In basketball terms, it feels like an eternity ago.

Duke was still stinging from a demoralizing loss to Villanova in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, and to make matters worse, their arch-nemesis from eight miles down the road were celebrating a fresh National Championship. It was a particularly difficult ending to the season and Duke fans were feeling antsy. Fortunately, help was on the way. Duke was widely perceived to be the leader for the services of the nation’s #1-ranked recruit, Harrison Barnes. On November 13th, he called for a press conference to announce his college decision. Blue Devils fans eagerly tuned in, hoping this young man would be the missing piece to help lead Duke back to the promised land.

Within moments, those hopes came crashing down. Harrison Barnes began to initiate a Skype chat session to inform the lucky coach of his decision. The collective heart of Duke fans around the world sank; there was no way Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was going to be on the receiving end of a Skype-filled spectacle. To make matters worse, Roy Williams was. Fresh off the 2009 National Championship, the UNC Tar Heels were also reeling in the most coveted recruit in the nation. Difficult days were undoubtedly ahead for the Blue Devils.

What a difference a year makes!

After Harrison Barnes left Duke at the altar, the jilted Blue Devils rebounded (pun intended) their way to the 2010 NCAA National Championship. Conversely, UNC struggled mightily throughout the season, ultimately missing the NCAA tournament. This season, Duke fans were sarcastically asking “Harrison Who?” and many continued to rejoice as “The Black Falcon” — unjustly hyped by the media as a first team All-America selection before he ever bounced a ball in college — struggled with his confidence on the court to start 2010-11. With Barnes struggling, UNC fell out of the Top 25 for the second consecutive year. For the Duke faithful, life was good.

Then, a strange series of events unfolded: The mighty Blue Devils suffered a drastic blow when all-everything point guard Kyrie Irving injured his big toe, sidelining him indefinitely. The once formidable Blue Devils offense began to exhibit signs of struggle without its dynamic leader. Soon after, Duke lost to a particularly charged Florida State team in Tallahassee. Shortly thereafter, Duke was on the wrong end of a very lopsided game against St. Johns on a nationally televised stage in Madison Square Garden. Eight miles away, the formerly overlooked Tar Heels were stringing together a series of ACC victories. The once-mocked Harrison Barnes began to find an offensive rhythm, including several clutch performances in crunch time. Even the transfer of formerly starting point guard Larry Drew II seemed to have strengthened the play of the Tar Heels, as his new replacement, freshman Kendall Marshall, exceeded expectations by posting 16 assists in a rout over Florida State – yes, that same Florida State team that recently beat Duke.

The recency effect is a peculiar phenomenon. Put simply, humans have a strong cognitive bias to place additional emphasis and meaning upon more recent events. Entering this season, many Duke fans were drooling over the opportunity to once again take UNC out to the proverbial woodshed. However, given recent events, there is now a sense of trepidation in the air. And in truth, this is Duke-Carolina — it just doesn’t feel right any other way!

Having said all that, Duke is still Duke. They are still led by Mike Krzyzewski, and the game is still being played in Cameron.  The Cameron Crazies have still been sleeping outside for a month to get into this game and the atmosphere will still be off the charts. Even without Kyrie Irving, the Blue Devils are still fielding the more talented team. Mason Plumlee has been playing well lately, and both Kyle and Nolan are still their All-American selves. Tyler Thorton’s insertion into the starting lineup looks to have improved the Duke offense, while simultaneously tightening up the defense. UNC has been playing better too, but they are still a very young team, and Duke will certainly have the psychological advantage by playing this game in Cameron.

From a strategy standpoint, it is imperative that Duke apply solid on ball pressure to rattle new starter Kendall Marshall in order to disrupt the Carolina offense.  In the paint, it is crucial that the Duke big men stay out of foul trouble by playing solid defense and focus on boxing out to limit Carolina to one possession. In a game where anything can happen, Duke stands the best chance of winning by sticking to their game plan. BDN predicts that Duke will successfully exert their will to force their desired game tempo and emerge with a workman-like victory, 80-72.

This is it.  Get ready for Wednesday night!

And chant it with me: “Go to Hell, Carolina, Go to Hell! Go to Hell, Carolina, Go to Hell!”

Kyrie Irving wanted to play with Barnes, but he will now prepare to face him as a rival. For Duke fans, it's time to move on and show love to the players that want to play in Durham.

When I first started to write of the aftermath of Barnes recruitment, I realized that in order to get a better picture that it would take a little time. So, I let this sit on the cutting room floor for a few days.  Of course, members wanted answers right away and nobody could give them what few involved in the situation wanted to talk about.

As time has gone on and I have yet to release what we’ll term BDN’s final word on Barnes, I realized that despite all of my efforts there was no real way to make sense of the disappointment.  Still, I will give it a try in an effort to appease those with questions.

