No.
10 Duke Blue Devils:
2013-14
Record: 26-9 overall (13-5 Atlantic Coast Conference)
Result: 78-71 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 14-seeded Mercer.
Key
Games:
Nov. 18 vs.
Michigan State in Indianapolis, Ind.
Dec. 3 at
Wisconsin (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
Dec. 18 vs.
Connecticut in East Rutherford, N.J.
Jan. 17 at
Louisville
Jan. 31 at Virginia
Feb. 14 at
Syracuse
Feb. 18 vs.
North Carolina
March 7 at
North Carolina
Key
Losses: Jabari Parker (19.1 PPG) and Rodney Hood (16.1 PPG)
Led
by true freshman Jabari Parker, the Duke Blue Devils had lofty expectations to
make a deep run in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
However,
the Mercer Bears happened to stand in the way of Duke’s plan as it pulled a
monumental upset in the second round. The No. 3-seeded Blue Devils’ season came
to an abrupt end as it went down 78-71.
Duke’s
early exit would be the second time in three seasons in which it dropped its
opening tournament game (Lehigh, 2012).
With
Jabari Parker leaving early for the NBA Draft, another true freshman is
expected to fill the void in 7-foot center Jahlil Okafor.
Okafor is projected to be the potential first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft depending on how
well he plays this season (ESPN.com).
Before
stepping on to the court to the court for the season opener on Nov. 14 against
Presbyterian, Okafor was named the CBSSports.com Preseason National Player of
the Year on Oct. 7.
Okafor
is taking the preseason hype in stride as he talked about whether or not
experience matters in college.
“When
I step on the court, it really doesn’t matter if I’m a freshman or a senior,”
Okafor said on CBSSports.com. “It’s basketball, and I’ve been playing
basketball my entire life.”
Freshman
guard Tyus Jones also chose to play at Duke last season and is expected to log
heavy minutes.
Senior
Quinn Cook returns as he is expected to run the show at point guard again. Cook
averaged 11.6 points per game and dished out an average of 4.6 assists in the
2013-14 campaign.
Swingman
Rasheed Sulaimon returns for his junior season. Sulaimon averaged 9.9 PPG and 25.6 minutes per game in 2013-14.
Juniors
Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee are expected to play big roles in the
frontcourt. Jefferson finished second on the team last season with 6.9 rebounds
per game, while Plumlee averaged 2.2 RPG.
Expected
Starting Lineup:
G
Quinn Cook 6’2 180
G
Tyus Jones 6’1 180
G
Rasheed Sulaimon 6’4 190
F
Amile Jefferson 6’9 210
C
Jahlil Okafor 7’0 265
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