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Duke Basketball

BDN Monday Musings – It’s all business for Duke Basketball after the Holidays

Cheerleader of the week

Firstly, I hope all of you are having a safe and happy holiday season!  I hope too, that all of you caught your breath for the basketball season will now get into the meat of the schedule. 

First things first

Before we can discuss the coming ACC season we must first address Wednesday nights game with UNC Greensboro in Greensboro Coliseum.  The game, itself, will be a walk in the park for the nations top rated team.  Coach Krzyzewski will use thes game to help his troops shake off the holiday rust, so expect the Blue Devils to be focused by games end.  Not to be lost or under the radar is the fact that Mike Krzyzewski will be in sole possession of the second most NCAA wins in history at nights end.  It's a heck of an accomplishment for sure, but Krzyzewski has his eyes set on another championship and he knows it will not be easy for this seasons team to meet lofty expectations for they are through the roof.  That said, Coach will once again downplay the history making moment where he officially passes former North Carolina legend Dean Smith.  Tickets are still available and it is a great chance to see Coach K and Team Blue Devil for many fans in the central and western part of the state.  You can be a part of history should you choose to go to the game.

Kyrie Irving

I've chosen to remain positive with concerns to KyrieIrving returning to the court for Duke this season, but in truth nobody seems to know for sure what will happen.  Everybody has an opinion, some justified, some just plain silly.  All I can say is that I hope he comes back but until there is news of a firm plan, it's time to start looking at the Blue Devils without Irving.  About the only fact I can pass on is that Irving and the other Duke players spent Christmas at home with their families and they were to return today.  Irving will likely have another look at his injury any day now and the team tending him will go from there.

Here comes the ACC season

The ACC Basketball season begins in earnest in January where the Blue Devils will face seven conference foes with Alabama-Birmingham and St. John's mixed in.  Duke has two home games to start off the ACC season with Miami and Maryland.  They then travel to Tallahassee to take on Florida State in a game the pundits are already circling as a good possibility of an upset.  They then face Virginia at home before two in state road game affairs with N.C. State and Wake Forest.  Duke will be looking for a bit of revenge against the Pack, but their opponent will be at full strength then.  The Deacons have much better talent than their record indicates, so this could be a trap game.  Heck, it's the ACC, so they could all be trap games.  By the end of January, fans will realize the road will indeed be a tough one and that Duke will continue to take everybody's best shot.

Reality check

Duke fans wouldn't trade places with anyone.  After all, they are undefeated and ranked #1 in the nation and have Coach K at the helm.  Earlier in the season Coach Krzyzewski said this team would have to make their own journey but a lot of fans continued to whisper undefeated as did the media labeling Duke clearly the best.  A look around the college basketball landscape shows that there are a lot of good teams and those teams are capable of beating the Blue Devils on a given night.  In short, anyone thinking this team will go undefeated is fooling themselves.

On the other hand

The Blue Devils will learn a lot about themselves when adversity continues to set in.  They are currently dealing with the fact Kyrie Irving will be out for a bit if not the season.  The players were sent into the break knowing they'd have to elevate their games, so the key thing to watch will be continued development with concerns to chemistry.  In short, Duke is looking for certain players to step up their game and become consistent night in and night out.

Glaxo Smith Kline Invitational

Our members know that the Duke staff has been on the road checking out the nations top prospects while forming their wish list for the future.  In the past the Glaxo Invitational has always been a great event where it is literally filled to capacity.  The event as always, takes place at Raleigh Broughton High School and the action for the men begins on December 28th.  Broughton is the alma mater of former Dukie Shavlik Randolph and the legendary Pistol Pete Maravich.  Originally, Duke had two kids to watch closely.  But one of them, Tyler Adams backed off his commitment and now plans his future with Georgetown University.  Marshall Plumlee remains a future Duke and he will lead Christ School against Brandon, Mississippi and the aforementioned Adams on December 28th at 7:20.  You better get there early to see the two in action and if you cannot make it, BDN will be there to fill you in on the action where we'll eye a couple of other kids as well.

Duke Basketball

BDN’s Monday Musings – It’s time for the Holidaze

BDN salute the Duke Blue Devil himself this week! Photos by Rick Crank for BDN

I imagine some of you are just getting your Christmas or Holiday shopping started, just make sure you stay out of my way in the stores if that's the case.  Seriously, the holidays can bring on quite the daze but, as a Duke fan, you have a lot to be happy about and we take a look at some of those things in our Monday's Musings column.  We have decided to salute the Blue Devil as our cheerleader of the week, for nobody works harder pumping Duke fans up on the sideline.