First off all, lets be real in that had Harrison Barnes chose Duke, we would have had no problem with his recruitment.  Many of you are seeking answers but nobody can give you a complete scenario as to how things went down.

I have been saying for a year now that

Tyler Thornton puts pen to paper to officially become a future Blue Devil - Photo courtesy of Real Thornton pictured left.

Tyler Thornton signed his letter of intent to attend Duke University.  Thornton joins Josh Hairston and Kyrie Irving in the class of 2010 and the trio could be joined by Harrison Barnes in just a few hours.  Stay tuned to Blue Devil Nation as we’ll take a further look at the future Blue Devils in the coming week.

Thornton [6-2,180] enters his senior year at Gonzaga in Washington, D.C. where he hopes to help lead his team to the title.

Thornton is happy to be a Blue Devil

The nations top rated prospect ends the speculation just after 4:00 est today on ESPN-U.  For those who cannot follow via ESPN-U, here is a link to a live steream via the Internet.

BDN will chime in just before covering tonight’s basketball opener versus UNC-G in a game that tips off at 7:00 on FSN.

We also encourage Duke fans and students to turn out for tomorrow’s Georgia Tech game which kicks off at 7:00.  All military personnel and veterans receive four free tickets by showing their ID’s.

Barnes decision is about four hours away now and fan bases from all the schools involved are tied in knots from anticipation.  This is a rare decision that has not been leaked by media members, meaning a kid will announce on his terms.

Stay tuned for updates -

Harrison Barnes is set to make his collegiate choice on Friday - BDN Photo

Durham, N.C. – Can you remember the last time that the potential signing of a prospect overshadowed the start of the regular season, not to mention home opener for Duke Basketball?  Quit searching, for it has never happened, but one must keep in mind that this is Harrison Barnes and he’s become a household name not only in the Triangle [Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill], but in the nation.

Barnes of course is the consensus top rated player in the Class of 2010 and his addition can really sway the balance of power on the college basketball landscape.  Come 4:20 eastern standard time tomorrow afternoon, when Barnes makes his destination known; the staff and fan base of one school is going to be riding on cloud nine while the five contenders will go into hiding until the initial shock is over.

The suspense is already turning various school sites message boards into a cesspool of rumors and propaganda.  Yet many fans hang on to everything they hear trying to fit together pieces of supposed inside information to give them an early answer.  Never mind, that these claims are coming from anonymous posters, it doesn’t seem to matter in the frenzied world of recruitniks [a reference to recruiting fanatics].

It looks as if Barnes will actually announce his decision rather than some “need of the scoop” media types blowing his day in the sun.  You can rest assured that media types are making calls to all channels in an effort to get said scoop as I type and they’ll stop at nothing, including trying to pick the losing coaches.

Barnes in action - copyright BDN Photo

If my sources are true, Barnes will not call or contact any of the opposing coaches with concerns to his decision, save to thank them for recruiting him.  IOW, Barnes will make the coaches wait as well, or will he?

Barnes day in the sun will continue after his decision in that this recruiting battle  is destined to be talked about by many.  I mean, can you hear Dick Vitale saying, “The amazing Harrison Barnes signed with the …… baby!  Watch out, he’s the second coming …”

Okay, it may not go quite like that, but you get the picture in that Harrison Barnes is the most hyped prospect since LeBron James skipped college to go straight to the pro’s.

Despite the comparisons with James with concern to hype, Barnes is a kid who is big on education and he seems to be a kid that easily fits in.  What I am trying to say is that Barnes could well stay in college more than just one season.

Duke started recruiting Barnes in the summer of 2008 and they had an offer out there early, but Kansas was the first school other than hometown Iowa State to get involved in his recruiting.  UCLA wasn’t far behind, nor was Oklahoma.   UNC got in late but there are many indications that they made up a lot of ground in a short time.

Depending on who you trust, the Barnes spin mill has him going to four schools on his list of six.  UCLA and Oklahoma have become the dark horses, while Iowa State is hanging out of respect, a Barnes trait.

North Carolina fans and their players seem confident that Barnes is theres and that Michael Jordan served as a trump card.  Kansas is proported to be the choice with concern to location and allowing the family to stay in the area.

Duke?  Well, I cannot speak for the assumed rumors and assumptions above, but I can tell you how Duke’s recruitment of Barnes has gone from my vantage.

The Blue Devils had more visits than any other school save Kansas. Coach Kryzewski has been the front and center lead man for Barnes.  It is believed that the two have formed a sound relationship and word is that he gets along with the players both current and coming.

Duke has been up front with Barnes throughout the process and they have made no secret he was their target from day one.  It’s also obvious that Duke fans are hanging on the result of this one for they too are deeply involved with the outcome.

