Snowball Effect Dooms Duke
Duke’s national championship hopes fell apart in a hurry in the second half against Villanova, as the Wildcats continued to swarm and the Blue Devils couldn’t hit an outside shot. “It was just a snowball effect. We weren’t hitting our shots, and that itself is frustrating,” Kyle Singler said after the game. “So you take rushed and hurried shots, and those are the ones that hurt you in the long run.”
A combination of poor shot selection, solid Nova defense and rushed shots caused the worst shooting percentage by a Duke team since a “stall-ball” game against NC State in 1968 when the Devils were 2-for-11. As a result, the season came to an end in the Sweet 16.
A Year to Remember
The 2008-09 Blue Devils enjoyed a number of great accomplishments over the course of the season. Once the pain of the season’s final game starts to fade, the guys can look back on some big wins including the ACC championship, incredible hard work and sacrifice, hilarious locker room moments, and a great group that represented the university at the highest level. ”This has been a great team for me to coach,” Coach K said. ”I love these guys. I’m proud of them.”
*Champions of 2K Sports Classic
*Devils became Coach K’s record 14th team to reach the No. 1 ranking.
*Playing some of its best basketball of the season towards the end of the year, the team played 10 of its last 12 games against NCAA Tournament teams and won 10 of those contests.
*Duke won 14 of its 19 games against ACC teams.
*The team matched the 1991 Blue Devils for the most wins in a single season in Cameron (16).
*The team played perhaps its best game of the year in the ACC title game, defeating FSU to win the conference title for the 8th time in 11 years.
*Duke’s win over Texas gave the team 30 wins on the year. This squad is Coach K’s record 10th to hit the 30-win mark.
*The Blue Devils earned the No. 2 seed in the East thanks to the #1 ranking in the RPI and the nation’s toughest strength of schedule.
*The guys pulled out a tough win against Texas to send the Devils to the Sweet 16 for the 10th time in 12 years.
Looking Ahead
The season “officially” wraps up with the season-ending banquet to be held in Cameron on April 24th. In the next few weeks, players and coaches will meet individually or in small groups to plan for the spring and summer.
