Duke Basketball: Why the Blue Devils Should Be Feared in 2011-12

In the 2010-11 season, Duke, led by departing stars such Nolan Smith, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Singler, went 30-4, won the ACC tournament, and was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but should they be feared again in the upcoming season?

Duke has nine players returning, seven of whom will make an impact this season.  They also now have five recruits on the ESPN Top 100 recruits list, and could have another on the way in DeAndre Daniels.  This means that the Blue Devils have the potential to have 13 players getting notable playing time in the 2011-12 campaign.

Mike Krzyzewski usually does not have so much depth on his team, and he will have many more options for how to use his players.  Coach K is one of the greatest coaches ever, arguably second only to John Wooden.  When a coach as crafty Krzyzewski has as many options as he as been given, success is a given.

Duke's depth consists of nine players with height of 6'6" or more.  This is the largest team Duke has had in a while, and their lack of size has been their downfall in recent years.  Now that Duke has the capability to dominate in the paint with the three Plumlees, Josh Hairston, Ryan Kelly and more, they are a balanced team.

Their depth and size give them the capability to play a fast-paced game with many subs, a lineup to use their size over smaller teams, a smaller, shooter-heavy lineup, and much more.

Duke can now adapt to any strategy that their opposition throws at them.  They can match small or large teams, they can take advantage of smaller teams, or run all over faster teams.

Duke now has the three Plumlees, Miles, Mason and Marshall.  United again—and for the last season with Miles being a senior, and Mason considering the NBA a year early—the trio will be looking for a championship. 

These three athletes bring both size and athleticism to the team, and they provide a very solid interior presence.  Duke also has Ryan Kelly, who can play inside or shoot threes, not to mention inside presence Josh Hairston, who can bully smaller players well.

The Duke guards consist primarily of freshmen Austin Rivers, Quinn Cook, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins and Tyler Thornton. 

Rivers is an all-around player who will lead Duke this season, and then will probably go to the NBA at the end of the season.  Dawkins and Curry are both shooters who improved their defense and overall athleticism quite a bit last season.  Cook is a scoring threat at point guard, while Thornton is a pass-first point guard.

Because Duke has so many differently styled players, they can hang with any team in the country.  This ability to play multiple styles of games very effectively is incredibly rare, and in the hands of a mastermind like Coach K is a recipe for success.

Their flexibility, along with Coach K's creativity, will lead Duke to another great season.