All of the schools offer a great opportunity for Barnes, but it isn’t hard to see that the Devils have a plan and that Barnes is a vital part of their future plans.

In closing may I suggest you brace yourselves for even more late breaking rumors.  At Blue Devil Nation, we do not have public message boards, instead opting for a members only forum.  But even there, we have multiple Barnes  threads with as many as 30,000 views.

Make no mistake, fans are hanging by a thread and anxiously awaiting Barnes decision.

To discuss the Harrison Barnes recruitment and get our feel for the outcome, join Blue Devil Nation Premium for full site access.

The Duke staff wants to work with Harrison Barnes - BDN Photo

My original plan was to run all of the interviews we have done with Harrison Barnes for Blue Devil Nation Premium [subscription service] on our free board this week.  After reading Barnes comments from eight different interviews, we decided to just break it down for you in that his answers have been incredibly consistent.

Despite the fact that names like Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma and UNC are some of college hoops best and that they are all in the running for Barnes services, the young man did not grow up watching college basketball.  He was instead reared on NBA basketball and that is where he learned a lot of his skills.

That means he didn’t really understand the Duke-UNC rivalry unti this past year and that places like the Dean Dome and Cameron Indoor Stadium were all new to him.

BDN covered Barnes during seven AAU events and we personally saw the coveted prosepect play in 24 or more games since the first time we saw him.  That first time was during the NBAPA Top 100 Camp in 2008.  Up until that time Barnes had played with All Iowa Attack and they quite simply did not attend the major events.

That led Barnes to start playing with Howard Pulley [Minnesota] and that allowed the media types and scouts to see what all the hype was about.  Howard Pulley is in a rebulding mode, so Barnes would pretty much carry the load, but he is more than willing to do that anytime, any place, any where.

BDN has learned and seen firsthand that Barnes will not back down from a challenge and that his confidence is rarely shaken.  Even when tired Barnes leaves every ounce of energy on the court no matter what the situation.  There were a couple of occasions where Barnes would handle the ball during crunch time during this past seasons NBAPA Top 100 Camp.

Each time the best prospects in the land would clear out for him and each time Barnes finished the deal against talented competition.  But Barnes is more than just a scorer.  He is always around the ball and plays to his teammates as much as possible.  Observers would have seen more of this had Barnes played with better teammates on the AAU circuit.

Anyway, back to the interviews and Barnes consistency for it could well be telling come Friday.  Barnes has maintained since day one that he would not make a decision until he had made all of his visits.  Guess what?  He took all of them.  You see, Barnes is methodical in everything he does.

Unlike some kids his age, Barnes seems to be an old soul in that his demeanor is always professional.  During all of my views on and off the court, Barnes is always on his best behavior and you never see him, cutting up in an animated way.  He is aware of his surroundings and seems tuned in to what he wants.

When sorting through the numerous interview questions it became clear that Barnes has stuck to his word in most every way.  He’s not the type of kid who’ll rush into anything without disecting all of the facts from fiction and evaluating the pro’s and con’s. That’s why he took each and every visit.

The one thing that has changed in his recruitment is that the Barnes camp decided to speak through certain media outlets where he has kept a diary.  As of a couple of months ago, Barnes would not take calls from the numerous schools sites and he refused to talk about any of the details of his visits.

I have dealt with many kids during similar processes and I can tell you that Harrison Barnes has a good poker face and anyone who claims they have penetrated that are fooling themselves.

Maybe that’s why the makers of Prozac are apt to get a boom in their business come Friday, for many a fan will have been absorbed by rumors and supposed leanings that change every ten minutes on the Internet.

I mean, some depression is guaranteed, especially if Barnes chooses Duke or UNC for that rivaly is unmatched in collegiate sports.

But the bottom line is that this decision will likely stay a secret until the moment he announces.  While that may be tedious for our instant gratificatin society that wants to know it all right now, it’s kind of refreshing.  I mean, when is the last time a player got his day to shine in the light at his bequest?

Blue Devil Nation will have more on Barnes in the coming hours, so stay tuned.  For more on Barnes, join Blue Devil Nation Premium and discuss the matter on the fastest growing premium message board around.  Once a member you can discuss the latest happenings with knowlegable fans and insiders.

Duke fans hope Harrison Barnes chooses Duke - Photo is copyrighted by BDN Photo and cannot be used without permission from BDN.

We’ll have the BDN Chat Room open for premium subscribers from 9:30 to 10:00 eastern time this evening.  I wonder what we’ll talk about?  LOL!  Well, it’s open for any topic but Harrison Barnes will likely dominate the conversation.  It’s a great time to join Blue Devil Nation Premium where you’ll recieve full site access.  **New members, keep in mind that you must register for the message board separately.  Also, our message boards are private, meaning you must be a paying subscriber to participate or read any of the posts.

