Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Last year you could call it a fluke.

That's what I called it, at least.

But Duke's loss to West Virginia on Saturday means the Blue Devils will now miss the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season, this after they had made the Sweet 16 in nine consecutive seasons before losing to VCU in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament. So yeah, the mighty have fallen on hard times relative to their usual type of times, and the only obvious explanation is that Mike Krzyzewski has made multiple bad recruiting decisions that have left him with a roster full of nice guys, only some of whom are physical and/or athletic enough to lead an elite program.

And don't tell me about all the McDonald's All-Americans.

That's a splendid thing to put in a media guide. But it is accepted fact that many players are named McDonald's Al-Americans because they are being recruited by Duke, meaning Duke doesn't sign McDonald's All-Americans as much as it manufactures them.

To this point, I'll ask this question: How many future NBA players were on this Duke roster?

Answer: A couple, probably.

Kyle Singler will play many years in the NBA, and I'm assuming Gerald Henderson will, too. But there weren't any serious prospects beyond those two, which is fine for most programs but less-than-fine for a program that has long been considered the best of the best. I mean, scrappy play and hustle and slapping the floor is great and all. But it takes pros to hang banners, and Duke is now mostly devoid of pros relative to the North Carolinas and UCLAs of the world.

And it's not getting fixed by next season.

The Blue Devils are losing DeMarcus Nelson and replacing him with Elliot Williams, a McDonald's All-American shooting guard from Memphis. But when Duke missed on prep standout Greg Monroe it ensured the Blue Devils will play another season without a notable post presence, and so it's hard to imagine Krzyzewski won't again have the same issues with his team.

Which is not to say Duke will be bad.

Let me be clear about that.

The Blue Devils should return four starters from a 28-win team, and that'll put them in the preseason Top 10. But the guess here is that they'll still be a piece away from having the personnel to hang another banner. And though that's OK for most programs it's just not what we've traditionally expected from Duke, which will now watch the second weekend of the NCAA tournament on television. Again.

I think the point Parrish is trying to make about having future pro players is that they are a necessity to carry you through at least one game in the tourney. While Duke teams of the past might not have had more than 2 future pros, this was before the one-and-done rule came into being. Now there are more future pros playing for at least one year (and some find they like it, or aren't good enough immediately so play for more - Brandon Rush, etc), so it becomes more important to grab those players. The #1 seeds all have multiple pro prospects which are needed to progress to the Final Four at least. Last year's National Championship Game should serve as an example of what is necessary to get back to consistent Final Fours (like Duke achieved in the past), or alternatively look at some of the #1 seeds this year who have either multiple NBA picks (UCLA, Kansas, UNC) or lottery picks (Memphis - Derrick Rose)

E*Daddy Reputation: 93 Level: All-Star Since: Feb 5, 2007	Posted on: March 22, 2008 5:06 pm Score: 81 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) "Sup, Gary, E*Daddy from Memphis here. Congrats on the large life, dude. So do you think our fellow Memphian, Elliot Williams would still be a McD's AA if he weren't recruited by Dook? -E [ Reply to Comment ]
Venom1971 Reputation: 91 Level: All-Star Since: Feb 25, 2008	Posted on: March 22, 2008 5:55 pm Score: 47 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) Just like my favorite team,Kentucky,Duke didn't stay in the tourney very long again this year.Coach K will turn things around.He always does. [ Reply to Comment ]
riclub Reputation: 32 Level: Rookie Since: Jul 28, 2007	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:08 pm Score: 47 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) Sure hope not! Carolina fan [ Reply to Comment ]
StlrsfanDink Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Dec 6, 2006	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:10 pm Score: 80 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) DUKE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A #2 IN THE 1ST PLACE... The little gnome known as Coach K has lost his luster as a coach IMO ever since he passed up going to the Lakers. Nothing I love more than to see the Dukies OUT. Roy Williams is a class act and the BEST coach in the ACC. I did see that JJ Redick scored 2 points for the Magic last night... [ Reply to Comment ]
Sports24/7 Reputation: 95 Level: Superstar Since: Sep 5, 2007	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:13 pm Score: 73 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) This shouldn't be a surprise to everyone. The two shortcomings that Duke managed to successfully cover up all season - the lack of rebounding presence and a go-to scorer - were exposed by Belmont and finished off by WVU. Guard play is important (and often over-hyped) when you get to this point in the season, but with few exceptions basketball at these levels is and always will be a big man's game. [ Reply to Comment ]
TarCane44 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Jan 4, 2007	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:15 pm Score: 86 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) Aint it grand? lol, they definitely deserve a #2 seed, right? StirsfanDink - thanks for the Roy comment, he certainly is the BEST and CLASSIEST coach in the ACC. GO HEELS! [ Reply to Comment ]
overrated#4 Reputation: 88 Level: All-Star Since: Mar 4, 2008	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:29 pm Score: 38 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) Hey. Duke was 28-6 this year. That's not bad. And how about we give the Mountaineers some credit. Over the last 4 years they have had some good success in the tourney (with the exception of last year when they WON the NIT). Good for all of you Tar Heel fans that don't like Duke. I'm not a big fan either. But let's give WVU some credit. They out hustled and out fought Duke in a physical game. And as for needing big men to bang the boards, WVU's leading rebounders were a 6'8" forward and 6' guard. And finally, with regards to not having enough pro material players, can you name the last time Duke had more than two? Laettner and Hurley and G. Hill (coming off the bench). It's rare to have three at any given time. Let's be real. Duke will be back next year, probably be a 1,2 ,or 3 seed again and may be fortunate enough to get through to the final four, or they might run into a buzz saw that plays better than there reputations like good ole WVU. [ Reply to Comment ]
awmiller2006 Reputation: 55 Level: Pro Since: Sep 26, 2006	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:41 pm Score: 26 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) How long you had this article ready, Gary? You're a schmuck. "Bad recruiting decisions?" Please explain. To name a few, Duke recruited and had serious shots at Patrick Patterson, Gary Johnson, Brandan Wright, Jon Brockman, and Sasha Kaun. Should Duke just offer more ($) to the guys? Or maybe Krzyzewski should just try harder. [ Reply to Comment ]
Joe8383 Reputation: 91 Level: All-Star Since: Jan 20, 2008	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:43 pm Score: 91 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) I think the point Parrish is trying to make about having future pro players is that they are a necessity to carry you through at least one game in the tourney. While Duke teams of the past might not have had more than 2 future pros, this was before the one-and-done rule came into being. Now there are more future pros playing for at least one year (and some find they like it, or aren't good enough immediately so play for more - Brandon Rush, etc), so it becomes more important to grab those players. The #1 seeds all have multiple pro prospects which are needed to progress to the Final Four at least. Last year's National Championship Game should serve as an example of what is necessary to get back to consistent Final Fours (like Duke achieved in the past), or alternatively look at some of the #1 seeds this year who have either multiple NBA picks (UCLA, Kansas, UNC) or lottery picks (Memphis - Derrick Rose) [ Reply to Comment ]
cbc121644 Reputation: 73 Level: Pro Since: Sep 25, 2006	Posted on: March 22, 2008 6:44 pm Score: 34 Duke isn't in the Sweet 16 (again) How about the 2001 national champs, had Battier, Jay Williams, Boozer, Dunleavy and Duhon. 1999 team had Brand, Maggette, Battier plus Langdon and Avery were drafted. The lack of pro talented started when Deng left early and Shaun Livingston decided to go pro. [ Reply to Comment ]

Gary Parrish

Parrish: The Thoughts