The top "other receiver" this week was none other than Duke.,”
Any college basketball fan knows the exact location of the "Others Receiving Votes." Directly under the top 25, a number of schools stand right by the number of total votes that week.
The top "other receiver" this week was none other than Duke. Sure, the name was found, but not in the top 25. Did I miss something? The college basketball powerhouse of my lifetime not in the polls? What? Duke out of the polls is a fish out of water.
Normally around this time, the Blue Devils mow through the Atlantic Coast Conference to earn a top seed in the conference tournament. What the devil happened? Duke boasts a 1-4 February record, that's what. The recent drought had marked the first time in 11 years the team dropped four games in a row.
Sunday's 72-60 loss against unranked Maryland sent the Dukies to 5-6 in conference play. Watching their dismal Sunday performance, I wondered where the team I thought I knew went.
Surely after hearing of the team's fourth consecutive defeat, Christian Laettner shook his head. Following the drubbing at the hands of the Terps, Bobby Hurley certainly ran for the bathroom faster than he did in the 1990 championship game, only this time in disgust.
Looking at the Blue Devil roster, the light bulb turns on. Without J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, the 2006-'07 Blue Devils remain just a flicker of the team ranked No. 1 for the majority of last year. The eight players who have started for Duke this season: four freshmen, three sophomores, one junior and no seniors.
Less than three months ago, this young Duke team, ranked No. 9, met an equally youthful Marquette squad in the CBE Classic final. Who would have guessed that by mid-February Marquette would stand a notch higher at No. 12, while Duke would be unranked? Duke's fall from grace did not take nearly that long. Just two weeks ago, the Blue Devils stood at 18-3 and were ranked in the top 10.
This is what makes college basketball so intriguing. March Madness lies just around the corner, and Duke sits on the "bubble." But one better not bet against coach Mike Krzyzewski turning things around.
"I'll do whatever I can," he told reporters Sunday, moments after the Maryland loss. "I'm not going to punt, let's put it that way."
Despite Coach K electing not to bring out the special teams, I will not pick Duke to win it all this year – for the first time in eight years. From 1999 through 2006, the Blue Devils emerged victorious in all my brackets. It still seems unfathomable the blue and white only won the 2001 title during that stretch.
For the first time in 200 weeks, Duke's absence in the polls raises eyebrows, but count on their quick return. Krzyzewski's team relegated to the "Others Receiving Votes" draws parallels to Cal Ripken on the bench – places where neither belongs.
The Cameron Crazies may not be going nuts come Sweet 16 time, but do not be surprised when Coach K & Co. make the final of the conference tourney and nab a No. 4 seed in the NCAAs. Not because they improve their play, but because Duke and the "Others Receiving Votes" never should co-exist in the same sentence.
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