2011 NBA Draft: Is Kyrie Irving Leaving Duke for the Draft?

When the final minutes of Thursday night’s game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Arizona Wildcats were winding down, it marked the end of fabulous collegiate careers for two Dukies, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.

However, now many are speculating whether or not this may have also been the last game for talented freshman guard Kyrie Irving as well.

Irving netted 28 points in 31 minutes in the Duke Sweet 16 loss, and the game was anything but sweet for Irving, who was seen being consoled by Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski moments after the heart-breaking loss.

Coach K was certainly not ready to talk about future plans for Irving during his postgame press conference either. When specifically asked about the future of Kyrie Irving, Krzyzewski cut the question off.

"Let's not talk about that," Krzyzewski said. "I mean, that's uncalled for right now. Let's just talk about the game and the beautiful way that Arizona played and not future decisions. You can call my office later, you know...how would we do that, Ken? You think I just grabbed him and talked to him about that? I just hugged him because he's crying. I'm not talking to him about him going pro. Those things will happen in due course."

Irving himself gave no indication that he was ready to jump to the NBA, either. During an interview with the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, Irving said, "Right now there is no reason I wouldn't come back for my sophomore year.”

Irving is projected by many to be the top player in the upcoming NBA draft, despite having only played 13 games in his freshman season. Still, NBADraft.net believes that Irving will be a “standout PG at the NBA level.”

Here is my issue with that statement. While Irving no doubt possesses the raw talent and skills to move on to the next level, he has yet to conquer the level he’s playing at now. Durability issues aside, Irving could elevate his status even more by playing a full season at the college level and working under the tutelage of Coach Krzyzewski.

Irving did later throw fuel on the discussion during his interview with Dan Patrick saying, “Honestly, I’m not sure right now.” After a bitter loss on Thursday night, no doubt Irving is still unsure as to his own future, and right now would not be the best time for him to make a life-changing decision.

However, 13 games at the college level is a small sample size to fully assess whether or not Irving is ready for the next level, despite the projections of pundits and experts. With a full year under his belt, Irving will no doubt be at the top of the boards for the NBA draft in 2012.

Stick around for another year, Kyrie. Show the world that you can conquer the collegiate level first before attempting to move on. There is a huge difference between NCAA basketball and the NBA. And with Nolan Smith’s departure, Duke will be your team next season. Show the world what you can do when you’re running the show.

For continuing coverage of NCAA basketball and March Madness, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.