Those Worrisome Duke Blue Devils

There is something rotten in the state of Durham.

OK, I know it is pretentious and uncool to begin my first article with a Shakespeare reference, but well, it's my article...

Forget about the Duke Blue Devils that announcers heap praise upon (those teams from 1986-2001). Instead, focus on the recent teams—the ones with as many Final Four appearances as first round exits.

I am a bonafide Dukie and I love Duke Basketball more than most folks hate it, however, the draw this year in the tournament worries me. It's not that I don't have any faith in Duke. This team is just showing some eerie similarities to some of K's previous ones: fatigue down the stretch, rushed shot selections, nagging injuries, terrible matchups.

I fully expect Duke to get past Belmont in the first round, though I am not saying it will be easy. If anything, I hope Zoubek, McClure, and King get a lot of burn in that game because we will need everyone else to stay fresh for the second round.

This is the time of year when rosters shrink, core players' minutes sky-rocket, and home court advantage doesn't exist (unless you are UNC or UCLA). Belmont should give Duke a good run, but the talent discrepancy will favor the Blue Devils.

The second round is a different story. Both potential matchups offer their own unique way of dismantling Duke.

Bob Huggins' Mountaineers play a physical brand of basketball. This year's Duke team is much tougher than in years past (Kyle Singler has the stitches to prove it), but they can still be vulnerable to foul trouble, especially Singler and Nelson—a great defender  who loves to gamble on the perimeter. Their bruising, relentless style (a direct reflection of their coach) could easily disrupt the Devils and their fluid offense. Huggins is terrific at in-game adjustments and will look to exploit his matchups favorably.

Arizona is a whole other problem. Although coached by the unpopular, off-putting Kevin O'Neill, the players on UA's side are nightmares for the Duke defense. Duke has had problems all year containing fast, penetrating point guards (Ty Lawson, Levance Fields, etc.) and Arizona has one of the best in the nation—Jerryd Bayless. His ability to pick up fouls and get to the lane are terrible omens for Duke.

Then there is the inconsistent and sometimes brilliant Chase Budinger. A crazy athlete, Budinger could be a bad matchup for an ailing Gerald Henderson or a seemingly slower Kyle Singler. He can get hot and hit tons of shots. Jordan Hill is a much better post player than anyone could have realized. Skilled and tough, his size could be very disruptive to Lance Thomas and could potentially force K to use Zoubek more. Not his favorite option.

Yet, in most cases like these, K can find the right matchups and exploit them. Duke plays a unique brand of basketball, and their spread offense and shooting ability will keep them in any game no matter how far they go into the tournament.

It is so odd that this year's team took such a doppelganger approach to the sport as Mike D'Antoni did with the "Fun n' Gun Phoenix Suns." This has been the most perplexing and exciting Duke team in recent memory. They are capable of wowing you with jaw dropping dunks (Henderson, Nelson) and lights out shooting (Singler, Paulus, King), and they never tire as they continuously run every other team down.

However, those Phoenix teams—though invigorating to fans and a pleasure to watch—never won it all. Offense doesn't win championships. I hate to say it because I WANT to believe it, but it's true.

Although this is the college game where crazier things have happened. If K and his crew want to prove the doubters wrong, they have the grandest stage in the world to do it.

Go get 'em, Devils! (Oh, and keep your legs fresh for all those threes.)