K-Sing, the stretch run

The college basketball season begins in earnest in January with games coming at a breakneck pace, unlike the brief holiday break we are currently witnessing.  This time of year means that a special senior, Kyle Singler, will be turning his game up a notch.  Each time you watch Duke in person or on television keep in mind that four-year guys are special when they return when they could have left two seasons earlier had they wanted to.  It is clear to see that Kyle Singler loves the Duke uniform and he's having a blast with his college experience.  It's not often this kind of thing happens, so enjoy the moment and take time to realize that Duke is the nation's top-ranked team and you simply cannot have it any better than that.

Kyrie Irving's  toe

In the pre-season, it was Nolan Smith's feet getting the attention after ESPN's All Access coverage where he called them his "money makers."  Of course, that was jest and Kyrie Irving's toe is nothing less than serious.  As the boards exploded with worry, I have maintained a stance that we'd not seen the last of the outstanding freshman.  When it comes to Duke basketball, I am a glass half full kind of guy.  I mean, how can you ever not have your glass half full if you are a fan of the elite program?  Still, the worry of Blue Devil fans was more than evident and for good reason -- they simply wanted to see the kid play.  I expect we'll be hearing some news sooner rather than later on the situation, so stay positive if you haven't been all along.

Judging from the jersey, the Blue Devil thinks we'll see more of #1 before the season is over

A low key approach

The media will take anything but a low key approach when Coach Krzyzewski ties North Carolina's Dean Smith on the all time wins list this evening.  I mean no disrespect to Elon,  but a win by them would be the greatest upset in the history of sports when looking at each team's talent level.  There is plenty of reflection for those of us who have been around long enough to see Coach Krzyzewski arrive on campus and had witnessed Dean Smith's accomplishments.  In Bob Harris's new book, "How Sweet It Is," he mentions a game between the two schools where Dean rapped the scoreboard in Cameron yet didn't get a technical.  People or those involved can say what they want to about the incident, but that was the game where a line was drawn in the sand by Duke.  A Michael Jordan led Tar Heels team ended up winning the game by a hair, but notice was served that the Blue Devils were here to stay and since that time Duke basketball has been golden.  While there is no disrespect from Coach K towards Dean, expect him to downplay the situation, for he wants the focus on his team and their season.  Expect more of the same in Greensboro, when they face a winless Spartans team in a game where he'll pass the UNC legend.  It's as if he knows there will be plenty of time to reflect in the off season or maybe when the actual record itself is broken.  Still, as fans, we need to appreciate the fact that Krzyzewski stuck with Duke and for that Blue Devil faithful are lucky.  And for the aforementioned game where Coach let the world know Duke was coming hard, we'll revisit that classic game that television somehow didn't pick up, meaning you had to be there.  So look forward to hearing from some Duke dignitaries who were there.

Frequent Flyer Miles

The men's basketball staff has been hitting the recruiting trail, leaving no stone unturned in their quest to find the nation's top prospects this week.  The staff will, of course, be at tonight's games, but some flights probably await a portion of them once the game concludes.  One of the tournaments they emphasized is the City of Palms in Fort Meyers, Florida.  Austin Rivers will play again at 11:00 and later in the day Alex Murphy will take to the court as well for his St. Mark's team.  Marshall Plumlee led his team in scoring and rebounding in his first game. 

Duke Football is working it too

The Duke football staff has been hard at work on the recruiting trail as well and BDN's Patrick Cacchio has been all over the action.  Check out our recent interviews with future Duke footballers if you haven't already, for the future talent level is getting better and better.  Season ticket renewals went out recently, so secure yours today and back an up and coming program.

Holiday Season is upon us

BDN wishes all of you joyous, safe and happy holidays.  It's a time to let by-gones be by-gones, let go of the petty stuff and spend time with your family and friends.  Some of us tend to stress this time of year but keep in mind that you pull for the nation's top team and that stress could be worse.  Be kind to all you meet at this time and understand that everybody you come in contact with is someone's father, mother, son, daughter, sister and brother.  Think about facilitating a few acts of random kindness and it'll make you glow inside.

Duke Basketball

BDN Monday Musings – Records, Recruiting, Cheerleader of the Week

BDN Monday Musings Cheerleader of the Week

It's the Christmas and Holiday season and BDN wishes all of you a safe and happy time.  Duke students are hard at work on their exams while the basketball and football staffs gear up for a bit of recruiting. 

