, as well as a more controlled, slower game centered around the big men in the post.
Miles Plumlee, who played sparingly last season, has reportedly made great strides during the summer on his way to coming back from a pretty poor freshman campaign.
Adding seniors Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek to the mix, along with Miles and the two incoming freshman, Duke looks to have size in the post for the first time in a few years. Kyle Singler can also play down low if needed, but he will most likely take time playing small forward with the great centers Coach K has on his roster.
Singler will be asked to lead the Blue Devils this season, both during the game and emotionally, as Duke fans everywhere believe he will step up to the plate and deliver. He certainly has the talent and ability to succeed in a leadership role, a job that he must take over after Gerald Henderson's departure.
The great play of Kyle Singler made the ACC Tournament a turning point for Duke a year ago. He played all 40 minutes each game, day after day, and consistently preformed in each game. The Blue Devils gained confidence after the ACC Tournament win, but they looked burnt out against Villanova in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Going into this season, Duke looks to have the early edge in the ACC, only because UNC lost the main players from its National Championship team a year ago. Duke is a lethal team that should be a force to reckon with. The Blue Devils are ready to succeed during the 2009-2010 season; Look out country, the Devils are back!
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