75 - 70 While there will be much talk about Duke's "shocking" loss, it really isn't all that shocking to me. I've said all year I didn't particularly think this team was a championship team and had set their ceiling as a Sweet 16 team at best. As it turns out I was just a little off. From the season opener against Belmont to now there has been nothing consistent about Duke Basketball.
A first round loss, I may not have seen coming but considering how Duke had played down the stretch dating back to the shellackings they got at the hands of North Carolina in Durham and their off performance in the ACC Tournament, I just can't be all that surprised by the loss.
Granted some of the recent poor play had been related to the absence of Ryan Kelly who missed the last three games with a sprained foot, but as MIke Krzyzewski said in his post game interview you can't blame it on the fact they didn't have Kelly.
The loss while not in the least bit shocking is a huge blow and I really mean this one hurts. A team with supposedly more talent allowed a team with less to completely dominate them, out hustle them and far too often.
For much of the season Duke played far too un-Duke like. Their defense was awful, they had questionable leadership (players not coaches) and they just didn't play a good number of games with much energy or fire.
It isn't that the Blue Devils didn't play hard but they just weren't talented enough to cruise in games and far too often they started out in cruise control and had to fight back, and in 7 of those games no comeback would be possible.
Krzyzewski should get all the credit in the world for winning 27 games with this team but you have to wonder how a team that beat some of the teams Duke beat, loses to Lehigh.
Granted Lehigh has a solid player in CJ McCollum, but their secondary players out hustled and out worked Duke's supposedly superior players for much of the game.
It is another frustrating season-ending loss and when you look at Duke's recent tournament history dating back to 2007 the Blue Devils have only gotten past the Sweet 16 once and lost in the first two rounds three times. It hasn't been a dominant stretch for sure.
It is going to be a long offseason for the Blue Devils and their fans. There is a lot ot try to figure out namely who comes back and who stays.
Many feel Austin Rivers is gone while others think Mason Plumlee could possibly leave. If you ask me and I'm sure everyone is lining up to do so, I could see one of those guys staying but really think both should.
There is still work to be done in recruiting as the coaching staff still has its eyes set on Amile Jefferson and or Shabazz Muhammad are key targets to add to a class of guard Rasheed Sulaimon.
If the Blue Devils sign no one else and they return everyone then they still have to find a defensive intensity they were lacking this season and someone has to be able to lead the team on the court.
We will have more on the aftermath and look ahead to the offseason and what lies ahead next year, which of course will be hypothetical at this point.
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