Tickets still avaliable

On December the 29th, a Wednesday evening in Greensboro, Duke will take on UNC-Greensboro in a game that will push their record to 12-0 on the season.  But it is Krzyzewski's record that will be the focus and around 9:00 that evening the HOF coach will pass North Carolina's Dean Smith with 880 wins landing him in 2nd place on the All Time NCAA wins list.  There are still tickets available for the historical game, so get on the horn and make arrangements to be there for a piece of history.  You'll be hearing a lot more on this as the game approaches and you can see that we have added a graphic to salute Krzyzewski's accomplishment.  And 23 wins past that, Krzyzewski will own the record all by himself over his mentor and friend Bobby Knight. 

Krzyzewski keeping it low key

One might think Coach K would be living in the moment with such a record coming but he is more concerned with this seasons team and he seemingly will prolong the urge and joy of celebration.  No matter how you cut it, this will be one historical season but he wants to be the last team standing in Houston, so his work efforts will be focused on that goal rather than the record. 

Holiday Tournaments begin

The Men's Basketball staff wil be hitting up some holiday basketball tournaments where they'll see pretty much everybody on their watch list.  BDN will be taking in a few of the events as well so we can keep the information flowing.  The recruiting picture will begin to clear this month but it'll be spring before we really get a feel for who the new targets will be.

Let's defend

No, I'm not talking about the national title.  Besides, if you are a Duke fan you realize that the Blue Devils do not defend any championship for each year the team changes personnel.  Krzyzewski has put great emphasis on defense during the December games though and that is the first sign of what the team might look like without the injured Kyrie Irving.  It's really not a big departure from last year but expect the team to morph even more in due time.  You can bet that there are some late nights where the staff is rethinking their plans and you of course know by now, that I for one remain positive that Kyrie Irving will be back on Coach K floor before the season is out.

It's "on" come January

Enjoy the break while you can for once January hits it'll seem like Duke is playing a game every night compared to the December lull. Duke plays their first of six conference games starting with Miami in Cameron.  Next up will be Maryland who fancies themselves Duke's rival, again at home but away games with Florida State and N.C. State will give one an idea of how Duke measures up before the February-March run.  Duke will go out of conference with a trip to New York to face St. John's as well.

Singlers time of year

I continue to be impressed that Duke senior Kyle Singler doesn't bump his averages up against weaker competition.  Most players numbers or stats drop come ACC time but that's when Singler picks his game up.  Watch as his numbers trickle up against better comp, a rare thing indeed.  Kyle wants to win first and all else will fall into place.  It should be fun to watch Singler close out his four years at Duke.  That said, realize that this kid stayed when he could have been preparing to hit the road to Boston or Golden State for his next NBA game.

A last minute Christmas Gift thought

Looking for some stocking stuffers for a Duke fan?  Of course there are tickets available for Elon and UNC-Greensboro but Bob Harris has a new book out too.  Bob, of course, is the long time voice of the Duke Blue Devils and his new book "How Sweet It Is!," just hit the bookshelves.  It has a forward from Coach Mike Krzyzewski and even a CD with interviews done with Muhammad Ali and a long list of interesting characters.  My favorite part of the book was when Bob addressed the game where Dean Smith rapped the scoreboard in Cameron and didn't get a technical.  I was there but the game was not on television and Bob recaps what happened on that night and it is simply too good to give away here, so pick up a copy and get the scoop for yourself.

Give the gift of BDN as well

Another gift suggestion is Blue Devil Nation Premium which gives one full site access where you'll be on the inside.  BDN Premium cover more than just recruiting but that is the main draw.  We'll bring you up close and personal be ith the recruiting trail or the hallways of the Final Four.  We'll happilylet somebody know around Christmas that you've purchased them a membership and that is sure to make any Blue Devil fan happy.  We have 1, 3, 6 and 12 month rates that you can link to above.

Duke Football Recruiting

Coach David Cutcliffe and his staff have been hard at work on the trail and with official visits of late.  BDN's Patrick Cacchio has had a bevy of interviews unlike other subscription sites, these are still free at BDN to all at this time.  We'll have more of these interviews as the week progresses so bookmark our site for the best free Duke Football coverage anywhere.

