Duke may have suffered, what for them, is an off year last season. Blue Devils fans should not feel a need to panic, however, as they should be right back on the top of the ACC in 2016. This is a bold statement considering the Tar Heels appear to have regained their recruiting mojo as well. In fact, it is not out of the realm of possibility to see an all ACC national championship come next April. Preceding that, Duke should end the season at the top of the ACC and a solid #1 seed. Barring injury, anything else will be a major disappointment. Here’s why.
Stellar Recruiting Class
While the Blue Devils never seem to be short of talent, this year they will be more stacked than normal. Nearly every analyst has Duke’s recruiting class as the top in the nation. This begins with the most highly sought after power forward in the nation, Harry Giles. This star athlete hails from Wesleyan Christian Academy where he learned to play at a high level from his freshman year. He may be yet another in a long line of ‘one and doners’ made popular in recent years, so Duke will be looking to tap into his immense talent from the opening tip off. He will be joined by three other five-star recruited freshmen, in addition to a returning cast that has the Blue Devils playing at the top of the ACC.
Depth Is No Longer A Problem
North Carolina rose to the top of the ACC last year primarily because they had a deep bench. Duke tended to fade late in games, using just six or seven players on an average game day. That will change once the 2016 seasons tips off. Look for the club to go ten or eleven deep, with each capable of providing more than their fair share of points and rebounds. The team looks to have four to five players capable of averaging in double digits, with role players up and down the bench ready to come in at a moment’s notice. Make no mistake about it – The ACC will be deep this year, but few clubs will be able to compete with the depth at Duke. Grayson Allen alone is capable of coming off the bench to average in excess of 20 per game, while Jayson Tatum is explosive in his own right. Add to that the hot shooting trio of Matt Jones, Luke Kennars, and Frank Jackson, and opponents will often be struggling to find any type of answer that works.
Let us also not forget Coach Krzyzewski. Because of his sheer knowledge and passion for the game basketball, his teams can never really be counted out. Couple that with the fact that his duties with the national team will be complete as the Rio Olympics draw to a close, his undivided focus will be on bringing a national championship back to Duke.
