Duke is riding a four-loss streak now, after losing to Maryland in a very bad way this afternoon, and they are now definitely a bubble team, especially because their next game is at Boston College, who's leading the ACC right now.
So, why is Duke probably on the bubble right now (and I say "out" at this point), aside from a 5-6 ACC record? I have a feeling they will wind up under .500 in the ACC, and while that's not exactly a mark of total shame in a conference as basketball-stacked as the ACC can be, going under .500 for Duke ought to be a no-no. This team is still looking for a player to step up on a consistent basis and lead them -- the loss of both J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams forced underclassmen to have to step up, and so far, neither Greg Paulus nor Josh McRoberts can be counted on to take over a game when necessary. If they make it by tourney win or ACC bias on the part of the selection committee, they're out by the end of the first weekend. Now, they could wind up a 21-win team, but I'm not sure why they should make it in if they go below .500 in their own conference (despite strong out-of-conference schedule and wins.)
Sunday, February 11, 2007
devil of a time.
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2 comments:
This is weird but I find myself cheering for Duke now. I want them to do well, so I can see them lose. But when they aren't that good, like right now, I don't feel the joy that I normally feel when they lose. So come on Duke! Start winning, so then I can enjoy watching you lose!
The anti-Duke sentiment is kind of perverse, isn't it?
Every program has to have a down year. I just haven't seen one for Duke in my lifetime of sports viewing.
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