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

Monday Musings – Football, Hoops, Rumors and the Cheerleader of the Week

Our cheerleader of the week shares a smile for you this Monday morning. BDN salutes the team behind the team be it the cheerleaders, mascot or those who contribute their effort to support Duke Athletics - BDN Photo

The Duke basketball and football teams both play in what will be a busy weekend ahead for Blue Devil fans and both games should prove to be quite interesting.  In this weeks edition of Monday Musings we'll take a look at the week ahead, offer thoughts on the programs and of course there is our Cheerleader of the Week.

Where were the students?

On a crisp Autumn day in Wallace Wade Stadium, the Duke football team was going back in forth with Virginia in what was an exciting offensive showdown where the Blue Devils came out on top 55-48.  At the start of the game, there may have been 50 students max in the stands and some in the press box thought that number would grow and it did, by maybe 100 and I do mean maybe 100 more.  Meanwhile the football team played with a lot of heart and won a thrilling victory in the last minute of the ball game and they deserved better support.  Despite the lack of students, the ones who there in faith were shown appreciation as the team and Coach went over to celebrate their victory.  I have attended games for a long time and the students were not born for some of them.  With that in consideration, I can tell you that I have never seen such lack of support as was witnessed this past Saturday.  We live in a day when Duke practically has to bribe and coddle the student body to get them to show up at what should be a traditional gathering.  And the scary part is there seems to be no obvious solution.  If you are a student and reading this, how about supporting Duke against Boston College for a win would give the Devils a three game winning streak and their second straight ACC win.  It'd be a lot easier to accomplish if there were more support.

Meanwhile, Duke opens the men's basketball season

During the ACC Media Day in Charlotte, North Carolina I asked Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski if it were hard to put last season behind him, thinking his answer might be yes.  Nah!  He's beamed in and ready to embark on the 2010-11 season where the Blue Devils will this time start the season where they left off, that being number one in the country.  Duke will miss graduated seniors Brian Zoubek, who attend the exhibition win over Cal Poly, Jon Scheyer who by the way suffered a really devastating eye injury since and Lance "Hustle Bunny," Thomas.  But the Blue Devils reloaded with guy named Kyrie Irving, a really talented, sometimes dazzling point guard, Josh Hairtson and Tyler Thornton to go with the returning cast which features All Americans in Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith.  The first victim will be Princeton this coming Sunday in a game televised by ESPNU which starts at 5:00.  Duke will then turn right around and take on Miami of Ohio on Tuesday.  Do you think the aforementioned students will be in Cameron for the opener?

Before the tip off to the basketball season, Boston College invades Wallace Wade

In the pre-season I picked Boston College second in their division [and I wasn't alone] for there was a lot of returning talent on the team.  The Eagles stumbled early on, but they are now talking bowl and winning out and they are licking their chops thinking they'll take care of business starting with Duke.  Does it seem like it's been a long time since the schools played?  Well, it has for Duke has played them one time since their conference arrival, a 28-7 loss in 2006.  Anyhow, this is a key contest for both schools in many ways.  Duke wants to close out the season with some momentum while Boston College wants to atone for early season woes.  The Eagles have won two straight ACC games with their latest victim being Wake Forest, a team which Duke lost a heartbreaker to.

Duke Basketball will be tested early

This seasons edition of the men's basketball team will face several early tests in November and early December.  Not that we want to overlook some teams but games with Marquette, Gonzaga or Kansas State, Oregon on the road for Kyle Singler's homecoming all in November.  And December brings the #2 Michigan State into Cameron and a rematch with Butler in East Rutherford, N.J.  That's two top 10 teams and two top 25 teams and two just outside of the rankings in short time.

And there will be great catastrophes and rumors of  ...

This past weekend an ESPN Insider speculated on a certain Duke guard transferring.  Not long ago, the media giant started running rumors across the ticker.  Rumors set forth tremors in fan bases and the sky is falling crew just know there has to be something to every little whim, right?  Well, of course they do and that fuels other fans paranoia more often than not.  The mere fact that some rumors are proven to be true seems to justify each and every one be examined under a microscope, despite the fact that the majority of them, like 90% or better are just bunk.  I mean opposing fan bases are constantly planting stuff about one another on the wild, wild west like world wide web.  This especially holds true on the recruiting front where a certain anonymous poster can say something and it ripples through message boards like fire in a dry forest.

And if you run a web site, you will find that no matter how ridiculous some of them are, you are expected to acknowledge each and every rumor to the tune of numerous questions and the aforementioned "Chicken Little" fans.  Oh, and they can be justified for this poster on so and so's board got one right.  Folks, I am here to tell you that people have selective memories.  If you are in my position, they only remember the very few things I have gotten wrong.  Heck, sometimes people even say I gave them a guarantee from lack of comprehension and again, they read what they want to and can reconstruct what you say to fit their selective views.  So facts?  What are they and do people even care anymore?

