For all the wins, deep runs, and star power, the reality around Duke right now is that it hasn’t won enough. No matter how we want to put it, any season that doesn’t end in a national championship for Duke basketball should and will be looked at as a disappointment.
On paper, Duke has done just about everything fans would expect from a blue blood program. Over the last two seasons, Due has won the ACC title, regular season championships, and just lost in the Elite Eight.
It isn’t like Duke is bad or it is losing games it shouldn’t. However, there’s one thing missing. Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports pointed that out recently when giving an honest assessment of this program.
“The Blue Devils' season ended just moments after UConn star Braylon Mullins hit one of the biggest shots in NCAA Tournament history to help the Huskies advance to the Final Four. Over the last two seasons, Duke has won 70 games and reached the Elite Eight or later in three consecutive seasons. Still, the Blue Devils don't have a title to show for it. There is an uncomfortable truth heading into the offseason for Duke coach Jon Scheyer and his program. For the second consecutive year, Duke had the best player in college basketball and couldn't get over the hump. Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer are two of the best one-and-done prospects in the modern era, but Duke doesn't have a title to show for their services,” he wrote.
There are other ways to define success when it comes to college basketball and Duke, too. Duke has done a nice job of putting and keeping players in the NBA, including multiple stars. Some of Jon Scheyer’s players are already stars or will be eventually.
However, with those types of players on his roster, and not just one of them at a time, it certainly brings up a fair point that suggests Duke hasn’t done what it has been supposed to.
It’s a tough conversation, and some of it might be due to just college basketball being college basketball. However, Duke has to win soon.