The seventh ACC Championship in eight years. The No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll for the fifth time in eight years. The eighth No. 1 seed in nine years. A ninth-straight Sweet 16 appearance.
Not many teams would consider such a list of accomplishments a disappointment. But for the Blue Devils, who had National Championship blinders on since their loss to Michigan State in last year's Sweet 16, ending another season before April was hard to swallow.
"It's hard to look at the big picture right now," senior Lee Melchionni said after Thursday's loss to LSU in the regional semifinals.
Even after losing two key contributors from last year's squad-Daniel Ewing to graduation and Shavlik Randolph to the NBA Draft-Duke was expected to be the cream of the national crop, led by two returning All-Americans, J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams.
Before the season, national commentator Seth Davis went so far as to say, "The other people who will not pick Duke No. 1 are people who just want to be different."
Redick told Sports Illustrated before the season began that only a National Title would do. While he and teammates backed off from that absolute statement during the season, it was clear that anything short of a Final Four run would be a letdown.
"That's a tough goal to set for yourself, considering only four teams make it there," Melchionni said. "But I think this team had the potential to do that, and we didn't accomplish it as a team, so of course it's disappointing for us."
Despite a 31-point win over then-No. 2 Texas Dec. 10, the Blue Devils were far from an unstoppable force.
This season, 13 of Duke's 32 wins came by 10 points or fewer. This is in stark contrast to a 2001 National Championship squad that many-fairly or unfairly-expected this year's group to model. That team had only eight of its 35 wins decided by 10 points or fewer.
"I know we're not-we weren't ever-a dominant team," Krzyzewski said. "We knew that. And so things have to go right for us to win."
Still, the Blue Devils went 27-3 in a regular-season schedule that was rated as the toughest in the nation and tied the school record for the best start at 17-0. The team clinched the ACC with a 14-0 conference start, before dropping its final two games of the regular season at Florida State and at home against North Carolina.
Duke's dominant run for much of the season was sometimes overshadowed. The Blue Devils' 83-81 win at Boston College Feb. 1 began a national debate over whether Duke consistently received preferential treatment from referees.
The debate continued after Duke's 97-96 overtime win at home against Florida State Feb. 4. The officiating squad that worked the game was suspended for a technical foul call given to the Seminoles' Alexander Johnson that the league decided was unwarranted.
Redick's record-breaking run late in the season also stole headlines from the team's accomplishments. In a span of two weeks, the senior broke the NCAA three-point record, as well as the Duke and ACC career scoring records.
"I'm proud of my team, obviously, their 32 wins and four losses," Krzyzewski said. "They have won championships and [Redick and Williams] have been two of the best players I have ever coached. They have been part of 116 wins at Duke during their four years, many championships. And although, we have lost games, they have always represented me, our program, and our school and themselves in the best possible manner."
Even though the Blue Devils will lose four large contributors from the senior class, a strong incoming class and the continued development of this year's five-player freshman class makes next year's lineup strong again.
Much of those expectations, however, will depend on the return of freshman Josh McRoberts. McRoberts has been projected as a first-round pick if he were to leave after this year, but the freshman said after Duke's loss to LSU that he plans to return for his sophomore season.
"They are a great group of guys and I expect a lot from them in the next year and the upcoming years," Williams said of his younger teammates.
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