Duke Basketball: Austin Rivers Would Be Wise To Return for Sophomore Season

Austin Rivers was one of the best players in college basketball this year as a freshman at Duke. With a surprising end to the Blue Devils' season, the focus shifts primarily on his thoughts about the 2012 NBA Draft.

Should he stay or should he go?

There are several reasons why he would be wise to return for his sophomore season. I'm going to give you five. 

1. Duke Could Win NCAA National Championship

Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, Andre Dawkins, Quinn Cook and Mason Plumlee—if he decides to stay for senior season—will all be back next season. 

Duke could win it all next year if Rivers decides to stay for his sophomore campaign. 

The only player of value that Duke is losing is Miles Plumlee who averaged 6.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, so they are potentially returning 93 percent of their scoring production.

2. Loss to Lehigh Wasn't a Great Way To End College Career

Who wants to leave a prestigious program like Duke saying that the only NCAA Tournament game they participated in was one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history? 

When you go to Duke, you expect to write history in a positive way. This was anything but positive.

I wouldn't want to end my career that way. I would, at least, want to win a game in the tournament.

Next season Duke has the potential of making a deep run. He could really make magic happen if he stayed another year.

3. Rasheed Sulaimon Will Help in Scoring Department

Rasheed Sulaimon will be on his way to help the Blue Devils next season. He's an athletic shooting guard that can score in multiple ways including creating his own shot.

Exactly what Duke needs with the current roster.

4. Improve His Game

Despite how great Rivers was in his first season at Duke, there are still many things to iron out.

Is he a point guard or shooting guard? He is what some may call a "tweener" because he is 6'4" and only averaged 2.1 assists per game. 

Rivers shot 36.5 percent from the three-point line—easily something he could work on during the offseason.

Duke only had one player capable of creating his own shot and that was Rivers. He had a ton of pressure on his shoulders to make things happen for Duke as a freshman.

However, he still forced way too many shots early in the shot clock. Even if he feels pressured to do too much, he still forced shots.

5. Help His Draft Stock Rise

Obviously, Rivers is a great college basketball player. Even though his stock could fall, chances are they will rise.

He's most likely not going to be a top-two selection in 2012, so why not give it a try next season? We could be looking at the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.