# 2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Mike Krzyzewski, who served for his 29th year. The team played its home games in Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Blue Devils captured the ACC Championship by defeating Florida State in the championship game in Atlanta.

## Pre-season

The 2007–08 Duke Blue Devils finished the season 28–6 (13–3), placed second in the ACC regular season standings, and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Earlier in the season, the squad reached as high as #2 in the Coaches' Poll with only one loss. Some late season losses caused them to finish the regular season ranked #9 in the country and #2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Duke then lost in the semifinals in the ACC tournament to the Clemson Tigers. Duke was given a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. After narrowly defeating #15 Belmont, Duke lost 73–67 to the #7 West Virginia Mountaineers.

### Recruiting

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Olek Czyz PF | Reno, Nevada | Reno | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Sep 26, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| Miles Plumlee PF | Warsaw, Indiana | Christ School (NC) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | May 1, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Elliot Williams SG | Memphis, Tennessee | St. George's | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 1, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13 Rivals: 27 ESPN: 23 ||||||
| 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: "Duke Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008. "2008 Duke Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008. "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008. ||||||
On September 26, 2007, forward Olek Czyz committed to Duke University. Czyz is a 6–7 Poland native who has spent the last three years in Reno, Nevada. Both Scout and Rivals.com listed him as the 27th best power forward in the nation. However, Scout.com had him 80th overall, while Rivals.com had him back at 102nd. As a junior at Reno High School, Czyz averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, leading Reno to a 24–6 record. In his sophomore year, Olek had a ten-point and six rebound average, while leading his team to a state championship. Other schools to make offers to Czyz were Arizona State, Colorado State, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Nevada, Pepperdine, and Washington State.
On the first day of November, the Blue Devils received a commitment from Elliot Williams. The 6–4 shooting guard from Memphis, Tennessee was listed as the number 3 shooting guard in the country by Rivals.com, while Scout.com had him as the number 4 shooting guard and the number 14 overall prospect in the country. Williams spent high school at St. George's where he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game. In his junior year, Elliot averaged 22 points and six rebounds per contest, while leading his team to a state championship. Williams turned down offers from Clemson, Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.
Power forward Miles Plumlee, a 6–10 native of Warsaw, Indiana, who attended high school in Arden, North Carolina, committed to the Blue Devils on May 1, 2008. Miles, who is the older brother of 2009 commitment Mason Plumlee, had signed a letter of intent to Stanford University, but after head coach Trent Johnson took the coaching job at Louisiana State, Plumlee requested and was granted a release. Plumlee is rated as the 17th best power forward of the 2008 recruiting class by Scouts.com, while Rivals has him ranked 29th at forward and 101st overall.

### Offseason changes

The only senior Duke lost from their 2007–08 squad was DeMarcus Nelson who graduated. Nelson was projected to go somewhere in the late second round in the 2008 NBA draft, but instead went undrafted. On September 9, 2008, Nelson was signed by the Golden State Warriors.
Joe Alleva, the Duke Athletics Director, interviewed for the athletics director job at Louisiana State on April 1, and was offered for the position on April 3. After 10 years as Duke's athletics director, Alleva took the job and is scheduled to start on July 1. At Duke a twelve-person committee, assembled by Duke President, Richard H. Brodhead, searched for a new athletics director. Joe Alleva said in an interview that he would do anything to help in the search. On May 30, Brodhead announced that the Duke had hired former Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said the White "is one of the most respected people in intercollegiate athletics" and brings " wealth of experience and is someone who people admire".
Duke forward Taylor King decided to transfer to Villanova University in April 2008. As a freshman at Duke, King played in all 34 games, averaging 5.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He had 43 three-pointers that season, putting him eighth all-time against Duke freshmen. When announcing his transfer, King told reporters "Nothing against Duke, but it's time for a change. I needed to explore other places. Villanova is a true family atmosphere where everyone's got each other's back." Per NCAA regulations, King will have to sit out a season.
On April 26, associate head coach Johnny Dawkins announced that he would be leaving the Blue Devils, to take over the head coaching spot at Stanford. Dawkins was a member of the 1986 Duke team that lost in the finals to Louisville. After nine seasons in the NBA, Dawkins was hired as an assistant coach during the 1998–99 season. Two years later he was promoted to associate head coach, a job he's held for nine years.
It was announced on May 5, that Nate James would replace Johnny Dawkins as an assistant coach. James was a captain on the 2000-01 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team that won a national championship. After turning pro, James played in the Philippines, France, Hungary, Japan and the Netherlands. In 2004, James participated in the training camp of the Philadelphia 76ers, but did not make it onto the team. During the winter of 2007–2008, he was hired to oversee operations at the Duke's new practice facility.

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre Oct 31 | 1 Nov 17 | 2 Nov 24 | 3 Dec 1 | 4 Dec 8 | 5 Dec 15 | 6 Dec 22 | 7 Dec 29 | 8 Jan 5 | 9 Jan 12 | 10 Jan 19 | 11 Jan 26 | 12 Feb 2 | 13 Feb 9 | 14 Feb 16 | 15 Feb 23 | 16 Mar 2 | 17 Mar 9 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 | N/A |
| Coaches | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 11 |

