Looking Inside The Numbers: Digging Deep Into Duke's Basketball Season

The Duke Football program has been experiencing success this season for the first time in quite some while under second-year head coach David Cutcliffe. The campus is now excited for the big game on Saturday to arrive, understanding that the Blue Devils have a chance to win against almost anyone if they play their cards right.

The complete opposite is true for that of the Duke Basketball program.

I'm not saying that Duke isn't capable of defeating the top opponents, or any opponent for that matter, but the Duke Basketball program has always excelled.

The campus has always been excited come basketball season, but never before has football been an issue of getting in the way until this season.  

When Duke opens the season at home against UNC-Greensboro on Friday night, November 13, the atmosphere around Duke will be unlike any other: a hopefully great basketball season will be getting under way and the next morning the football program will look to knock off No. 7 Georgia Tech on ESPN2.   

What a crazy 24-hour turnaround.

There are many great opponents in the college basketball landscape that will look to knock off Duke this upcoming basketball season, and it will be a daunting task to say the least. Duke is prepared to undergo one of the most successful seasons in Durham this year, with a new look and a new attitude.

Big men will rule the court for Coach K and his staff, but with the help and experience of three upperclassmen (ACC Player of the Year candidate Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith), fans in Durham should be getting excited.

Another season of Duke Basketball is near, and to start off the season I am going to dig deep and look into the numbers.

Below is a list of important numbers to keep in mind when Duke takes the floor each game this season.

Will the players come out and deliver, or is another March Madness bust on the horizon for the Duke Basketball program?

1 —The number of years that Andre Dawkins enrolled to Duke early. He should be a spark off the Duke bench and will add much needed depth to the back court for Coach K this season.

2 —The number of players that transferred or entered the NBA Draft after last season. Elliot Williams' dynamic play late last season, along with the basketball-IQ and athleticism of Gerald Henderson, will be missed.

3 —The number of true scholarship guards on the Duke basketball roster this season. Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, along with Andre Dawkins, are the only true guards on roster this season. Let's hope there are no injuries to either of the three.

6 —The number of years since Duke's last Final Four appearance. The 2004 Duke squad is the last Duke team to reach the Final Four, or National Semifinals, of the NCAA Championship.

9 —Duke's ranking in the AP Poll opening the season. Although many believed that Duke would be ranked higher, the Blue Devils should move near the top if they play up to their full potential.

11 —The number of ACC Players of the Year from Duke. J.J. Redick is the last Duke player to receive this tremendous honor, winning the award in 2006. Kyle Singler is the early favorite to win the award this year.

13 —The number of retired jerseys at Duke University. There are several players whose names are hanging in the rafters at Cameron Indoor, the most recent being both Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick in 2007. Are there any greats that deserve to have their jersey retired when they graduate on this Duke team? I belive so.

21 —The number of ACC Tournament Championships for Duke. Duke has been one of the top teams in the country when it comes to post-season play. Last season's ACC Championship game win over Florida State gives Duke a total of 21 titles.

30 —The number worn by senior Jon Scheyer. Scheyer is one of the key guys that must play well for Duke to have any chance of a Final Four appearance this season. If Scheyer plays up to his potential as point guard, Duke should be the favorites to win the ACC.

33 —The number of NCAA Tournament appearances for Duke. Duke has been a staple of consistency in college basketball, making the tournament every year since 1995. Look for this upcoming season to be no different as Duke should play well enough to get an automatic or at-large bid.

105 —The number of seasons of basketball at Duke University. Originally called Trinity University, basketball has been offered at the Duke campus for 104 years, this upcoming year being the 105th basketball season at Duke.

120 —The number of points Duke scored in an exhibition contest against Pfeiffer College. I know they say that you shouldn't take too much out of an exhibition game, but man did the Blue Devils look good in a rout of the Falcons.