Harrison Barnes calls for the ball during the NBAPA Top 100 Camp

Well, if you have followed this or any other Duke site closely, you know that the nation’s top rated prospect Harrison Barnes will make his collegiate choice this Friday.  In this week’s Monday Musings we take a look at his pending decision, Duke Football and the start of the regular basketball season -

Devils no match for Tar Heels – Make no mistake that Duke Football has been a pleasant surprise this season, but losing to your rival is always painful.  Despite paltry offensive production, Duke was in the game in the fourth quarter against UNC and a couple of better thrown passes and a stop or two late in the game and Duke could have stole a win.

It’s really tough to see any positives from the 19-6 loss to the team eight miles down the road.  On the way to the game, the Duke buses came in just behind me on US 15-501 and got stalled in traffic.  The irony is that Duke’s offense stalled as well just over two hours later and the hopes of going to 4-1 in the conference were suddenly gone.

It does’t get any easier for Duke Football - After getting beat up in the game, Duke must regroup in order to face the nation’s seventh ranked team in the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.  Last season, Duke’s offense looked just as bad against the Jacket’s front, so all eyes will be looking to see if they can move the ball.  Georgia Tech Coach Paul Johnson turned down the Duke job despite being offered more money, but Duke got the right fit in David Cutcliffe.  Still, there is no secret that Johnson has little respect for the Duke program and that he will turn his wishbone loose in an effort to squash Duke’s hopes of a post season invitation.

Kelly makes one of just a few catches this past Saturday - BDNP

The basketball season officially gets under way – The countdown to tip off ends this Friday as the Duke Men’s Basketball team will open their season against UNC-Greensboro in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  This is without a doubt one of the most curious teams Krzyzewski has had in his thirty years.  There is little guard depth, yet lots of front court bodies to work with and yes, take it to the bank, you’ll see some zone defense this season.

Duke will be led by senior Jon Scheyer and All American selection, junior Kyle Singler this season.  But it’s the production they receive elsewhere that will be watched.  You can certainly depend on Nolan Smith to have his best season in a Duke uniform, but there are some questions as to who will be fourth, fifth and sixth offensive options.

Harrison Barnes set to make his collegiate choice - BDN has been following the Harrison Barnes recruitment closer than any other Duke site on the Internet.  We were there from the start when Barnes first received his offer shortly after the 2008 NBAPA Top 100 Camp.  This past season alone our staff has seen Harrison Barnes play in 23 games, so we have more than just a little grip on what he can do.

All this week, we’ll recap Barnes past and bring it up to the day of his decision.  We’ll kick it all off with a detailed scouting report and will of course re-visit our many interviews we’ve had with Barnes.  Our premium boards have been hopping and rumors about his recruitment are a dime a dozen.

So, stay tuned to BDN for the latest on Barnes and the best analysis available.

Barnes sports a Duke T-Shirt while talking to K - this picture is copyrighted by Blue Devil Nation and cannot be used without prior permission

This has been a huge week for Duke Basketball Recruiting and it all started when they got a commitment from Kyrie Irving on Thursday evening.  Blue Devil fans are still celebrating and holding their breath until Harrison Barnes makes his decision.  Barnes of course, is on campus this weekend.

The Barnes family arrived at 9:00 today and will spend 48 hours on campus.  In fact, today’s open practice featured Barnes and his mom and sister.  BDN was on hand to check out our current players and naturally, take a look at what was going on around Barnes.  We have also included a few photo’s from the event below.

Anyhow, here’s what happened –

BDNP

BDNP

Marshall Plumlee set to return to Cameron for Coundown to Craziness this Friday - BDN Photo

There are a lot of special surprises in the works for this Friday’s Countdown to Craziness, so be sure to either attend or tune in to this event.  More details are forthcoming, but they want to keep some of the entertainment and activities under wraps.  The promotions for this event are listed at GoDuke.com or the Countdown for Craziness site.

In a recent talk with an assistant coach, I was told that every single player had come back better than they were before.  As always Duke will adjust their team to the personnel at hand.   All three freshman are expected to play key roles in their first season.  Andre Dawkins will be asked to feel some big shoes which formerly belonged to Gerald Henderson.  Ryan Kelly will add versatility and Mason Plumlee will almost certainly start in the post.   Kyle Singler will be allowed more freedom which may mean we’ll see what he can do at his natural position.  We’ve hinted that Nolan Smith could have a breakout year and they will give him more of a leadership role as well.  Jon Scheyer has them excited and there are no worries that he cannot thrive once again as a dual point with Smith.  BDN will bring members the news from Wednesday’s season opening press conference with Coach Krzyzewski in a live blog and will have audio up shortly after the gathering.

Josh and Tyler will be in the house - BDN Photo

So far, there are four visitors slated to attend Countdown for Craziness.