Despite Setbacks, Duke Can Still Turn Things Around

Being a Duke fan has not been easy during the last few weeks.  

What was looking like a signature season has declined into what looks like a meltdown. Combined with their recent lack of postseason success, Duke's play as of late has many talking about another early exit in March.

But don't count the Blue Devils out quite yet.

Although they have lost three of their last four games, there are still several positives that indicate this Duke team can have greater success than their recent predecessors.

Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler

The Blue Devils' two stars couldn't be playing much better right now.  

Over the last three games, they are combining for nearly 40 points per contest. Last year, Singler wore down late in the season, and his offensive production dwindled. But there has been no sign of that happening this season.  

Henderson played well in the tournament last season, rescuing the Blue Devils from a first round exit, but he has been playing the best basketball of his career since the start of ACC play. If these two can keep producing at their current level, Duke will be in a position to win most games.

Rebounding

The Duke teams of the recent past have consistently been manhandled on the boards.

West Virginia out-rebounded the Blue Devils 45-19 in Duke's second round loss in the NCAA tournament. But this Duke team is hanging with opponents on the boards just fine, even when those opponents are bigger and stronger.  

In the last three games combined, Duke has only been out-rebounded by one board. If Duke can maintain their competitiveness on the glass against tough ACC opponents, they should not have a problem out-rebounding early round opponents in the NCAA.

Free Throw Shooting

Aside from a few poor performances, this Duke team is a very good free throw shooting team. There are very few things more important in the tournament than free throws. Just ask Memphis.

The ACC Is A Much Better Conference This Year

Last year, the ACC only got 4 schools into the field of 64.  This season, they could easily get seven team into the tournament.  Regardless of how many teams play in March, the ACC is definitely tougher than it has been in several seasons.

All of Duke's conference losses have been to quality ACC teams who will likely make the NCAA tournament, and they have been in a position to win in all but one of those games.  The fact is a better ACC will lead to more conference losses; it could also lead to a better prepared Duke come March.

Last season's West Virginia team had 10 losses coming into the NCAA tournament, having played in the highly competitive Big East.  Although they were ranked below the Blue Devils coming into March, their more competitive conference schedule led to a better showing in the tournament.  The same trend may be true of this Duke team.

What Needs To Change

While there are several positive elements to the Blue Devils' play as of late, it's not like they're losing because of all the good things they are doing.  The real problem with Duke is their defense, oddly enough.

In their last three games, opponents are shooting nearly 55 percent from the field, and nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc. As good as Duke has been defensively all season, it is hard to imagine those figures not dropping considerably.

The Blue Devils are certainly slipping right now. But, there is time to turn things around, and there are several aspects of Duke's game headed in the right direction.

Pulling things together will not be easy, but Coach Krzyzewski has already redeemed one team this year, and he still has time to make it two.