Duke Basketball: Reasons We're Excited for Next Season

As a lifelong Duke fan, I am going through a completely new experience.

Usually Duke fans spend late summer/early fall counting the days until the first basketball game, hitting the message boards to talk some trash and researching the next crop of recruits. I usually spend the entire fall dreaming of basketball games, but this year is a little different.

Duke’s newfound football success is introducing Devils fans to all sorts of new experiences. Never before have we cheered for an underdog or had the opportunity to get mad because our undefeated team is receiving no national attention.

We’re relishing this role and the fun that comes with it. I’ve been saying things like “I think we have three NFL wide receivers on the team” and “we have the best secondary in the conference” constantly to the many UNC and two NC State fans in Durham over the past few weeks.

For the first time ever I am slightly distracted from the upcoming basketball season. When I do think about it, I worry about a repeat of last year’s performance and another early upset in March.

While cheering on the football team is great fun, I will always be more passionate about the basketball team. Even though the start of the basketball season is not quite at the front of my mind yet, when I do think about the team I get excited about this year for a lot of reasons.

Playing the Villain

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One of the best parts about being a Duke fan is soaking in all the irrational hatred (or should I say jealousy-fueled hatred) that comes Duke’s way. From people picking on J.J. Reddick’s poetry to haters thinking that spelling Duke “Dook” is somehow insulting, Duke fans get to sit back and watch the wins pile up as opponents make increasingly ridiculous excuses to invalidate the wins.

The recent article by Adrian Wajnarowski of Yahoo Sports that accuses coach Mike Krzyzewski of using his perch atop USA basketball as a recruiting tool and showcase for Duke has gotten the hate season off to an early start. 

With Duke facing heat that’s more legitimate than usual, fans should dive headfirst into the villain thing. Yes, Duke's coach may use the system to the team's advantage, but who wouldn’t? Being the bad guy is fun sometimes, especially when you aren’t really a bad guy but everyone hates you anyway. If the nation wants us to be Devilish then so be it; the results on the court will stay the same.

Revenge

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After a lackluster year, Duke’s returning players and coaches will have an extra chip on their shoulders this season. Duke has lost its first game of the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years, leaving many to speculate about the program’s ability to succeed with one-and-done players.

Duke also now has zero players on the roster who have won an ACC tournament, a startling revelation considering the team’s usual success in that area.

This year’s team has one likely one-year player (center Jahlil Okafor) and three other recruits who could contribute immediately. The freshmen will be eager to prove they can lead the team to a successful season and a deep run in March in their first (and maybe only) year on campus.

The returning players are also feeling the sting of the recent failures in March and will be out to prove themselves as leaders. Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon have gone through their fair share of ups and downs over their careers, and they will want to prove themselves capable of leading a successful team.

The coaching staff has a lot to prove as well. With Coach K facing the criticism over Team USA, as well as the recent “failures,” he will be coaching with ferocity. A lot of people considered last year to be his worst coaching job, and he will want to prove he can still do more than just recruit.

Duke also lost longtime assistants Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski in the past two offseasons, and Nate James and Jon Scheyer will be eager to prove they can have a major influence on the team.

Add it all up, and everyone involved with the team has a lot to prove. This should lead to intense preparation, tough play and lots of winning.

Rivalries

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Gone from the ACC is Maryland. And with the departure so is the annual annoyance of the Turtles claiming to be rivals with Duke and Duke fans denying the rivalry but then ending up perversely caring about the Maryland game because they don’t want the rivalry validated.

Maryland will be replaced by Louisville, a school that makes for a better rival before ever playing a game in the league. Louisville is a more consistent program, has less violent fans and has better corporate connections. I’ll take the KFC Yum! Center and Papa John’s connections over Maryland’s ugly Under Armour uniforms any day.

Duke’s returning rivals should also provide a lot of entertainment. Duke will play Syracuse twice again after two classic, controversial games last season. The Orange lost a lot of production, but they always bounce back quickly, and the rivalry could be bolstered if former Dukie Michael Gbinije steps into a starring role for Syracuse.

NC State might be terrible, but that’s just good fun for both Duke and UNC fans as we continue to shun it and wonder whether NC Central has bumped State down to being the fourth-best team in the Triangle region of North Carolina.

As for the big one, UNC is looking good this year. I love a good down year for the Heels just as much as the next Duke fan, but they haven’t been a consistent top-10 team for two years now, and the rivalry is due for a year with both teams Final Four contenders.

The Heels are loaded inside and have a strong freshmen class coming in, but they still have a shocking lack of shooters behind Marcus Paige. Both teams will likely be preseason top-10 teams and hopefully will still be ranked as highly when they play each other.

Duke’s key opponents should be strong this year, but Duke can match up with anybody, and Devils fans should fear no team.

Balance

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Last year’s team was stuffed at the wing but empty in other areas. The Blue Devils' starting lineup down the stretch last year included a defensive-minded point guard (Tyler Thornton, aka the latest fan-anointed next head coach at Duke), a combo guard (Sulaimon), two small forwards (Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood) and a power forward (Amile Jefferson).

The talent of the team was overshadowed by the challenge of utilizing many players who score in the same ways and getting them to contribute consistently.

This year’s lineup will look a lot more conventional. Tyus Jones and Cook will both see plenty of minutes at point guard. Sulaimon will play the 2 and move to the 3 in small lineups. Freshman Justise Winslow is a prototypical small forward. Jefferson will move back to power forward and Okafor will start at center, where Marshall Plumlee will also see playing time.

Last year the team’s talent led to a lack of fluid offense, as players took turns playing hero ball. This led to a lot of slumps for the team as well as a lot of missed open shooters and cutters. This year the offense will have a more clearly defined role, and the players project to fit together better than last year.

With all the parts working, Duke should look like a well-oiled machine on offense. Smart and team-oriented play may not produce as many highlights as last year, but Duke should be able to score more easily when the game is on the line.

'Chief' Justise Winslow

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Winslow will come in as the third-most touted freshman for Duke, but he could quickly become a fan favorite.

Two years ago, we fell in love with Sulaimon because of his hard, unselfish play and for not being Austin Rivers. After watching Rivers be a ball hog all year and Duke falling short in March, we were happy to have a player who may have had less talent but fit in with the team better. Winslow could have the same effect this year.

He is not the scorer that either Parker or Hood was, but he has many attributes that make him a great fit for the team. His will add a defensive presence the team sorely lacked last year as well as an incredible motor and high basketball IQ.

Parker and Hood both scored easily, and both struggled to impact the team in other ways. Winslow can help the team without a play being called for him and will fill in the gaps on the court with his versatility.

Fans will love Winslow for his tough play. And how many players come into college with a perfect nickname already in tow? Chief Justise will rule the court this year and hopefully for a few more at Duke.