Duke University Men's Basketball Preview for the 2007-08 Season
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by Wrmjr
It will be a different experience watching Duke University play basketball this year. First, the Blue Devils will be deeper than they have been in a long time. The only significant loss from last year’s team is Josh McRoberts. The Devils return 4 starters and 6 other lettermen from last year’s team. Add to that the 3 highly-regarded freshmen in this year’s recruiting class and it isn’t difficult to imagine Duke going 10 deep in some games.
They are going to need that depth, because this team promises to be one of the most wide open Duke teams in recent memory. With McRoberts gone, there is no established inside presence. If seven-footer Brian Zoubek can step up, he will provide some much-needed strength on the inside. Otherwise, expect the team to start no one taller than 6-6 and to have an offense that is focused on spreading the floor, driving the lanes and shooting threes. To have any success, Duke will need to shoot much better as a team than they did last year (just 35% from behind the Arc).
Greg Paulus is the leading 3-point shooter returning, as well as the leader in assists. Team Captain DeMarcus Nelson is the leading returning scorer and Jon Scheyer will have to improve their long-range shooting to help this offense run. Freshman sensation Kyle Singler is expected to start and contribute both from the outside and on drives to the hoop. Most people expect the very athletic Gerald Henderson to be the fifth starter. If he can begin this year the way he finished last year, he’ll be a much needed spark. David McClure can come off the bench to offer additional outside shooting.
Clearly, the weakness for this Duke team is interior defense. In a conference with Tyler Hansbrough and other tough big men, this could be a big challenge for the Devils. Zoubek will need to recover from foot surgery and be ready for real competition by January. Singler (at 6-8) and Lance Thomas (also 6-8) will be called upon to add additional support. Expect the Devils to run their typically scrappy defense with lots of help on opposing big-men.
This doesn’t chart out to be a dominant Duke team, but they will certainly be a dangerous team that no one will want to play in March. I think a ranking in the mid-teens for the pre-season is appropriate. An elite-eight finish should be considered an excellent season for this group of players. And with only 1 senior on the team (Nelson), they could be even better next year.
Look for upcoming stories on the Duke backcourt players, frontcourt players and schedule in the coming days.