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Sat, Oct 18* 1:00 p.m. | | Blue/White Scrimmage | | | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Sat, Oct 25* 1:00 p.m. | | Virginia Union | W 114–50 | | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC |
| Wed, Nov 05* 7:00 p.m. | | Lenoir-Rhyne | W 95–42 | | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC |
| Regular Season ||||||
| Mon, Nov 10* 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 8 | Presbyterian Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic | W 80–49 | 1–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Tue, Nov 11* 9:05 p.m., ESPNU | No. 8 | Georgia Southern Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic | W 97–54 | 2–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Sun, Nov 16* 4:30 p.m., ESPNU | No. 8 | Rhode Island | W 82–79 | 3–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Thu, Nov 20* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 10 | vs. Southern Illinois Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic | W 83–58 | 4–0 | Madison Square Garden (9,440) New York, NY |
| Fri, Nov 21* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 10 | vs. Michigan Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic | W 71–56 | 5–0 | Madison Square Garden (12,543) New York, NY |
| Sun, Nov 23* 1:00 p.m., FSNS/NESN | No. 10 | Montana | W 78–58 | 6–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Fri, Nov 28* 3:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | Duquesne | W 95–72 | 7–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Tue, Dec 02* 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 9 Purdue ACC – Big Ten Challenge | W 76–60 | 8–0 | Mackey Arena (14,123) West Lafayette, IN |
| Sat, Dec 06* 3:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | at Michigan | L 73–81 | 8–1 | Crisler Arena (13,751) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Wed, Dec 17* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | UNC Asheville | W 99–56 | 9–1 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Sat, Dec 20* 2:00 p.m., CBS | No. 6 | vs. No. 7 Xavier | W 82–64 | 10–1 | Izod Center (14,818) East Rutherford, NJ |
| Wed, Dec 31* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | Loyola, Md | W 92–51 | 11–1 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Sun, Jan 04 7:45 p.m., FSN | No. 5 | Virginia Tech | W 69–44 | 12–1 (1–0) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Wed, Jan 07* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | Davidson | W 79–67 | 13–1 (1–0) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Sat, Jan 10 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | at Florida State | W 66–58 | 14–1 (2–0) | Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100) Tallahassee, FL |
| Wed, Jan 14 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 3 | at Georgia Tech | W 70–56 | 15–1 (3–0) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,035) Atlanta, GA |
| Sat, Jan 17* 1:30 p.m., CBS | No. 3 | No. 13 Georgetown | W 76–67 | 16–1 (3–0) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Tue, Jan 20 8:00 p.m., ESPN2/Raycom | No. 2 | NC State | W 73–56 | 17–1 (4–0) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Sat, Jan 24 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | Maryland Duke–Maryland rivalry | W 85–44 | 18–1 (5–0) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Wed, Jan 28 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 6 Wake Forest | L 68–70 | 18–2 (5–1) | LJVM Coliseum (14,665) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Sun, Feb 1 2:00 p.m., FSN/ESPN3 | No. 1 | Virginia | W 79–54 | 19–2 (6–1) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Wed, Feb 4 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 10 Clemson | L 47–74 | 19–3 (6–2) | Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000) Clemson, SC |
| Sat, Feb 07 1:30 p.m., Raycom | No. 4 | Miami (FL) | W 78–75 $^{OT}$ | 20–3 (7–2) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Thu, Feb 12 9:00 p.m., ESPN/Raycom | No. 6 | No. 3 North Carolina Carolina–Duke rivalry | L 87–101 | 20–4 (7–3) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Sun, Feb 15 5:30 p.m., FSN | No. 6 | at Boston College | L 74–80 | 20–5 (7–4) | Conte Forum (8,606) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Thu, Feb 19* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 9 | at St. John's Aeropostale Classic | W 76–69 | 21–5 (7–4) | Madison Square Garden (13,800) New York, NY |
| Sun, Feb 22 7:45 p.m., FSN | No. 9 | No. 8 Wake Forest | W 101–91 | 22–5 (8–4) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Wed, Feb 25 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | at Maryland | W 78–67 | 23–5 (9–4) | Comcast Center (17,950) College Park, MD |
| Sat, Feb 28 3:30 p.m., ABC | No. 7 | at Virginia Tech | W 72–65 | 24–5 (10–4) | Cassell Coliseum (9,847) Blacksburg, VA |
| Tue, Mar 3 8:00 p.m., Raycom | No. 7 | No. 24 Florida State | W 84–81 | 25–5 (11–4) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Sun, Mar 8 4:00 p.m., CBS | No. 7 | at No. 2 North Carolina Carolina–Duke rivalry | L 71–79 | 25–6 (11–5) | Dean E. Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| Fri, Mar 13 9:30 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2 | No. 9 | vs. Boston College | W 66–65 | 26–6 | Georgia Dome (26,352) Atlanta, GA |
| Sat, Mar 14 3:30 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2 | No. 9 | vs. Maryland | W 67–61 | 27–6 | Georgia Dome (26,352) Atlanta, GA |
| Sun, Mar 15 1:00 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2 | No. 9 | vs. No. 22 Florida State | W 79–69 | 28–6 | Georgia Dome (26,352) Atlanta, GA |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Thurs, Mar 19 9:40 p.m., CBS | No. 6 (2) | vs. No. (15) Binghamton First Round | W 86–62 | 29–6 | Greensboro Coliseum (20,001) Greensboro, NC |
| Sat, Mar 21 8:15 p.m., CBS | No. 6 (2) | vs. No. (7) Texas Second Round | W 74–69 | 30–6 | Greensboro Coliseum (22,479) Greensboro, NC |
| Thurs., Mar 27 10:08 p.m., CBS | No. 6 (2) | vs. No. 11 (3) Villanova Sweet Sixteen | L 54–77 | 30–7 | TD Banknorth Garden (18,831) Boston, MA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||