Duke is known as one of the top “blue blood” college basketball programs of all time. They have produced NBA talent, six being No. 1 overall draft picks, and notable names like Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg, Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum.
Every year, on paper, the rosters look unbeatable, featuring many five-stars and McDonald’s All-Americans. However, over the past few years, Duke has gained a “choking” reputation during March Madness.
Just this past Sunday, UConn stunned Duke in a thriller comeback win. Freshman Braylon Mullins hit a deep 3-pointer to send the Huskies to the Final Four. Duke held a 19-point lead coming out of halftime, which is something the Blue Devils are used to. They also seem to know how to lose them after UConn rallied through the deficit.
This was just another wild ending in the battle between these powerhouses. Duke, once again, on the losing side.
Duke fans have extremely high expectations, and rightfully so. They bring in the top recruits in the country year after year and are consistently the top team in the ACC. After the end of the legendary career of Coach K, Jon Scheyer took over and has received much criticism despite overall success, just not winning the big game.
But why do they come up short almost every year?
I think it’s crazy that Duke lost in the Final Four with two of the best rookies in the NBA now, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. Duke has relied on young, one-and-done talent rather than having veterans playing multiple years. Every time, it’s a brand-new team with brand-new players and usually the same result.
Back-to-back years, Duke has blown double-digit leads and shown a lack of mental and defensive toughness in crunch time. I believe Scheyer doesn’t have the ability to coach big-time games even with the best players in the country.
Duke players seem to struggle most in late-game situations. For example, Cayden Boozer got the ball and threw it away, giving UConn their opportunity for their historic March Madness game-winning moment. I definitely couldn’t play college basketball, but I think I would at least try to dribble the clock out.
Cam Boozer led the team in scoring and is in the lead for the Naismith Player of the Year honors.
Who knows, there’s always next year. It’s upsetting for Duke fans, but I don’t think many people are complaining about Duke’s recent struggles in the tournament.
