Duke Basketball Report

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, we are drafting one-and-done teams from Duke history, and we have a special guest to help evaluate our picks. That guest is Mitch Davis, one of the winners of the DBR bracket challenge this year. Mitch won that crown by picking Kansas over Duke in the championship game, and he comes armed with great Duke Basketball and other college basketball stories that you won't want to miss. The eligible players for this draft are guys who went to Duke for one freshman season and then declared for the NBA draft. Here are the picks! Sam Zion Williamson Jahlil Okafor Jayson Tatum Gary Trent, Jr. Cam Reddish Corey Maggette Austin Rivers Jason Kyrie Irving RJ Barrett Brandon Ingram Justise Winslow Wendell Carter, Jr. Vernon Carey, Jr. Cassius Stanley Donald Marvin Bagley III Tyus Jones Paolo Banchero Luol Deng AJ Griffin Jabari Parker Trevon Duval Email us at dbrpodcast at gmail.com or post on the forums to let us know you think won the draft, and we will be back ag

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, we're breaking down two new members of the Duke Basketball family: assistant coach Jai Lucas, who joins Duke from a similar role at Kentucky, and senior transfer Ryan Young, who comes to Duke from Chris Collins and Northwestern. Lucas is the big headline for us, though, as Duke has added an assistant without any Duke ties for the first time in almost 30 years. Lucas brings playing success, coaching success, and an impressive pedigree to Durham, where his father John Lucas II, Maryland and NBA legend, once upon a time played high school basketball. Lucas is taking Nolan Smith's spot on the bench, and he brings plenty of recruiting chops to the role. We are all excited to see all the things that Lucas will bring to the program, as an outsider with a great resume. Young, meanwhile, will be a backup big man for Duke, or so we think. His role on the 2023 team should primarily be spelling Dereck Lively II, not to mention his enormous role in the practice, preparing Lively for big

There's a new Dukie in town and his name is Kale Catchings. While not the impact player that some folks are eager to get out of the transfer portal, there is a lot to like about what this former Harvard player brings to Durham. The DBR Podcast crew is here to break it down and also look at some of the other names to watch out for as Coach Scheyer looks to use the transfer portal to fill out the 2022-23 Blue Devil roster. After a quick break, the podcast guys also reflect back on the career of AJ Griffin, the last of the Dukies to declare for the NBA draft, and they take another peek at the NBNA playoffs to discuss the burning question -- who has been better in the 2022 post-season, Jayson Tatum or Brandon Ingram? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Duke Blue Devils have had some more players decide to head to the NBA Draft, and we discuss it on Episode 418. But first, we discuss the announcement that Jeremy Roach will return to Duke for his junior season. We’re very excited at Roach returning to be a leader on the court and provide that veteran presence that a young team will need. We also discuss the departures of Trevor Keels and Wendell Moore to the NBA Draft. Keels’ announcement had more intrigue given the talk that he was considering a return to Durham, and that could still happen, as we explain. We also discuss some of the transfer portal rumors that are out there now that we know that Keels is entering his name in the Draft. We also get into a reader’s question about the underrated season of Vernon Carey, Jr., and Duke has its first basketball opponent in the Jon Scheyer era...and it’s Jacksonville University. We touch on those topics to end our show. Continue to send us the great emails you’ve been sending to DBR Podcast at Gmail dot com! Le

The DBR Podcast gang pays tribute to the great 2021-22 Dukies who have ended their time in Durham and are now headed into the NBA Draft. First of all, the guys debate where Paolo Banchero stands in the ranks of the all-time great Duke one-and-done players and then they talk a bit about Mark Williams compared to the great defensive centers ever at Duke. The conversation then shifts to a couple guys who think may be back in Durham next year, Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels, and we look at bit at how Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities could affect Jeremy and Trevor's decisions. After the commercial break, Jason, Sam, and Donald spend a few moments chatting about the departure of Michael Savarino and then they turn their attention to Dukies in the NBA playoffs where Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram are making major waves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The off-season means roster construction and the DBR Podcast crew is here to chat about the latest moves that will make up the 2022-23 Duke Blue Devils. They start with this week's announcement that Joey Baker is coming back to Durham for his "super senior" 5th year in the program. Though there was a lot of speculation that Joey would not play for Duke next season, the podcast guys are very excited at what his three-point stroke and leadership bring to next year's team. And while we await NBA Draft vs. Durham decisions from several other Blue Devils, the podcast discusses a frequent question from fans -- why does UNC seem to bring guys back to school while Duke keeps on losing players to the draft? Additionally, this weekend edition of the pod dives into the announcement that Amile Jefferson will be elevated to a full assistant coach next season and they conclude with a discussion about the Duke Basketball Banquet, which means gushing over Coach K's newest addition to the family, a gorgeous silver lab puppy.

