A new season dawns on the NCAA Basketball world. In this piece, we have NCAA Basketball News as the summer ventures onward. As always, at Vegas Betting, we have the latest news. Our focus happens to be on Mike Krzyzewski and his final season in college basketball with the Duke Blue Devils.
Unfortunately for the Duke Blue Devils, the 2020-21 NCAA Basketball season was an unmitigated disaster.
With all the COVID protocols and outbreaks, Duke was limited to just 24 games on the season. The coach was never able to get his team into much of any kind of rhythm. It was a season where Krzyzewski arguably felt that the season err Duke should not have even played.
The Blue Devils were up and down all season long losing to teams they never normally would have. Overall, Duke finished with a 13-11 record and just a 9-9 conference mark. The last time a Krzyzewski coached team was .500 in the conference was the 2006-07 season.
Several issues existed with Duke last season and maybe that is what weighed on the coach the most. Then, there was an 18-point drubbing at North Carolina in March where Krzyzewski could be seen so exasperated on the sideline. One wondered if the end was near then.
Duke would go on to the play-in round of the ACC Tournament. Not much was expected of the Blue Devils as they were 11-11 going in and had lost three straight games.
What happened next was so strangely poetic given the pandemic. Duke hammered Boston College by 35 points which were not entirely unexpected but it did draw notice. Then, there was the game against Louisville. The Cardinals were likely not to make the NCAA Tournament but they were 13-6 coming in. Duke had played them close twice — losing both times.
Duke stayed close in the first half and was up by one point. Then, in the second half, Duke went on a run throttling Louisville en route to a going away 14-point victory. It might have been the Blue Devils’ best performance all season long. That is why what happened next was so deflating.
The Duke outbreak is a fresh example of the pandemic's ongoing danger, even as daily new Covid-19 cases continue to decline and millions get vaccinated. The outbreak reached the men's basketball team, which withdrew from the ACC tournament on Thursday after a positive case.
— chrisdabear (@chrissm03353424) March 14, 2021
There will be a good deal of debate on this subject to last a lifetime. But, think about it, Krzyzewski earned the right to go out on whatever terms he wanted long before COVID broke out. Maybe the motivation was to play a full season in front of fans after what the last two seasons had wrought.
“While our season was different than any other that I can remember, I loved the 2020-21 Duke Basketball team and was honored to be their coach. We have not asked more of any team in our history, and they deserve enormous credit for handling everything like the outstanding young men they are. I feel deeply for our players, who have done a terrific job all season in taking care of each other and the team.
I am extremely proud of their collective attitudes and effort, which could not have been stronger. We are disappointed we cannot keep fighting together as a group after two outstanding days in Greensboro. This season was a challenge for every team across the country and as we have seen over and over, this global pandemic is very cruel and is not yet over. As many safeguards as we implemented, no one is immune to this terrible virus.”
From 3/11/21 article via GoDuke.com
For the coach to decide to bow out in a year-long farewell seemed selfish on the surface but the reality is it was not. COVID forced the coach’s hand as he felt indebted to owe the players he coached one more season.
One thing is certain. Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils want to finish what they started building at the end of the 2020-21 NCAA Basketball season.
The Vegas betting guides will have their say soon enough. One presumption is that Matthew Hurt will be drafted very late in the second round come the NBA draft on July 29th. There is a possibility that he may not. Either way, it appears that Hurt is not part of Duke’s plans for now.
After that, it will become interesting from the current roster (not projected yet). Wendell Moore Jr. becomes a leader basically as D.J. Steward also left for the NBA Draft.
Because of recent events of DJ Steward struggling at the Draft Combine. Numerous of NBA executives all agreed that he shouldn’t have declared and most likely won’t be drafted.
— Forever Duke (@4TheLoveOfDuke) June 29, 2021
Furthermore, Steward may be the one out of the duo that comes back to Duke so that will be a story to keep an eye on. Oddly, these two players have both looked way less polished than a normal Blue Devils player. Would that be because of the player, COVID, or both? It’s a great question.
This is partly why the 2021-22 Duke basketball team could be even better come the Fall than they are already.
The growth of a player like Mark Williams and new forward Paolo Banchero will be storylines to follow as well.
As many have said, the path to NCAA Basketball glory is filled with lots of bumps and nastiness. The fans have suffered through a cut-off season and then watching Duke having its season cut off just as it appeared they were taking off. There is a renewed sense of optimism for Mike Krzyzewski this season with a “relatively normal” 2021-22 season expected. An NCAA Tournament spot is likely. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
Summary
Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more Summary Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups. Lead arranger of news and injury reports for Rotoballer Hockey. Also did the news lead for NASCAR on the same site coming out of COVID. Strategy and mapping out of various sports betting and sports articles for MyNHLTradeRumors and gambling.com. Runs a hockey and fantasy hockey podcast that teaches fantasy hockey players how to improve their skills. Experience Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.. His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too. Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, Chris has primarily focused on sports writing and fitness. On social media, he will answer any question in many different aspects. Even Chris's ability to wager on Entertainment and US Elections is well documented. He was able to predict Joe Biden's inevitable dip in approval rating below 40%. Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a lot of places from DraftKings to USA Today and much more. Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of amazing fantasy hockey championships from expert to high-stake leagues. Education Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams. Quote from Chris Wassel "Do Not Think, Just Do.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network