The BDN staff starting having to address rumors from other message boards, so much so that we started a separate "rumors," board for unsubstantiated blurbs in an effort to keep fact and fiction apart.  Our policy is if there is something out there we'll let you know asap, but if not, or it is another ridiculous rumor we simply will not address the issue and that serves as a message there is nothing to it.  But just as some want to remember your misses and or supposed misses others want to just see rumors as being true, by not only overlooking but avoiding some of the facts.  When ESPN starts running rumors over the ticker wire, it just opens the flood gates for others to do so and we hope they reconsider before they to have to start a separate rumor central area like we have done.  Our motto has long been we deal in fact not fiction and we'll stick by that by stating if what we say is speculation it'll be clear to you and when we are emphatic about say a recruiting or other tidbits, you can take it to the bank.

In closing, thanks for your continued support and visiting the Blue Devil Nation for we all make up that nation.  Have a good week ahead, support the Blue Devils and check back in next week for another edition of Monday Musings and of course the Cheerleader of the Week.

For full site access, join BDN Premium and help support our continued efforts to bring you the best coverage available.

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

BDN’s Monday Musings – Bama hangover, the shadow of basketball

A Monday Musings tradition is the Cheerleader of the Week - Lance King, BDN

It's time for another edition of Monday Musings where I talk about whatever comes to mind with concerns to the Duke Athletic programs. 

Tide rolls in, Tide rolls on, Tide rolls out

When Alabama fans travel, they do so in force and when their fan base got wind that they could feel Wallace Wade Stadium the trip was considered a tourist event for many of their fans.  Waves of Crimson filled the Triangle area this past weekend where they boosted the local economy by six millions bucks.  In all honesty, it was closer to an Alabama home game than a Duke one for the crowd was 60-40 from my vantage.    It was mere seconds before one realized that Duke didn't stand a chance against a superior team.  Fans watched on as several athletic plays made one realize that this Bama team was just down right nasty good.  As the dust cleared from a 62-13 day and what seemed like the longest first quarter ever the Bama fans slowly packed up and headed back to the Deep South where they'll take on Arkansas in a dandy matchup.

In comes Army

It won't take long for Duke fans to miss the huge crowds from the Alabama game for there will be plenty of tickets available when Army rolls in.  And you know what?  They can run the ball and the Blue Devils have trouble stopping the run.  This has become a stressful situation for the football team for they so badly need this win and it adds a ton of pressure.  Despite Duke's early struggles they open as a 6.5 favorite.

Live and learn

One day down the road when Sean Renfree looks back on the Alabama game, he will realize the many lessons he learned.  Renfree rushed some passes on Saturday where film shows he could have held the ball a full two seconds or so more.  One must remember just how young Renfree is and that he is a tireless worker.  There is no doubt that he will be a really good quarterback as his career progresses.

Devils entertain recruits

We've already listed the names of several football prospects which visited campus this past weekend, but hoops was at work as well.  A key PG prospect Quinn Cook was on campus where he hung out with players, namely Nolan Smith.  Marshall Plumlee was seen towering over fans at the game as well and while I did not see Michael Gbinije, he was there.  There were a couple of more names as well which we will cover as the week goes on.

 

Coah K looking cool in his not so cheap sunglasses. You know, the song? Okay, nevermind. Coach K honored at the half.

Duke Baketball casts a huge shadow

No matter how ballyhooed the football game can be in Durham, basketball casts a huge shadow over athletics at all times.  Cameron Indoor Stadium saw about three thousand visiting fans at one time or another this past weekend and Coach K was honored at midfield at the half for winning another Gold for Team USA.  The excitement is already upon us and it should be for this years team will be the pre season number one ranked team in America.  Alabama fans who recognized Duke players were asking for their autographs as if they were celebrities and there were plenty of comments overheard.  FWIW, the pre season magazines are hitting the stands hard and Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith ad Kyrie Irving are all on the first three All Americans teams in each one.  Oh, and ESPNU will televise part of Countdown to Craziness.

Scalpers took a bath on Game Day

Scalpers are a necessary evil for folks always need tickets but when dealing with them you often feel like a shower is in store.  In short, they make used card salesmen look appealing.  Many of them made a killing with on line services leading up to the game but everywhere you turned on game day tickets were available below face value.  This often happens when anticipation outweighs the desire for the game has been called a sell out keeping many folks in front of their flat screens at home.

