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Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski comes into the 2009-10 NCAA basketball season having made the Sweet 16 three of the past five years. Last year, Duke finished second in regular season ACC play with a 11-5 conference record and 30-7 for the season and won the conference tournament. Unlike most years under Coach Krzyzewski, however, Duke only has three guards on the 2009-10 roster. Kyle Singer will be moving to play the SF position this year to help take the place of Gerald Henderson who left early for the NBA (drafted at nr 12 by the Charlotte Bobcats). A surprising loss from last year’s squad was Elliot Williams departing to play at Memphis due to a severe illness in the family. As a result, Andre Dawkins was able to finish his high school requirements a year early and join the Blue Devils basketball team for the upcoming seeason. Overall, Duke is expected to play to a much taller lineup this year than in past years with the greater depth in the front court.

2009-10 Duke Blue Devils Backcourt

Last season, Duke saw an immediate improvement in team performance when Jon Scheyer (6′5″, 190 lbs, 14.9ppg, 3.6 rpg) was moved from the 2 guard to the point. Even though he’s not the classic version of a point guard, he got the job done and is the clear choice to run the point again this season. Nolan Smith proved adept at being able to penetrate and score last season finishing the year at 8.4 ppg and 1.7 apg last year. Newcomer Andre Dawkins will be looked up0on to provide an immediate impact in scoring and to provide backup in the very thin Duke backcourt this season.

2009-10 Duke Blue Devils Frontcourt

Kyle Singer is going to pose significant matchup problems for opponents with shifting to the wing. His perimiter shooting and ballhandling ability will allow him to play in the post when needed as well as on the perimeter. He scored at a 16.5 ppg, 7.7 rbg, and 2.2 apg clip last year and is now at the position he will eventually play in the NBA. Duke returns 6′8″ senior Lance Thomas who averaged 18.6 minutes a game last year and 7′1″ Brian Zoubek who look to have a greater impact this season after solid junior years on the team. Newcomers Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly are also expected to have a signficant role on the team this year. Coach K is just going to have to settle on the right team chemistry that is going to work before hitting ACC play in the new year.

2009-10 Duke Blue Devils Basketball Prediction

Duke has some chemistry issues to sort out this season in the early stages of the year, but has plenty of talent on the squad to shoot for a repeat of their 30 win season last year. The depth in the backcourt is the biggest question mark for this year’s Blue Devils, but if the guards stay health, the Duke basketball team will be in the thick of the ACC regular and post season races.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 6:53 pm and is filed under NCAA Preseason Basketball Rankings, duke blue devils. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.