Duke Basketball: Are They Contenders or Pretenders After St. John's Loss?
What's a blowout loss to a lesser team mean for Duke? The defending national champions have mostly been on cruise control this season, but experienced a hiccup against St. John's over the weekend.
Was it a hiccup? Or is this belching signifying the onset of a stomach ulcer?
The Blue Devil are going forward to prove they are contenders for a second consecutive national championship. But there is some evidence that this team is a pretender.
Here are five reasons Duke is a contender and five reasons it's a pretender.
Contender: Great Guard Play
1 of 11
Nolan Smith is one of the premier guards in the country, averaging 21 points and 5.6 assists per game. Any team with strong guard play has a chance at a good run in the NCAA tournament.
Andre Dawkins is pitching in with 43 percent three-point shooting. More consistency out of Dawkins would help as well as finding more reliable play from the bench.
But Smith is component number one in making a run at a title defense.
Pretender: Missing Kyrie Irving
2 of 11
Freshman phenom Kyrie Irving burst onto the scene in his first eight games, living up to the expectations by averaging 17.4 points per game.
But he doesn't do the Blue Devils much good sitting on the bench with a toe injury suffered Dec. 4 against Butler. Irving is expected to get his boot off this week but it is unlikely he returns this season.
Irving is exactly the scoring force that Duke needs but won't have.
Contender: Much of Chanpionship Team Has Returned
3 of 11
Jon Scheyer is gone as is Brian Zoubek from Duke's 2010 national championship team. But Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are back. Miles and Mason Plumlee provide big bodies down low.
Much of the production that led the Blue Devils all the way last season is back. Scheyer may have been the team's high scorer in 2010, but Singler was its most valuable player.
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
Pretender: Relying Too Much on Singler and Smith
4 of 11
As good as Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are, they can't carry the Blue Devils all the way to a championship without some help. Kyrie Irving was the man that made this team click.
But now it's up to Singler and Smith to rally the troops. However, the troops aren't being rallied. Duke is getting by but this mode of operation won't work in the NCAA tournament.
Contender: This Was Only the Team's Second Loss
5 of 11
The loss to St. John's, although embarrassing and inexcusable, was only Duke's second loss of the season. The other was an upset at Florida State.
Don't forget their other 19 games, all of which they won. Duke might drop one or two more, but it should cruise to an ACC championship.
Pretender: Fairly Weak Schedule
6 of 11
Currently, Duke has the 63rd-best strength of schedule in the country. They've beaten no team currently ranked in the Top 25 and only have two wins all season over a Top 25 team.
Then-fourth-ranked Kansas State and then-sixth-ranked Michigan State have since derailed.
There's not a whole lot for the Blue Devils to hang their hats on. They've pretty much beat up on weaker competition.
Contender: No Team Ahead Looks Indestructible
7 of 11
Jared Sullinger and Ohio State look really good, don't they? But they don't look indestructible, do they, after narrow wins over Illinois and Northwestern in the last week-and-a-half. Kansas looks good, but Texas nipped them in Lawrence.
The Longhorns and Pittsburgh Panthers both have question marks, as do all the teams behind Duke in the rankings.
With no team showing true dominance, it leaves the door open to anyone it that top tier. Duke is right there.
Pretender: The ACC Is Down
8 of 11
There is no question that the ACC is struggling right now. Only Duke and North Carolina are ranked in the Top 25. Those are also the only two ACC teams in the top 50 in RPI.
Florida State is at No. 52 and then it's Virginia Tech tied for 67.
This isn't the days of having four or five teams ranked in the top 15. The ACC isn't exactly a gauntlet. Duke will get through it little worse for the wear, but what exactly is that worth this season?
Contender: Coach K Is Still on the Bench
9 of 11
No matter who Duke is playing this season, the Blue Devils on the floor can look over and see coach Mike Krzyzewski. He's one of the best in the game today and one of the best coaches the college game has ever seen.
He's seen it all, from replacing departed stars or injured starters to being the target or the underdog. As long as Krzyzewski is around, Duke is a contender.
Pretender: It's Too Hard to Repeat
10 of 11
Teams have only been back-to-back men's Division I NCAA basketball champions eight times, including UCLA's run of seven straight from 1967-73 as one.
Florida last did it in 2006-07 by returning its entire starting five, four of which were drafted by the NBA.
It's just too hard to do under the tournament format. It's a matter of creating magic at the right time two years in a row.
It can be done, but not by this team.
Verdict: Duke Is a Contender
11 of 11
One bad loss isn't enough to debunk the rest of the resume. This is still a team that has had a relatively easy go of things against everyone.
The Blue Devils should hope for some improved competition in the ACC. Wandering into the NCAA tournament lightly tested is grounds for early removal.
Duke is still a contender. They aren't going to win it all, but they're in the conversation.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
