Duke's March Struggles Over: Blue Devils Case As Final Four Contender

When the season began for Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff, several question marks surrounded the program. Amongst the questions of longtime Duke fans and the media:

"Is Duke truly on a downfall because of their lack of success in March in recent years?"

"Would the Blue Devils be able to contend with their rival North Carolina for the ACC regular season title?"

"Could Duke hold up against top-tier teams with a limited backcourt?"

We have yet to receive an answer for the first question (even though March Madness in just around the corner), but the other two have become after-thoughts now that the regular season is coming to a close.

The Tar Heels have struggled throughout the season while adjusting to a completely new lineup from last year's national championship team. The likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green are now gone, along with UNC's winning tradition.

North Carolina currently resides in second-to-last place in the ACC standings (3-9) while holding a slim winning record (14-13) for the year. The Tar Heels have all but been eliminated from the NCAA tournament as well (unless they make a miracle run to the ACC Tournament Title).

Duke may have had problems on the road early in ACC play, but nothing could prepare the conference for a free-fall from the Tar Heels. It may be a tight race for the conference's regular season title, but UNC is nowhere close to the hype.

The last question presented is one that could go both ways: If the "Big Three" of Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler play well against tough competition, they will be in the game until the final buzzer sounds.

The opposite is also true: If even one of the top three players has a bad game for Duke, the Blue Devils could be in for a rough ride.

Take the Duke vs. Georgetown game, for example: The stat sheet looked good: Smith 19 points, Singler 18 points and Scheyer 17 points. However, the "Big Three" combined for a horrible field-goal percentage (15 of 43), giving the Hoyas an easy 89-77 win.  

Although the efforts of Scheyer, Smith, and Singler have paced Duke on the year, other key contributors have begun to emerge while others have begun to fade as the season is slowly coming to a close.

Brian Zoubek, a 7'1" senior, has immerged as one of the top big men for Mike Krzyzewski. Zoubek has been rebounding at an efficient rate and has found his touch around the rim, replacing Miles Plumlee as the starter at center.

While Zoubek has been playing well of late, the opposite can be said of Miles Plumlee. The oldest Plumlee brother, who started the first 24 games of the season, lost his starting role because of inconsistency and a loss of confidence.

Though he may be more athletic than his 7'1" counterpart, Plumlee has not finished shots around the rim, and thus has been reduced to a bench player.

Mason Plumlee, the younger of the two, is one of the key pieces to the Blue Devil's season. He has slowly improved from the beginning of the year, and seems to be gaining more and more confidence each time he steps out on the court.

The most athletically-gifted and possibly most skilled player on Duke's roster, Mason will be counted upon in late-game situations in March and will continue to help Duke down low as the season comes to a close.

Why is Duke a National Championship Contender?

Apart from the "Big Three" and legendary coach, Duke finally has size and depth in the frontcourt for the first time in several years. The Plumlee brothers, when playing at their best, can hold their own with most big men in the country.

You also have Zoubek, who is on a hot-streak of late and is finally proving what he can do on the hardwood now that he is healthy for the first time in his career.

Sharp-shooting Andre Dawkins, co-captain Lance Thomas and versatile Ryan Kelly round out a talented Blue Devils team that will look to repeat as the ACC Tournament Champions and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Dawkins, who started the year out strong, has been used very little since the tragedy of losing his sister in a car accident, but will earn more playing time as he continues to find his range from three-point territory.

This Duke team has more talent and depth than the Blue Devil's teams of the past few seasons who have faltered in March. Led by the strong play of Scheyer, Smith, and Singler, Duke could be in store for a magical season.

As goes the "Big Three" so goes Duke.

This team has national championship potential: Whether they will rise up to the challenges ahead or once again falter under the expectations has yet to be determined.