Duke has won 5 National Championships (tied with Indiana for fifth all-time behind UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, UConn), and appeared in 11 Championship Games (third all-time) and 17 Final Fours (tied for third all-time with Kentucky and only behind North Carolina and UCLA). Additionally, all of Duke's championships were won after the NCAA instituted a shot clock. Duke has an NCAA-best .755 NCAA tournament winning percentage. Eleven Duke players have been named the National Player of the Year, and 71 players have been selected in the NBA draft. Additionally, Duke has had 36 players named All-Americans (60 total selections) and 14 players named Academic All-Americans. Duke has been the Atlantic Coast Conference Champions a record 22 times, and also lays claim to 19 ACC regular season titles. Prior to joining the ACC, Duke won the Southern Conference championships five times. Duke has also finished the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll eight times[3] and is the all-time leader in total weeks ranked as the number one team in the nation by the AP with 145 weeks.[4] Additionally, the Blue Devils have the third longest streak in the AP Top 25 in history with 200 consecutive appearances from 1996 to 2007, trailing only Kansas' 231 consecutive polls from 2009 to 2021, and UCLA's 221 consecutive polls from 1966 to 1980.
Team history
Early years (1906–1953)
In 1906, Wilbur Wade Card, Trinity College's Athletic Director and a member of the Class of 1900, introduced the game of basketball to Trinity. The January 30 issue of The Trinity Chronicle headlined the new sport on its front page. Trinity's first game ended in a loss to Wake Forest, 24–10. The game was played in the Angier B. Duke Gymnasium, later known as The Ark. The Trinity team won its first title in 1920, the state championship, by beating the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (now NC State) 25 to 24. Earlier in the season they had beaten the University of North Carolina 19–18 in the first match-up between the two schools. Trinity college then became Duke University.[5]
Billy Werber, Class of 1930, became Duke's first All-American in basketball.[6] The Gothic-style West Campus opened that year, with a new gym, later to be named for Coach Card. The Indoor Stadium opened in 1940. Initially it was referred to as an "Addition" to the gymnasium. Part of its cost was paid for with the proceeds from the Duke football team's appearance in the 1938 Rose Bowl. In 1972 it would be named for Eddie Cameron, head coach from 1929 to 1942.
In Krzyzewski's first season, the Blue Devils would finish the season with a 17–13 overall record and 6–8 record in ACC play. The team would later play in the NIT tournament advancing to the quarterfinals. Despite having a good record the previous season, the Blue Devils would struggle during the next two seasons finishing with 10 wins in 1982 and 11 wins in 1983. The 1984 team, led by Tommy Amaker & Johnny Dawkins, would bounce back in strong fashion finishing 24–10 and was ranked the No.14 in the AP and Coaches poll, but lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to the Washington Huskies (having earned a first-round bye).[10][11]
In 1985 Duke defeated Pepperdine in the first round of the NCAA tournament, for Krzyzewski's first tournament win, but lost to Boston College in the second round 74–73. The next season the Blue Devils made their first Final Four under Krzyzewski. They beat Kansas to advance to the title game against Louisville, where they ultimately lost 72–69.
Duke upset the heavily favored UNLV Runnin' Rebels 79–77 in the Final Four in 1991, a rematch of the 1990 final in which Duke lost by 30 points. The team, led by Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, and Thomas Hill, went on to defeat Kansas 72–65 to win the university's first NCAA Championship.[12] Ranked #1 all season and favored to repeat as national champions in 1992, Duke took part in a game "acclaimed by many [as] the greatest college basketball game ever played," according to ESPN.[13][14][15] In the Elite Eight, Duke met the Rick Pitino-led Kentucky Wildcats. It appeared Kentucky had sealed the win in overtime when guard Sean Woods hit a running shot off the glass in the lane to put Kentucky up by one with 2.1 seconds left on the clock. After a timeout, Duke's Grant Hill threw a full-court pass to Christian Laettner. Laettner took one dribble and nailed a turn-around jumper at the buzzer to send Duke into the Final Four with a 104–103 victory (The Shot). Duke went on to defeat sixth-seeded Michigan, led by the Fab Five as freshmen starters including Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard, 71–51 to repeat as national champions.[16] Following the successful repeat, Laettner was the only collegiate player to be chosen for the Dream Team that won Olympic gold in Barcelona,[17] while Krzyzewski was an assistant coach under Chuck Daly of the Detroit Pistons in a precursor to his becoming Team USA coach in 2006 and coaching them to two gold medals.
