Why Duke Will Win The NCAA Championship

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I recently asked a savvy sports blogger if he knew any Duke writers who could write a piece about how the Blue Devils could win the national championship. I just wanted to have each of the No. 1 seeds represented at least once this week here on OGS.

His reply, humorously, was, "No, thank God."

I know it's something most of us do: hate Duke basketball. Coach K and his Devils are a lot like Notre Dame football. We call both programs elitists and we ridicule the NCAA for its man crush on each. Instead of hating the faceless NCAA, we direct our vitriol toward Mike Krzyzewski and his troops and feel like vomiting every time we hear about Touchdown Jesus.

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But once you get beyond the childish hatred, the reality is that Duke has one of the best college basketball programs in the modern era. Still, we call the Devils chokers because it's been nine whole years since they won their third national championship in a decade. How awful.

So if we can be objective for a minute, we have to accept the fact that Duke could very well win another national championship this year, and here's how:

First of all, its backcourt is one of the best in the country. John Scheyer and Nolan Smith are a great tandem, and although Kyle Singler is hardly listed as a guard, he can bring a guard's game with a decent handle and excellent outside range for a big fella.

And unlike typical Duke interior units of years past, the Devils can actually bang on the blocks this time around. Brian Zoubek, Miles and Mason Plumlee, Andre Dawkins and Lance Thomas are hardly stars, but together they give the Devils depth, athleticism in some spots and 25 fouls. That will be key in the Elite Eight when Duke matches up with Baylor, whose backcourt is about equal to Duke's.

Although the ACC brought subpar competition this season, the Devils went outside the league to play six teams from BCS conferences, as well as Gonzaga, going 5-2 in those games. Seasoning cannot be underestimated. Denny Crum used to take his lumps during the regular season, losing eight or 10 games every year, never sniffing a No. 1 ranking, but always had Louisville prepared for the NCAA Tournament in March.

And an admirable schedule will have come in handy by the time the Final Four rolls around. Kentucky didn't play a difficult schedule, but what it lacks in seasoning, UK certainly makes up for by being immensely talented. Duke won't need to necessarily slow things down, but against the Wildcats, the Devils might want to exhibit patience the way a more experienced team should be capable of doing.

And if Duke gets to the title game against Kansas, you've got two of the game's best coaches, matching championship pedigrees and trying to out-strategery the other. While KU is the most complete team in the country, I can't help but think Coach K would have a strong game plan ready for the Jayhawks. Not everyone can play great every night, and Oklahoma State of all teams showed the nation that KU is defnitely beatable.