The top five ‘what if’ Duke basketball seasons of all time
By Matt Johnson
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 25-6 overall. 434. 15-5 ACC. 2019-20 Blue Devils. 5. player
5. THE 2019-20 DUKE BASKETBALL SEASON
THE RESULT: No postseason due to coronavirus
The wound on this one is still fresh and if not monitored closely could cause infection. The 2019-2020 Duke basketball team isn’t unique in the way of missing out on the title game; COVID-19 made sure every team in the country felt that hurt.
This team may not have been the most talented that Mike Krzyzewski has ever put on the floor either. And while I’m on the subject of discrediting myself, I’ll even say this team may not have been the nation’s best last year. But this version of the Blue Devils, despite finishing No. 11 in the AP Poll, was starting to find its identity and closed the season with a hard-fought loss to Virginia, followed by good-looking wins over rivals NC State and UNC.
Graduate co-captain Justin Robinson gave the team a shot in the arm, and he was quickly becoming the stretch-four that Matthew Hurt was supposed to be. Sophomore guard Tre Jones earned honors as the ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman big man Vernon Carey Jr also was entering the tournament as ACC Rookie of the Year, meaning the Blue Devils had no shortage of star power to power a tourney run.
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What really hurt about this team and its possibilities was the lack of other elite teams. The NCAA Tournament was truly about to be a crapshoot due to there being no real dominant team ruling the roost. Duke only had to get lucky for a few games, and a sixth banner could have very possibly been hanging in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Moving on…