Pick the score contest winner

Tom4Duke was this weeks winner predicting a 62-17 Alabama win.  You can win one month of BDN Premium by sending us your Duke-Army pick via Twitter this week and being the closest to the score.  If you nail it, we'll give you three months of premium access.  The rules are simple - 1- you must have the winner, 2- be the closet to the actual score of both teams.  Example - You pick Duke to defeat Army 24-17 and the score is actually Duke 28-24, you are 11 total point off and of course the lower the number, the better for you.  Had you picked Army to win, you would have been automatically out.

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

Watzone’s Monday Musings

A couple of smiles for your Monday.

Now that it's known which college players will officially enter the NBA Draft the picture for the 2011 college basketball season is coming into focus.  As expected Gordan Hayward who missed a desperation shot in the national final as the buzzer sounded has elected to stay in.  Many have said the Boston Celtics assured him he would not fall past them, so that made his decision easier.  While college basketball loses here, Hayward has elected to go out on top.  This makes sense in that Butler would be hard pressed to equal their story book run in 2010.  A player like Hayward is cashing in on being hot but had the Celtics not offered the supposed guarantee, he would have been better off returning.  The Duke-Butler game will suffer as will the Bulldogs with his decision.  His return would land Butler in the pre season top five but his loss means they'll likely struggle to remain in the top 25.  Of course, who wants to sell them short?

Speaking of departures, UNC loses not only Ed Davis but David and Travis Wear to transfer.  While some didn't see the Wear twins leaving, many who are close to the program had an idea.  This means UNC is really thin up front but don't fret for the Tar Heels for they will be a team with a lot of potential scorers.  Despite heavy rumors, UNC managed to keep it's other freshman and that will allow them a roster full of perimeter guys.  If you think teams cannot regroup after losses, look no further than Duke who had no recourse when Elliot Williams transffered to Memphis.  Duke came together and everyone worried about their guard depth and in the end Duke gelled and nobody saw them coming.

Enough with departures, let's talk about the returns starting with Malcolm Delaney to Virginia Tech.  The Hokie Nation is smiling from ear to ear for there the 2011 Techsters should garner an NCAA berth.  Look for Delaney and Duke's Kyle Singler to run neck and neck for pre season ACC Player of the Year per local media.  Both are shoe ins for All ACC.

Delaney will put the Hokies in the upper division of the ACC but they'll have plenty of competition from their company.  Duke will not only be the pre season choice for the regular season title  in the ACC but the country as well.  As mentioned earlier, expect UNC to rebound from a lack luster season by their standards.  UNC will add a ton of scoring with the addition of Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock and they'll likely rotate Henson and Zeller down low while playing a quicker team than a season ago.  The addition of C.J. Leslie in Raleigh will propel the Pack to the top of the conference.  Sydney Lowe has a terrific, yet young starting line up and the excitement will rekindle rivalries in the Triangle area.  The other two teams we see in the upper division are Florida State and Miami, but there is a lot of time between now and tip off, so we'll hold off on our official predictions.

Two Big Ten teams benefited by returns as well in Purdue and Michigan State.  The Spartans are loaded with the return of Kalin Lucas and they'll be in the top ten all season long.  In fact, rumor has it that Duke will face Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.  Purdue got some great news when Ja Juan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore pulled their names out of the draft to join an rehabbing Robbie Hummel to form one of the nations top starting lineups.

I started working on an ACC Football preview for a group this weekend and the one thing which stands out is how many of the top teams return most of their starters.  The Coastal division probably has the top four teams in the conference all in one division and any of them could be in the title game in Charlotte.  Duke will be rebuilding and a leap beyond last seasons fifth place division finish will prove tough.  A huge early season barometer will be when Duke travels to Wake Forest in the second game of the season.  The Blue Devils have an interesting schedule where there appears to be some winnable games, but the conference structured it in a way when Duke could have used an off week later in the season.  If there are must wins on the schedule I'd say that Elon and Army fall into that category.  The bottom line is that Duke will be painfully young but quick and with a massive rebuilding job on defense they will lean on their offense while breaking in a new quarterback.

We appreciate your patience of late in that most of our staff has a lot going on from moves to family health issues.  Look for a lot of recruiting coverage in the coming days on both the hardwood and gridiron as we return to normal.  We hope to debut our first prospect video this week as well.  BDN has a lot of changes coming in the near future in that we are always trying to make the site better.