They would later meet Kentucky for another classic regional final game, but blow a 17-point second half lead in losing to the Wildcats. The Blue Devils would lose the 1994 title game to Arkansas and their "Forty Minutes of Hell" defense. The next two seasons would see them fall to just 31–31, though they made the 1996 tournament with an 18–12 record, 8–8 in conference play.[18] They would also fall in the 1999 title game, this time to Jim Calhoun and the UConn Huskies. Duke defeated Arizona 82–72 to win its third NCAA Championship in 2001, becoming one of a handful of teams in NCAA Tournament history to defeat all of their tournament opponents by double digits. Krzyzewski was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame later that year. On April 5, 2010, Duke Men's Basketball won their fourth NCAA Championship by defeating Butler 61–59.[19] On April 6, 2015, Duke's Men's Basketball won their fifth NCAA Championship by defeating Wisconsin 68–63.[20]
Coach K announced that the 2021–22 season would be his last coaching for Duke.[21] Making it to the Final Four one last time, Duke fell just short of the championship game losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels 81–77 in the first ever meeting between the rivals in the NCAA Tournament.
Jon Scheyer (2022–present)
On June 2, 2022, Scheyer was named as the new head coach at Duke following Krzyzewski's retirement.[22] On March 11, 2023, he became the first person to win an ACC tournament title as both a coach and a player.
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion
Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion
Duke has been ranked as the #1 team in the nation 235 weeks in their history.
Duke had not lost a non-conference game at Cameron from 2000 until 2019, when SFASU beat Duke in overtime (85–83). Duke maintains a tradition of hosting the previous season's Division II national champion in an exhibition game each November.
Cameron Indoor Stadium
Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of the Blue Devils
Cameron Indoor Stadium was completed on January 6, 1940, having cost $400,000. At the time, it was the largest gymnasium in the country south of the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally called Duke Indoor Stadium, it was renamed for Coach Cameron on January 22, 1972.[34] The building originally included seating for 8,800, though standing room was sufficient to ensure that 12,000 could fit in on a particularly busy day. Then, as now, Duke students were allowed a large chunk of the seats, including those directly alongside the court. Renovations in 1987–1988 removed the standing room areas and added seats, bringing capacity to 9,314.
Cameron Crazies
Duke's men's basketball teams have had a decided home-court advantage for many years, thanks to the diehard students known as the Cameron Crazies.[35] The hardwood floor has been dedicated and renamed Coach K Court in honor of head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and the tent city outside Cameron where students camp out before big games is known as Krzyzewskiville. In 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked Cameron the fourth best venue in all of professional and college sports,[36] and USA Today referred to it as "the toughest road game in the nation".[37]
Zion WilliamsonAP, NABC, Naismith, U.S. Basketball Writers, Wooden, Sporting News[48]
ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Danny Ferry was named ACC Player of the Year in 1988 & 1989.Nolan Smith was the ACC Player of the Year in 2011.Zion Williamson was named ACC Player of the Year in 2019.
The Duke–North Carolina rivalry is often ranked among the top rivalries in both college basketball and all North American sports.[103] Entering the 2023 - 2024 season, North Carolina leads the rivalry, winning 141 games to Duke's 115.[104] The Duke Blue Devils face the North Carolina Tar Heels twice each year during ACC play, with thousands of Duke undergraduate students participating in an annual tradition of camping out in Krzyzewskiville, a lawn in front of Cameron Indoor Stadium, for months to line up for admission into the rivalry game.[105] The two teams always face each other for their last game of the regular season, with the home team hosting their Senior Night. Some years, the two teams meet for a third game in the ACC tournament. The teams have met twice in post-season tournament play. In 2022, the two schools met in the Final Four to face each other in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. In that game, the Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 81–77. In 1971 the two rivals met in the semi-finals of the NIT, a game also won by North Carolina by a score of 73 - 69. Duke also has rivalries with NC State and Wake Forest, and together with UNC, the 4 schools form Tobacco Road.
Duke and North Carolina have combined for 11 national championships, with North Carolina leading Duke 6–5. The intensity of the rivalry is augmented by the proximity of the two universities, located only ten miles apart along U.S. Highway 15–501 (also known as Tobacco Road) or eight miles apart in straight-line distance in the cities of Durham and Chapel Hill.[106][107] In addition, Duke is a private university whereas North Carolina is a public school; the vastly different funding structures and cultures between the two further contribute to the intensity of the rivalry.[108]
Former Esquire editor and author (and North Carolina graduate) Will Blythe argues that the rivalry's passion can be attributed greatly to class and culture in the South.
To legions of otherwise reasonable adults, it is a conflict that surpasses sports; it is locals against outsiders, elitists against populists, even good against evil... The rivalry may be a way of aligning oneself with larger philosophic ideals — of choosing teams in life — a tradition of partisanship that reveals the pleasures and even the necessity of hatred.[109]
The March 4, 2006 game was the most watched college basketball game in ESPN history.