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, we're giddy over Duke's two most recent commitments, a pair of juniors in the 2023 class, who both declared for Duke late last week. First, we dive into Tyrese Proctor, an Australian who will play on the wing for Duke. Proctor should be an impact player from the start in Durham, given his ranking and his ability to score. Then, we talk about Mackenzie Mgbako, who could become the top pick in the 2024 draft if things go his way. Mgbako is a big, long scorer, and Jason is excited to compare him to another scoring forward who left Duke a few years ago, Jayson Tatum. We don't want to put too much on Mgbako's enormous shoulders, but we think he can handle it. After the break, we dive into the potential permutations of the 2022-2022 roster, including questions about the NBA futures of Wendell Moore, Trevor Keels, and Jeremy Roach. With point guard Caleb Foster considering reclassifying to join Duke this fall, speculation about Roach doesn't seem to lean one way or another, but we

Now that the Duke season is over, we get to find out the winner of the Stats Game on Episode 414! Jason, Donald, and Sam are back together to go through the results of the Stats Game, beginning with a quick discussion on a technicality. We then get into the different categories, from points per game to number of players to lead the team in scoring to number of 10-5-5 games for Wendell Moore. Jason is the defending champion of the Stats Game...will he defend his title this year, or did Sam or Donald have enough points to take the crown? Gotta listen to find out! After the break, we discuss the incredible Coach K tribute video that the NCAA put out during the Final Four. It’s 10 minutes of just absolute incredible moments that will definitely make you tear up. It leads to the crew talking about their personal Coach K moments. If you have your own Coach K personal memories, send them to us at DBR Podcast at Gmail dot com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your

The national championship was played last night, but the first topic on this edition of the Duke Basketball Report Podcast is the expected departure of Nolan Smith to become the lead assistant coach at Louisville. We are so sad to see Nolan leave, but we also understand why he is making this move. The DBR Podcast has some "inside" knowledge of what led Nolan to make this choice and there is a lot of logic behind it. Plus, the podcast gang dives into the national championship game between Kansas and UNC. And while the guys have plenty of praise for the effort it took for UNC to get here, they also have at least a little bit of pleasure in reporting on the UNC choke job that included being the first team in history to blow a 15 point halftime lead. Finally, after a break, the guys look to Duke's future with a report on the McDonald's All-Star game, featuring three future Dukies. The future so bright... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m

The 2021-2022 season is over for the Duke Blue Devils, as it ends at the Final Four with a 81-77 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels. We react to the game on Episode 412. Jason and Sam were in the building in New Orleans, while Donald endured a 15-hour flight from Qatar to get back to DC in time to watch with friends. Donald hosts as Jason and Sam, live from a coffee shop in Mobile, describes the scene at the Caesars Superdome. We get to the headlines, starting with some of the cool ones that were submitted from listeners. After that, we get into the good from the game. Duke dominated on offense inside the paint, and they had world class showings from Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels. They also took care of the basketball with their lowest number of turnovers on the season. After the break, we get into the bad, which included free throws, the luck factor, and even some comments on foul calls that happened for both teams. We end with a special shoutout to everyone who has listened to us this season and beyond.

With less than 48 hours to go until the huge game with the Tar Heels, the Duke Basketball Report Podcast ventures into enemy territory. We invite on Al Hood from the SB Nation website Tar Heel Blog to tell us what the Carolina community is saying about playing Duke in the Final Four. Al has some surprising notions about what Carolina needs to do to compete with Duke and even gives us his somewhat surprising prediction for the game. Then, after a commercial break, DBR Podcast host Jason Evans has some insight into how the NCAA is rigging the secondary ticket markets for the Final Four, ensuring that they remain in control of the best seats for as long as possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, the crew are all back together to do our official game preview for Duke's Final Four matchup against UNC in New Orleans on Saturday. Before we get into it, though, Jason and Sam have to talk a bit about their travel plans for this weekend. Duke and UNC are more similar in team makeup than our respective fanbases may care to admit, and we're here to break down all of the metrics. UNC's tournament run has featured a short rotation, much stronger defense, and better attention to detail. We have a few different ideas on how Duke can exploit UNC's limited weaknesses. After the break, we open the mailbag to share some perspectives and questions from the listeners, who have come through enormously this week and throughout the tournament with ideas. You, too, can have your questions featured on the show by emailing us at dbrpodcast at gmail.com. Look out for Jason and Sam at the Superdome on Saturday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more a

The moment the Duke Basketball Report Podcast crew realized that Duke would be facing their hated rivals from down the road in the Final Four, the guys knew they had to talk to Jay Bilas about it. Jay watches as much ACC hoops as anyone and has a close relationship with the players and coaches on both sides. Plus, he has one of the best analytical minds around when it comes to college hoops. Listen in as Jay breaks down what Duke and UNC are doing today that they were not doing just a few weeks ago. He gives us his appraisal of the two teams and we even convince him to make a pick of which team he thinks will win the game. Jay also spends some time talking about his own time at Duke, which included a trip to the Final Four in 1986. And if you are worried that this will be the only preview of the Duke-UNC game from the DBR Podcast, think again! There will be another episode in the next 24 hours! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho

