ACC Basketball Preview: Duke University

October 17, 3:04 PMCollege Sports ExaminerJacob Osterhout

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Henderson and Singler will anchor this Duke team.

(One more ACC preview. For others check out the sidebar to your right or head on over and check out Philly College Basketball Examiner Ari Bluestein.)

Ahhhhh yes, the Duke Blue Devils, everybody's least favorite team. Why? Because they're almost always good. Even when they're bad, they're good. And this year won't be an exception.

While the Blue Devils won't win a National Championship in 2008-2009 and probably won't win an ACC title either, they will be on of the top 10 programs in the nation, again.

Fresh off his Olympic triumph, Coach K only lost two key contributers from last season. DeMarcus Nelson, the team's leading scorer and captain, left for the NBA and six-foot-six Taylor King transferred to Villanova. Neither of those losses are a huge blow considering Nelson could never get the job done in the clutch and King rarely played by the end of last season's's campaign.

Nelson and King will be replaced by another solid Duke recruiting class. Elliot Williams, a six-foot-four McDonald's All-American guard, headlines a group of freshmen that also features two big men, six-foot-ten Miles Plumlee and six-foot-seven Olek Czyz, who will help shore up the frontcourt. Expect to see these talented recruits get immediate playing time.

Duke's big weakness this season, as it was last season, is its frontcourt. Kyle Singler, the 2007-2008 ACC Rookie of the Year, will be relied upon for offensive production in the paint. He'll be supported by a rotating cast of big men. Six-foot-eight Lance Thomas started 28 games last season and will be called upon mostly for his defensive abilities. Brian Zoubek, a seven-foot-one behemoth, should also be able to clear the paint, assuming he doesn't get hurt. And then, there's Coach K's hustle man, Dave McClure, who always brings energy when he plays, but rarely a shot - except for that time he beat Clemson:

The backcourt is where Duke is strongest. In fact, if there's an issue with the guards, it's that there are too many of them, which is probably why Taylor King transferred. Greg Paulus is the court general and if his three-point shot is on, he can score in a hurry. Nolan Smith was Paulus' back-up point guard last season, but considering how well Smith played, they might see more time together on the court this season. John Scheyer was the team's sixth man last year, but a captain this season. He's got a great mid-range jump shot and, if his ball-handling has improved, could become a main source of offense for Duke.

But far and away, the player that Duke will depend on the most in the upcoming season is Gerald Henderson. This kid has all the right stuff to be a superstar and this could be the season he finally reaches his potential. He's big enough to bang down low, fast enough to penetrate from the perimeter and has the ability to create shots for himself. I always think about Grant Hill when I see Henderson play.

All in all, it's hard to see Duke finishing ahead of North Carolina in the ACC standings this year, but it's also hard to see them falling too far in the conference. The Blue Devil's success will depend on whether the frontcourt can hang with bigger opponents, whether the freshman can make an immediate impact, and whether Gerald Henderson can take over the final minutes of a game when it's necessary.

Either way, with all the attention on UNC, expect Duke to make it further in the NCAA Tournament this year than last.