Duke is missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995, except the canceled tournament in 2020, and it is the first time since 1983 that Mike Krzyzewski has been the head coach for the whole season. He had been going strong as usual, leading the Blue Devils to their 23rd straight win earlier this month when they beat Virginia Tech 89-77 in Durham.
This is only the second time in school history that Duke has finished the season unranked, the other time being 1979 when it was excluded from the poll because of sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association following allegations of academic fraud. Then-coach Dave Dunlap said at the time that he believed his team was ready to compete for a national title but that no one else did. This year's squad is also unranked.
There have been questions about whether or not Krzyzewski would continue on as coach next season after this run, but sources told ESPN's Andy Katz that Duke will be back in 2021-22. If Krzyzewski decides to step down after one more season, Joe Dumars, who played for Krzyzewski during his one season at Detroit Pistons, is a candidate to take over the program.
Duke went 16-5 this season after losing to Virginia Tech before winning its last nine games to claim the No. 1 seed in the East Region.
Duke basketball will not compete in the NCAA Tournament in 2021. The Duke basketball program has officially missed the NCAA Tournament in 2021, putting an end to conjecture and uncertainties. This is due to concerns about whether or not students will be able to attend classes if DCIAA schools are allowed to open at this time.
Duke announced on March 17 that it would not participate in any events this spring due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19). Assistant coach Jamil Martin was assigned day-to-day duties while Durham resident Tre Jones was promoted to assistant coach. Jones had been serving as the director of player development since 2017 when Mike Krzyzewski hired him away from East Carolina where he was coaching alongside former Duke teammate James Johnson.
This decision came one week after head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that sophomore guard Jayson Tatum had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Tatum had recently returned from China where he played for the Shanghai Sharks during a trip that had been planned before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Krzyzewski said at the time that he did not believe there was any reason for concern for the health of other players or staff members, but explained that he made the decision based on what was best for his team.
Duke Blue Devils are out of the NCAA tournament for only the second time in 38 years. Coach Mike Krzyzewski will not be guiding his team to a national title when the games begin Thursday with the First Four and Friday with the First Round.
The last time Duke was eliminated from the tournament early was in 1978. That's also when they lost their coach, Joe Scott, who died of cancer two days after the season ended. The Blue Devils have never had another losing season since then.
Duke has been to the NCAA tournament every year since 1979-80, except for 1982-83 when they were banned from the tournament because they had an ineligible player on their roster. Brian Davis, who played one game for Duke before leaving to join a professional basketball team in Italy, was given all-conference honors that season despite being academically ineligible.
The Blue Devils have made the NCAA tournament every year since then, winning the National Championship in 2003 and 2004. They're the first team to do so twice behind the play of LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Duke has been ranked No. 1 in the country for most of the season. This is their third straight year as top-ranked team going into the postseason.
They've also won three straight ACC titles, which is more than any other school.
Duke missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995 after withdrawing early from the ACC tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test. Count Duke among the schools that have decided against participating in the NIT after being denied an NCAA Tournament invitation on Sunday.
The NIT was created as an alternative route for college basketball teams that fail to earn an invite to the NCAA Tournament. A number of high-profile teams withdrew from the NCAA Tournament this year, leaving an opening in the field. The NIT was designed to provide more opportunities for those teams to win some additional games and boost their resumes for future tournaments.
However, with all games played exclusively on domestic flights, the NIT's popularity has declined dramatically, leading many experts to question its future. The NIT announced last month it would cancel the rest of its season due to low attendance and revenue streams that don't meet minimum requirements to be self-sufficient.
While most teams can survive one lost season, several high-profile programs had already started planning for next year before the coronavirus outbreak caused the season to end prematurely -- including North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisville. The Tar Heels, Wildcats and Cards were all invited to this year's NCAA Tournament, but declined their invitations in order to prepare for future seasons. Having lost their remaining games, they'd need another invitation to return to action.
Duke (E1) 82, Arizona (M2) 72 on April 2, 2001. The NCAA Tournament's second-ranked squad would exit, giving Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski his third national title. Early in the second half, Arizona trimmed Duke's advantage to 39-37, but Mike Dunleavy Jr. hit on three three-pointers during an 11-2 Duke run. The Wildcats cut it to two points with less than 10 minutes remaining, but afterward they could only muster up seven more points over the rest of the game.
Krzyzewski had led Duke to the national championship game for the first time in school history. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 throughout the entire season and remained so after their loss to Arizona. Duke ended the 2000-01 campaign with a 32-3 record.
Krzyzewski has been named the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Coach of the Year four times: 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2001. He is also the winner of the Naismith Award, given to the best basketball coach in the country. Duke will play Kentucky in the championship game on April 4th at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game is being played one day after the terrorist attacks that destroyed part of Manhattan's World Trade Center.
Kentucky's Billy Gillispie was hired away from Duke in 2001 to take over as head coach at Texas Tech.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