They did it! The Blue Devils made it to the Final Four as their offense again proved to be more than enough to foil one of the best defenses in the nation. DBR Podcast hosts Jason, Sam, and Donald got together just moments after the game ended to discus how Duke dismantled Arkansas 78-69. The podcast crew has plenty of praise for Duke's big men and for some clutch shooting from the Duke guards. And the guys also reflect on how unlikely and amazing it is that the team is doing this in Coach K's final season at the helm. And, before they sign off, the podcast crew spends some time talking about what comes next. We may not know yet who Duke will be playing, but it sure looks like it could be Duke and UNC in the Final Four, a matchup that is both exciting and terrifying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wowowowowow! The Blue Devils win a nail-biter against Texas Tech and the DBR Podcast gang jump on line to give their immediate reaction. The story of the game was Jeremy Roach's amazing drives into the lane, something that was supposed to be impossible to do against Tech... either that or the story was Paolo Banchero raining threes down on the Red Raiders and showing more offensive versatility than we have seen from him all year... or it was Mark Williams patrolling the paint and forcing Texas Tech into a poor shooting performance because they were just plain afraid to go into the lane with Mark on patrol. Actually, the story is none of those, it is Coach K's career lasting at least one more contest as he finds his team on the verge of yet another Final Four. And the podcast guys take a few moments to preview that Elite 8 game that will determine who gets to go to New Orleans, Duke or Arkansas. As they always do, the podcast guys have some key things to look out for in the next big game for the Blue Devils. L

After hours of research and video study, the DBR Podcast crew is ready to give you all you need to know about Duke's Sweet 16 opponent, Texas Tech. And it all starts with their vaunted "No Middle" defense, a scheme that has allowed the Red Raiders to post the best defensive efficiency ratings in all of college basketball. Jason, Sam, and Donald tell you what Duke needs to do to succeed against it and what traps Duke could fall into they aren't careful. Then, after a break, the podcast gang looks at the rest of the bracket. They complain a bit about the refs and marvel at how Donald's picks have made him among the top 1% of all brackets on ESPN Tournament Challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During a thrilling opening weekend of the NCAA tournament, Duke and Michigan State delivered another classic matchup between longtime rivals Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo. The DBR Podcast is back to tell you how Coach K pulled off another win over the Spartans, this time an 85-76 victory in Greenville that allows Duke to advance to a Sweet Sixteen matchup against Texas Tech on Thursday night. We continue to get a ton of great headlines from the listeners, so we have to share those and our own creative musings, many of which referenced Jeremy Roach. The point guard had another stellar game, which has become something of a trend for him late in the season. We also need to talk about huge performances from Mark Williams and Trevor Keels, particularly in light of the late injury to AJ Griffin, who sat out down the stretch as Duke held off a late MSU run. In the bad, we dig into the team's continued reliance on one-on-one matchups on offense, and Michigan State's success getting open three-point baskets, particular

The NCAA Tournament has begun, and the Duke Blue Devils got off to a good start with a victory over Cal State Fullerton. The DBR Podcast crew is here to recap that game on Episode 404! Survive and Advance is the name of the game in the Big Dance, and the Blue Devils were able to make easy work of the Titans. We review the headlines, the good, and the things that could have been better. Notable performances by Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams lead the way, along with noting the shooting struggles of Trevor Keels and AJ Griffin. After the break, we preview the 2nd round matchup for the Blue Devils, another date with Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. Donald begins by highlighting what to expect from any Izzo-led team: physicality, hustle, hard work, and rebounding. Jason hits the advanced metrics, and Sam keys in on a few players of note. We end by discussing all that’s happened in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament, with quick notes on the newest recruit, Jared McClain, committing as the game tipped off

The DBR Podcast gang has spent the last 24 hours pouring over brackets and advanced metrics to bring you a Duke-centric look at the NCAA field. They guys start with a deep dive into Cal State-Fullerton, Duke's first round opponent. They have a very experienced roster but not many guys who have competed with teams loaded with NBA talent like Duke. After that, the podcast spends some time analyzing the rest of the West region, including several interesting notes about the team's in Duke's path -- Davidson, Michigan St., and Texas Tech. The podcast then expands things a bit further, looking at the other regions and wrapping it all up with our Final Four and National Championship picks. This is the DUKE Basketball Report podcast so you can probably guess who we expect to win the national title. Oh, and be sure to stick around at the end to find out what disease-filled food Sam was munching on while we recorded. Don't forget that the podcast guys want to hear from you. Email them at DBRPodcast at gmail-dot-com. Le

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, we break down Duke's performance in the ACC tournament, where the Blue Devils lost in the final to Virginia Tech, and Duke's placement in the NCAA tournament, where they are the #2 seed in Gonzaga's West region. We start with the bracket. Duke begins its quest for a sixth national championship against Cal State Fullerton on Friday in Greenville, and should Duke get by Fullerton, the winner of Michigan State and Davidson awaits. We're excited and a bit relieved about Duke's path, although we plan to get into much more detail about the tournament in a future episode this week. After the break, we dive into Duke's performances from Brooklyn, including wins over Syracuse and Miami and the loss to the Hokies. We let the emails guide us here, with a particularly deep discussion about leadership and defense, both of which were lacking on Saturday. Our player of the week picks reflect the underwhelming nature of Duke's play in the ACC tournament. Stay in touch with us this week as