Duke Basketball: Loss to Temple Shows Blue Devils' True Colors

Despite being ranked No. 3 in the nation, the Duke Blue Devils' road loss to the Temple Owls perhaps proved that this team is not as good as some may have thought.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski usually puts together a pretty good squad, but this team made up of guards Seth Curry and Austin Rivers just may not be able to get things done down the line. Both guys are currently carrying the team in terms of scoring, with Rivers putting up 15.1 PPG. That is a nice number for a freshman through 14 games, but by no means is it going to be able to carry this offense.

The problem is, he is the leading scorer. While he does carry a whole lot of potential, there is no guarantee that he will be able to keep moving things into the right direction as the season goes on.

Against the Owls, Rivers was useless. He shot 3-for-11, while only adding 12 points and two assists. What the Blue Devils learned in this game is that they really just don't have depth after Rivers or Curry in terms of scoring.

The team will not be able to rely on a guy like Miles Plumlee to come in and bail out the offense. Sure, he put up 17 points against Temple, but that isn't going to happen night-in and night-out. He just doesn't present that type of consistent threat.

Back when they played the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 29th, the entire team failed to back up Rivers. While he put up 22 points, the rest of the team was only able to add 41. Curry was ineffective, only contributing seven points.

While many will argue that the Blue Devils are putting up 82.1 points per game, you would have to look at who they have played. While they handled the Michigan Wolverines and Kansas Jayhawks, the Blue Devils haven't really played any real competition yet. The game against the Owls has potentially exposed this team for who they are.

It isn't that Duke is a bad team. They have a lot of young talent, but this season they have proven to be quite raw. Curry is a transfer student, but he proved back at Liberty that he can score when he was putting up 20.2 PPG.

There is still room to grow, and players like Curry and Rivers are going to have to grow a consistent comfort to this level of play.

They still have to face the University of Virginia, as well as two games against the UNC Tar Heels. Both games will be a true tests for Coach K and his team, as they will be starting to make their way to March Madness.

While the Blue Devils will likely remain among the Top 10, they proved with this loss that they were not a top three caliber team.

Good teams will always fall from time-to-time, but in the end it is all about how you bounce back. The Blue Devils are young, but they will need to turn things around quick to make some noise to finish out the year.