Despite coming to Durham as the No. 44 prospect in the ESPN 100, DeLaurier was lost in the shadows of frontcourt players like Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles.
Nine ACC teams earned a spot in the 2017 version of the Big Dance—but with six of the nine among the selection committee's top 20, the league had an opportunity to both top its own Sweet 16 record and settle the debate once and for all. Instead, what seemed to be an embarrassment of riches turned out to be little more than an embarrassment.
The Chronicle's Amrith Ramkumar, Sameer Pandhare and Hank Tucker break down what went wrong in the loss to South Carolina and debate whether the Blue Devils had a successful season.
The key tweak that kicked off Duke’s comeback season was when the team went to a matchup zone defense against South Carolina and pulled out a program defining win.
Tom Crean became yet another victim of a thought process sweeping across college athletic departments defined by the question, “What have you done for me lately?”
When White came to Durham as a little-known recruit from the other side of the world, he was a bit of an enigma, and he remains that way now.
Lambert's absence seemed to hang over the second-seeded Blue Devils from the opening tip, leading to a second Round of 32 upset at home in four years.
The transformation into a great defensive team capable of contending for a national championship never came for Duke and its year-ending loss epitomized why a team oozing with talent at every position is heading home after the NCAA tournament's first weekend.
Although only a day has passed, the second-seeded Blue Devils will have to clear their mind and put Lambert's absence behind them when they take on No. 10 seed Oregon Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Duke's season came to an abrupt end with an 88-81 upset loss to No. 7 seed South Carolina in the NCAA tournament's Round of 32.
The Blue Devils saw a 10-point lead evaporate quickly in the second half.
Although Duke leads because of its defense and South Carolina's poor shooting, the Blue Devils missed several chances to stretch out an early lead.
Remaining hot from long range would help the Blue Devils stay out in front of the Gamecocks' stifling defense.
Which version of Grayson Allen shows up to Sunday's game could determine the Blue Devils' fate.
In their first NCAA tournament game since 2015, the Blue Devils shredded an overmatched opponent missing four starters as expected. But a second-quarter injury scare will likely still have Duke holding its breath before Monday's Round of 32 contest.
The Blue Devils will face a stiff test in their bid to get back to the Sweet 16.
The Chronicle's Amrith Ramkumar and Mitchell Gladstone look ahead to Duke's Round of 32 matchup after a comfortable win against Troy.
For the second time in three games, Allen made his first four 3-pointers as part of Duke's red-hot start that the second-seeded Blue Devils turned into a victory against No. 15 seed Troy at Bon Secours Wellness Arena Friday evening.
After Duke needed to win four grueling games on consecutive days to bring an ACC title back to Durham, the Blue Devils' quest for a sixth NCAA tournament title started on a much simpler note.
If the Blue Devils prevail, they will take on either seventh-seeded Temple or No. 10 seed Oregon Monday. After a strong ACC tournament that saw Duke add two more top-25 wins to bring its season total to eight, the Blue Devils are hoping to make a leap this postseason.