The rivalry has been the subject of various books and articles, including To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever by Blythe and Blue Blood by Art Chansky.[110]
Further illustrating the intensity of the rivalry, U.S. RepresentativeBrad Miller, a die-hard Carolina fan, told an Associated Press writer in 2012, "I have said very publicly that if Duke was playing against the Taliban, then I'd have to pull for the Taliban."[111]
However, also due to the close proximity of the two schools, there is respect and collaboration within the rivalry. Inspired by the men's basketball teams, twenty-four students from the two schools got together from January 14–16, 2006 in order to attempt to break the world record for the longest continuous game of basketball ever recorded. The game set a new world record at 57 hours, 17 minutes and 41 seconds with Duke winning the game 3699–3444. All $60,000 raised from the marathon benefited the Hoop Dreams Basketball Academy, an organization which helps children with life-threatening illnesses develop successful life skills through basketball.[112]
Beyond athletics, the school papers have also engaged in the rivalry. As a tradition, one day prior to a Duke-North Carolina basketball game, The Chronicle, Duke's student newspaper, publishes a spoof cover page for the day's edition with the title The Daily Tar Hole. Contained within are satirical stories poking fun at The Daily Tar Heel and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Daily Tar Heel typically publishes former columnist Ian Williams' "Insider's guide to hating Duke" for the two basketball match-ups each year. There is a longstanding agreement that if Duke wins the first matchup, The Daily Tar Heel's masthead is printed in Duke blue, and if North Carolina wins the first matchup, The Chronicle's masthead is painted Carolina blue. The losing school's paper also has to put the other school's logo in a conspicuous location and claim that the winning school is "still the best."[113]
The Michigan Wolverines and the Maryland Terrapins basketball teams have also claimed rivalries against the Blue Devils, but Duke has long rejected both claims and considers North Carolina to be its only rival.[114][115]
Perception
The Duke men's basketball team has been noted as a particularly hated team within the sport. Some of the hate comes from fans of rival teams, most notably the North Carolina Tar Heels.[116] The hate is often tied to Duke's record, as the team has experienced success in most seasons since the late 1980s.
The hate is often tied to specific players. Christian Laettner, who played for Duke from 1988 to 1992 as they won two national championships, is often named as one of the most hated players in college basketball.[117][118] The 2015 documentary I Hate Christian Laettner names five main reasons for the hate: "privilege, race, bully, greatness and looks".[119]JJ Redick, who played at Duke from 2002 to 2006 also experienced hatred and animosity from fans during his tenure.[120] Another particularly hated player is Grayson Allen, who played for Duke from 2014 to 2018. In addition to many of the reasons Laettner was hated, Allen was also targeted after several incidents in which he deliberately tripped opposing players.[121]
By the numbers
All-time wins – 2,271
All-time winning percentage – .712
NCAA championships – 5
NCAA tournament runner-up – 6
All-Americans – 49 players
ACC regular season titles – 23
ACC tournament titles – 22 (most all-time)
NCAA championship games – 11
NCAA Final Fours – 17
NCAA tournament appearances – 45
NCAA tournament wins – 121
No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament – 14
Number of weeks ranked all-time in the top 25 of the AP Poll – 870
Number of times defeating the No. 1 ranked team in the country – 10
Victories over AP No. 1 team
Duke has 10 victories over the AP number one ranked team.
January 27, 1958 – NR Duke 72, No. 1 West Virginia 68
December 10, 1965 – No. 8 Duke 82, No. 1 UCLA 66
December 11, 1965 – No. 8 Duke 94, No. 1 UCLA 75
March 11, 1984 – No. 16 Duke 77, No. 1 UNC 75
March 26, 1988 – No. 5 Duke 63, No. 1 Temple 53
March 30, 1991 – No. 2 Duke 79, No. 1 Nevada-Las Vegas 77
December 5, 1992 – No. 4 Duke 79, No. 1 Michigan 68
November 26, 1997 – No. 4 Duke 95, No. 1 Arizona 87
February 22, 2014 – No. 5 Duke 66, No. 1 Syracuse 60
November 26, 2021 – No. 5 Duke 84, No. 1 Gonzaga 81
^ESPN Staff (January 3, 2000). "The 10 greatest rivalries". The end of the century. ESPN.com. Retrieved March 25, 2008. Dean Smith. Coach K. Jordan. Hill. Tobacco Road. Cameron Crazies. The fans are passionate, the teams successful, the games almost always down to the buzzer. Two of the four winningest teams in history, going at it twice a year (and once more in the ACC tournament if we're lucky). This is what college hoops is all about.
^Dees, Matt (January 13, 2006). "For 3 days, it's no letups in the layups". City & State. The News & Observer. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2008. Two 12-person teams will try to break the Guinness world record for longest basketball game. If all goes as planned, the teams will play for 58 hours, including scheduled breaks and a halftime.
^Williams, Ian (January 7, 1990). "Insider's guide to hating Duke". Editorial. The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved March 25, 2008. So this is my request, boys of basketball: Tonight, I not only want you to win, I want Krzyzewski calling home to his mother with tears in his eyes. I want Alaa Abdelnaby to throw up brick after brick. I want Rick Fox to take Christian Laettner to the hoop so many times that poor Christian will be dazed on the bench with an Etch-a-Sketch and a box of Crayola Crayons. I want Bobby Hurley to trip on his shoelaces and fly into a fat alumnus from Wilmington! Send Thad and Lorna home with their blue tails between their legs! God bless them Tar Heel boys!
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