Duke basketball: Now is not the time for Blue Devil fans to panic

An obviously disappointing Duke basketball performance doesn’t mean followers should jump ship on what remains a promising young team.

Following an embarrassing 113-101 loss at Wake Forest in double overtime on Tuesday, there was a plethora of Duke basketball fans speaking out online. While a late blown lead should be a reason for concern, it is certainly not time to hit the panic button.

In the last week alone, the Blue Devils have dropped two games on the road against unranked opponents. These losses in Raleigh and Winston-Salem were by no means pretty, but they’re no reason to give up on this bunch.

This is not your average Duke basketball team. Granted, the Blue Devils boast a talented crop of freshmen, as usual, but this is not the product we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in Durham.

Duke’s 2019-2020 group is one that relies on its depth and all-around production, not a couple of elite superstars. Don’t get me wrong, the current roster is full of talented players. But that’s part of the problem.

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I believe that as Duke fans, we’ve been spoiled with teams in recent years demolishing average opponents. We’ve unfairly placed expectations on a group that is completely different from years past. Obviously, the players need to avoid complacency and give it all they have, which has been fairly questioned multiple times this season.

This team has shown many times this season that it has talent. The Blue Devils have played phenomenal at times, but that has also clearly been lacking as of late. This team can go win a national championship if it wants to.

I want to clarify that I’m not trying to call anyone out. I’m merely trying to reinstall peace in the average Duke fanatic. Let’s not forget that this team is in the hands of Mike Krzyzewski, who has five national championships and 1,155 victories to his name.

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It’s not the end of the world. Things are going to be okay.

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