2020–21 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

2020–21 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record13–11 (9–9 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCameron Indoor Stadium
Seasons
2020–21 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Virginia 13 – 4   .765 18 – 7   .720
No. 14 Florida State 11 – 4   .733 18 – 7   .720
No. 25 Virginia Tech 9 – 4   .692 15 – 7   .682
Georgia Tech † 11 – 6   .647 17 – 9   .654
Clemson 10 – 6   .625 16 – 8   .667
North Carolina 10 – 6   .625 18 – 11   .621
Louisville 8 – 5   .615 13 – 7   .650
Syracuse 9 – 7   .563 18 – 10   .643
NC State 9 – 8   .529 14 – 11   .560
Duke 9 – 9   .500 13 – 11   .542
Notre Dame 7 – 11   .389 11 – 15   .423
Pittsburgh 6 – 10   .375 10 – 12   .455
Miami (FL) 4 – 15   .211 10 – 17   .370
Wake Forest 3 – 15   .167 6 – 16   .273
Boston College 2 – 11   .154 4 – 16   .200
† 2021 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by 41st-year head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils played their home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Known for consistent high-level performance under Krzyzewski's tenure, the Blue Devils struggled to match their norm this season. Duke fell out of the AP and Coaches Poll rankings within the first few weeks and struggled to maintain a winning record.[1] The Blue Devils finished the 2020–21 season 13–11, and 9–9 to finish in tenth place in ACC play. Duke spent much of the late season on the bubble, according to bracketologists, and ultimately their season ended when a positive COVID-19 test forced them to drop out of the ACC tournament ahead of the quarterfinals. Duke missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.[2]

Previous season

[edit]

The Blue Devils finished the 2019–20 season 25–6, and 15–5 to finish in a tie for second place in ACC play. The team was scheduled to play NC State in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament before the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] The 2020 NCAA tournament was also canceled due to the pandemic.[5][6]

Offseason

[edit]

Departures

[edit]
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Justin Robinson F 6'9" 202 Senior (Redshirt) San Antonio, TX Completed college eligibility
Javin DeLaurier F 6'10" 237 Senior Charlottesville, VA Graduated; Free-Agent acquisition by the Charlotte Hornets.
Jack White F 6'7" 222 Senior Canberra, Australia Graduated
Alex O'Connell G 6'6" 190 Junior Roswell, GA Transferred to Creighton[7]
Tre Jones G 6'3" 185 Sophomore Apple Valley, MN Declared for 2020 NBA draft; selected 41st overall by the San Antonio Spurs[8]
Vernon Carey Jr. C 6'10" 275 Freshman Southwest Ranches, FL Declared for 2020 NBA draft; selected 32nd overall by the Charlotte Hornets[9]
Cassius Stanley G 6'5" 185 Freshman Los Angeles, CA Declared for 2020 NBA draft; selected 54th overall by the Indiana Pacers[10]

2020 recruiting class

[edit]

The 2020 recruiting class was ranked third in the nation by 247 Sports' Composite Ranking.[11]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jeremy Roach
PG 		Leesburg, VA Paul VI Catholic HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Mar 8, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Jalen Johnson
SF 		Glendale, WI Nicolet High School (WI) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jul 4, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
D. J. Steward
SG 		Chicago, IL Whitney Young HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sep 18, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 92
Jaemyn Brakefield
PF 		Jackson, MS Huntington Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oct 4, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Mark Williams
C 		Norfolk, VA IMG Academy (FL) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Nov 1, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Henry Coleman III
PF 		Richmond, VA Trinity Episcopal School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Sep 27, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 85
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Duke Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 recruiting class

[edit]
College recruiting information (2021)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
AJ Griffin
SF 		Ossining, NY Archbishop Stepinac 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Nov 4, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Paolo Banchero
PF 		Seattle, WA O'Dea 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Aug 20, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 97
Trevor Keels
SG 		Clinton, MD Paul VI Catholic 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Apr 2, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Jaylen Blakes
CG 		Somerset, NJ Blair Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 19, 2021 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 3  247Sports: 3
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

[edit]
2020–21 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Wendell Moore Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 216 lb (98 kg) So Cox Mill Charlotte, NC
G 2 D. J. Steward 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 163 lb (74 kg) Fr Whitney Young Chicago, IL
G 3 Jeremy Roach 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Paul VI Leesburg, VA
F 5 Jaemyn Brakefield 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Jackson, MS
F 12 Patrick Tapé 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 233 lb (106 kg) GS Columbia Charlotte, NC
F 13 Joey Baker 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 201 lb (91 kg) Jr Trinity Christian School Fayetteville, NC
G 14 Jordan Goldwire 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Sr Norcross Norcross, GA
C 15 Mark Williams 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 243 lb (110 kg) Fr IMG Academy Virginia Beach, VA
F 21 Matthew Hurt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So John Marshall Rochester, MN
G 30 Michael Savarino (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Durham Academy Durham, NC
F 34 Henry Coleman III 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 229 lb (104 kg) Fr Trinity Episcopal Richmond, VA
F 45 Keenan Worthington (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Blair Academy Chapel Hill, NC
G 51 Mike Buckmire 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Germantown Friends School Blue Bell, PA
Head coach

