What do the Mighty Geese, Buster Douglas, the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey staff and 2025 Duke basketball all have in widespread?
They’re America’s favourite underdog!
After blowing a nine-point lead with simply three minutes to play in opposition to Houston within the Closing 4, Duke was ceremoniously bounced from the event. The Blue Devils have been heavy favorites—as they often are—so why on the earth are we calling them underdogs?
Properly, don’t take my phrase for it. Take incoming freshman and No. 3 recruit within the nation, Cameron Boozer’s:
“We’re very neglected proper now,” Boozer mentioned. “As soon as the season begins, that’ll change for certain.”
In what universe has Duke basketball ever been neglected?
They’re one of many few school basketball applications that may command headlines year-round, they usually simply made a Closing 4 run in Jon Scheyer’s third season as head coach.
Scheyer has picked up proper the place Corridor of Famer Mike Krzyzewski left off along with his staff’s play on the courtroom—and dare I say, he’s by some means been even higher as a recruiter.
Duke Recruiting Rankings by Yr:
2025: No. 1
2024: No. 1
2023: No. 2
2022: No. 1
The worst recruiting class Scheyer has introduced in is the second-best within the nation. So recruiting boards aren’t overlooking Duke. Should be the polls, proper?
Nope.
The Blue Devils are a consensus top-10 staff in most way-too-early rankings and will even open the season inside the highest 5.
This “everybody doubts us” shtick? It has Coach Ok’s fingerprints throughout it. Scheyer, a former Blue Satan and longtime assistant, is following the identical PR playbook. Whining to the media about being disrespected, when no staff in school basketball will get the advantage of the doubt like Duke.
So I get that Cameron Boozer is simply echoing the cookie-cutter coachspeak Scheyer is promoting. However he’s on the one faculty the place that line simply doesn’t work. He’s the reigning Gatorade Participant of the Yr, a part of the most effective recruiting class within the nation, and attending the college with the second-most nationwide titles within the final 50 years.
Nonetheless, perhaps this isn’t a Duke drawback. Perhaps it’s a Boozer household drawback—a state of affairs the place perhaps you simply don’t wish to put a mic in entrance of those guys.
Cameron’s dad, NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, as soon as mentioned the Cleveland Cavaliers had “higher gamers than him (LeBron) in his place already on the staff.”
That take aged like milk.
And I’m certain by December, we’ll be sick of listening to about Duke. That’s simply how school basketball works.
