2016-17

Season Overview

The 2016-17 Duke Blue Devils were preseason #1 in the AP poll and possessed the most raw talent of any roster Mike Krzyzewski had assembled to that point. Sophomore Luke Kennard returned as the team’s leading scorer from the previous season. Junior Grayson Allen was back after his All-American sophomore campaign. Senior Matt Jones provided toughness. Fifth-year senior Amile Jefferson — granted a medical hardship year after his 2015-16 foot injury — finally got the chance to be the team’s anchor. And the incoming freshman class was headlined by Jayson Tatum (the #4 overall recruit, Gatorade National Player of the Year from St. Louis), Harry Giles (the #1 overall recruit in many services, a 6-10 forward from North Carolina who’d torn his ACL twice in high school), point guard Frank Jackson, and center Marques Bolden.

The injuries started before the season did. Bolden broke his foot and was limited to 18 games. Giles’ damaged knees meant he never moved like the player who’d been ranked #1 in his class — he appeared in 26 games but averaged just 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds, a ghost of his projected self. Then, on January 6, K underwent back surgery and was sidelined for roughly a month. Assistant Jeff Capel took over coaching duties. The team went 5-3 under Capel, including a stretch where Duke lost four of five games.

Grayson Allen’s season was defined by controversy. After two tripping incidents the previous year, Allen tripped an Elon player in December and was stripped of his captaincy by K. The incident overshadowed what was still a highly productive season: Allen averaged 14.5 points and 3.5 assists while battling three separate injuries. But the national media narrative had hardened around him, and it colored the perception of the entire team.

Through it all, the players who could play were exceptional. Luke Kennard blossomed into one of the best shooters in Duke history, averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 43.8% from three. He was named second-team All-ACC and would have been a candidate for ACC Player of the Year in a less competitive field. Jayson Tatum, despite missing time with injuries, averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game — a complete offensive game with defensive versatility that screamed future All-Star. He earned third-team All-ACC honors. Amile Jefferson, in his fifth and final year, averaged 12.5 points and 8.4 rebounds and was the team’s emotional heartbeat — until he, too, got hurt late in the season.

Duke finished 11-7 in ACC play, tied for fifth. On paper, it looked like a disappointing season for a preseason #1 team. Then came Brooklyn.

The 2017 ACC Tournament, held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, produced one of the great tournament runs in conference history. Duke became the first ACC team ever to win four games in four days, beating Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina, and Notre Dame in succession to claim the program’s 20th ACC Tournament championship. It was a virtuoso performance: Tatum was brilliant throughout, Kennard shot the lights out, and the team played with a desperation and togetherness that had eluded them during the regular season. The UNC win in the semifinals was particularly sweet — Duke’s veteran-heavy backcourt outplayed the Tar Heels in what amounted to a neutral-court slugfest.

As a #2 seed in the South Region, Duke opened the NCAA Tournament with a 110-44 demolition of Troy — a 66-point victory that was the most lopsided in tournament history under K. But the second round brought #7 South Carolina and one of the most painful losses in program history. The Gamecocks, normally a 41% shooting team, went supernova in the second half — shooting over 70% from the field and 80% from three-point range. A team that normally shot 69.6% from the foul line hit 21 of 23 free throws. Duke fought valiantly, but South Carolina’s 88-81 victory was the product of an opponent having the single best shooting half of its entire season against the tournament’s most talented roster. “Sometimes, you just catch a team on the wrong night,” the Duke Basketball Report wrote.

The loss was devastating because of what it prevented. This team, when healthy, had the talent to win a national championship. But it was never healthy. Three of the four impact freshmen were sidelined at various points. Allen battled injuries and controversy all season. Jefferson got hurt as the team was peaking. K missed a month. The schedule was brutally unbalanced — every top ACC opponent came on the road.

UNC, the team Duke had beaten in the ACC Tournament semifinals, went on to win the national championship — beating Gonzaga on a Marcus Paige-to-Justin Jackson sequence that gave the Tar Heels their sixth title. Duke fans were left to wonder: what if Giles had been healthy? What if Bolden hadn’t broken his foot? What if K hadn’t needed surgery?

Tatum declared for the NBA Draft and was selected #3 overall by the Boston Celtics, beginning one of the greatest careers of any Duke player since Grant Hill. Kennard went #12 to the Detroit Pistons. Giles went #20 to the Sacramento Kings. Frank Jackson went #31 to the New Orleans Pelicans. Four picks from one roster — the Superteam model was working, even when the wins didn’t follow.

Jefferson graduated. Matt Jones graduated. Allen returned for a controversial senior year. The 2017 Devils will always have Brooklyn — four wins in four days, the 20th ACC championship, and the knowledge that on the right night, with everyone on the floor, this team could beat anyone in the country. They just never got that night in March.

Fresh off the euphoria of four wins in four days in Brooklyn, Duke entered the NCAA Tournament as a #2 seed with renewed confidence. After demolishing Troy 110-44 in the first round — a 66-point victory — the Blue Devils faced #7 South Carolina in Greenville, effectively a road game. The Gamecocks, a team that normally shot 41% from the field, went nuclear in the second half. They shot over 70% from the floor, 80% from three, and hit 21 of 23 free throws. Duke fought to the end — Kennard, Tatum, and Allen all scored in double figures — but the shots just kept falling for South Carolina. The final was 88-81. 'Sometimes, you just catch a team on the wrong night,' the Duke Basketball Report wrote. It was the most painful second-round loss of the K era — worse than Lehigh or Mercer because this team, when healthy, had championship-level talent. The Gamecocks advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history. UNC went on to win the national championship.