Mike Krzyzewski (Army)

Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 10, 2020

Depth chart

[edit]
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Mark Williams Henry Coleman III
PF Matthew Hurt Jaemyn Brakefield Keenan Worthington
SF Wendell Moore Jr. Joey Baker Patrick Tapé
SG D. J. Steward Mike Buckmire
PG Jeremy Roach Jordan Goldwire Michael Savarino

Schedule and results

[edit]

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the start of the season was pushed back from the scheduled start of November 10.[12] On September 16, 2020, the NCAA announced that November 25 would be the new start date.[13] Matchups for ACC–Big Ten Challenge were released on October 30.[14] The Champions Classic, which was originally to be held on November 10, was later moved to December 1 and was to be held in Orlando. However, due to disagreements between ESPN, who was staging the event (and others), over health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, the event was canceled.[15] It was hoped that the event could be still held elsewhere. It was later reported that the Blue Devils would play their Champions Classic game at Duke while Kentucky and Kansas will play in Indianapolis due to conflicting COVID-19 protocols by the respective schools.[16]

Prior to the start of the season, it was announced that Duke would not play its scheduled season opener against Gardner–Webb, which had a positive coronavirus test within its team.[17] On December 10, 2020, the school announced that it would cancel the remaining non-conference games, meaning games already postponed would not be made up.[18]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020
 No. 8 Gardner–Webb Postponed. Rescheduled for December 19.[19] Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
November 28, 2020*
2:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 8 Coppin State W 81–71  1–0
  24 – Steward   19 – Johnson   5 – Johnson  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
December 1, 2020*
7:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 6 No. 8 Michigan State
Champions Classic 		L 69–75  1–1
  21 – Hurt   13 – Hurt   2 – Roach  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
December 4, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		No. 6 Bellarmine W 76–54  2–1
  24 – Hurt   7 – Williams   6 – Tied  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
December 6, 2020
 No. 6 Elon Canceled[20] Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
December 8, 2020*
9:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 10 No. 6 Illinois
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		L 68–83  2–2
  19 – Hurt   7 – Tied   7 – Roach  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
December 12, 2020
 No. 10 Charleston Southern Canceled[21] Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
December 16, 2020
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 21 at Notre Dame W 75–65  3–2
(1–0) 		 18 – Hurt   7 – Steward   3 – Hurt  Purcell Pavilion (89)
Notre Dame, IN
December 19, 2020
 No. 21 Gardner–Webb Canceled[18] Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
December 29, 2020
8:00 pm, ACCN 		No. 20 Pittsburgh Canceled[22] Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
January 2, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 20 at No. 18 Florida State Canceled[23] Donald L. Tucker Center 
Tallahassee, FL
January 6, 2021
8:30 pm, ACCN 		No. 21 Boston College W 83–82  4–2
(2–0) 		 25 – Moore   11 – Hurt   6 – Goldwire  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
January 9, 2021
12:00 pm, ACCN 		No. 21 Wake Forest W 79–68  5–2
(3–0) 		 26 – Hurt   8 – Moore   5 – Goldwire  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
January 12, 2021
7:00 pm, ACCN 		No. 19 at No. 20 Virginia Tech L 67–74  5–3
(3–1) 		 22 – Roach   11 – Hurt   4 – Tied  Cassell Coliseum (250)
Blacksburg, VA
January 19, 2021
9:00 pm, ESPN 		at Pittsburgh L 73–79  5–4
(3–2) 		 24 – Johnson   15 – Johnson   7 – Johnson  Petersen Events Center (500)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 23, 2021
4:00 pm, ESPN 		at Louisville L 65–70  5–5
(3–3) 		 24 – Hurt   8 – Hurt   3 – Moore Jr.  KFC Yum! Center (3,219)
Louisville, KY
January 26, 2021
9:00 pm, ESPN 		Georgia Tech W 75–68  6–5
(4–3) 		 19 – Steward   8 – Hurt   7 – Goldwire  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
January 30, 2021
12:00 pm, ESPN2 		Clemson W 79–53  7–5
(5–3) 		 13 – Hurt   8 – Johnson   5 – Tied  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
February 1, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN 		at Miami L 75–77  7–6
(5–4) 		 21 – Hurt   7 – Johnson   3 – Moore Jr.  Watsco Center (0)
Miami, FL
February 6, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN 		North Carolina
Rivalry 		L 87–91  7–7
(5–5) 		 16 – Roach   8 – Williams   5 – Roach  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
February 9, 2021
4:30 pm, ACCN 		Notre Dame L 89–93  7–8
(5–6) 		 24 – Moore Jr.   10 – Moore Jr.   4 – Goldwire  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
February 13, 2021
4:00 pm, ESPN 		at NC State W 69–53  8–8
(6–6) 		 24 – Hurt   5 – Brakefield   4 – Steward  PNC Arena (25)
Raleigh, NC
February 17, 2021
8:30 pm, ACCN 		at Wake Forest W 84–60  9–8
(7–6) 		 22 – Hurt   7 – Tied   4 – Tied  LJVM Coliseum (102)
Winston-Salem, NC
February 20, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 Virginia W 66–65  10–8
(8–6) 		 22 – Hurt   5 – Tied   7 – Moore  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
February 22, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN 		Syracuse W 85–71  11–8
(9–6) 		 21 – Steward   11 – Williams   7 – Tied  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
February 27, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN 		Louisville L 73–80 OT 11–9
(9–7) 		 37 – Hurt   9 – Moore Jr.   6 – Goldwire  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
March 2, 2021
8:00 pm, ACCN 		at Georgia Tech L 77–81 OT 11–10
(9–8) 		 20 – Moore Jr.   8 – Moore Jr.   8 – Goldwire  Hank McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
March 6, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN 		at North Carolina
Rivalry 		L 73–91  11–11
(9–9) 		 16 – Roach   8 – Williams   5 – Roach  Dean Smith Center (3,263)
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
March 9, 2021
4:30 pm, ACCN 		(10) vs. (15) Boston College
First round 		W 86–51  12–11
  17 – Steward   7 – Hurt   5 – Roach  Greensboro Coliseum (2,820)
Greensboro, NC
March 10, 2021
6:30 pm, ACCN 		(10) vs. (7) Louisville
Second round 		W 70–56  13–11
  23 – Williams   19 – Williams   5 – Moore Jr.  Greensboro Coliseum (2,820)
Greensboro, NC
March 11, 2021
6:30 pm, ESPN 		(10) vs. (2) No. 15 Florida State
Quarterfinals 		Withdrew from tournament due to COVID-19 positive test[24] Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[25]

