Does Duke Have a Legitimate Shot at a Title This Year?

The Duke Blue Devils (16-3 Overall, 4-2 ACC) finally won their first true road game of the season Saturday night at Clemson, and that got me thinking. I asked myself the big question:does Duke have a shot at an NCAA crown this year?

In recent years, Mike Krzyzewski's teams have struggled come tournament time. The March Madness futility began in 2006 when Duke came in as the tourney's overall #1 seed with J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, and Greg Paulus leading the way. They defeated their first two opponents somewhat handily before being upset by #4 seed LSU in the regional semifinals. It was a bad loss for the Blue Devils especially since a title would solidify Redick's status as a college basketball legend. Sadly, the next year was much worse as the Dukies finished the season 22-11, earned a 6 seed for the Tournament, and were bounced in the first round by little known VCU. 2008 was not a success when in the second round they were upset by West Virginia, and the 2009 season ended with a 77-54 blowout loss to Villanova in the Sweet Sixteen.

However, the 2010 Blue Devils are better than that of 2009. Here are the top three reasons why Duke has a shot at cutting down the nets this April.

1.More Size: Previous teams have lacked size and muscle in the middle. This team has the height and rebounding advantage over many contenders in the ACC. This season, 6 Blue Devils are 6-8 or taller and 4 average over 4.5 rebounds per game. Lance Thomas has done an excellent job containing big bodies on defense. Miles Plumlee has developed into a great post player and a fierce rebounder. The size down low should be a big help to the Blue Devils the rest of this year, especially come tournament time.

2. Depth: Duke has been known for it's big three this year in Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer, and Kyle Singler. Although the trio accounts for nearly 64% of the points, this team has exceptional depth. Andre Dawkins has hit some big three pointers this season, and the Plumlee brothers are great role players. The many skilled players at a variety of positions will definitely benefit Duke throughout the season.

3.Experience: The Blue Devils lacked a really important thing the past two seasons: experience. This season is a whole different story. Seniors Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas are perfect leaders for the team and Juniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler have also been there and done that. 8 of the 13 players are upperclassmen which is extremely beneficial for the tournament. It should also help in two games against rival North Carolina later on in the season.

Overall, Duke is a better team than last year. They may not win it all this season or even reach the title game, but with these three key pieces of team chemistry in place, Krzyzewski should break the March misery and lead Duke deep into the tournament