Rankings

[edit]
See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

On January 18, 2021, Duke fell out of the AP Top 25 ranking for the first time since February 8, 2016. This marked the first time since December 25, 1961 that Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina were all out of the Top 25 ranking.[26]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP96102120202119RV————————Not released
Coaches8 (1)8 (1)^112325RV2423RV—————————

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ O'Neil, Dana; Marks, Brendan (February 2, 2021). "What happened to Duke? Inside the Blue Devils' struggles just to make the NCAA Tournament". The Athletic.
  2. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 11, 2021). "Duke out of ACC tourney; AD says season is over". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Statement from ACC on men's basketball tournament". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  4. ^ McGavic, Matthew. "ACC Cancels Remainder of men's basketball tournament". Sports Illustrated Louisville Cardinals News, Analysis and More. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  5. ^ "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "NCAA tournaments canceled over coronavirus". ESPN.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  7. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 8, 2020). "SG Alex O'Connell transfers from Duke to Crieghton". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "Tre Jones Declares for 2020 NBA Draft". Duke Athletics. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  9. ^ "Carey Declares for 2020 NBA Draft". Duke Athletics. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "Cassius Stanley Declares for 2020 NBA Draft". Duke Athletics. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "2020 Basketball Team Rankings". 247Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "NCAA committees pushing for Nov. 25 as the start date for the 2020-21 college basketball season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "NCAA: Men's, women's hoops can start Nov. 25". ESPN.com. September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  14. ^ Goldberg, Rob. "2020 ACC/Big Ten Challenge Reportedly Set to Be Held Dec. 8-9 on Campuses". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  15. ^ "College basketball tournaments and events in Orlando 'NBA-like bubble' canceled in COVID-19 protocol spat". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  16. ^ Crawford, Kirkland. "Michigan State basketball at Duke reportedly to play Dec. 1 in Champions Classic". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  17. ^ "Duke opener against Gardner-Webb postponed". ESPN.com. November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Duke cancels remaining nonconference basketball games; Coach K wants team to go home for Christmas". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  19. ^ "Duke men's basketball reschedules Gardner-Webb matchup for Dec. 19". The Chronicle. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  20. ^ "Duke hoops cancels rest of nonconference slate". ESPN.com. December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  21. ^ Condon, Bridget (December 10, 2020). "Duke cancels remainder of non-conference men's basketball games due to COVID-19 concerns". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  22. ^ "Pittsburgh at Duke Men's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "Duke at Florida State Men's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "Duke Men's Basketball Out of ACC Tournament". goduke.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  25. ^ "2020-21 Duke Blue Devils Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  26. ^ Cassandra Negley (January 18, 2021). "Duke, UNC, Kentucky all outside of men's AP Top 25 for first time since 1961". Retrieved January 20, 2021.
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