Dissecting Duke

Lets look at the teams that beat them from 2002 to 2007 (How they finished)

2002- Lost to Indiana (Runner Up)

2003- Lost to Kansas (Runner Up This is when Roy didnt give a shit)

2004- FF Lost to UConn (Natl Champ)

2005- Lost to Mich St (Final Four)

2006- Lost to LSU (Runner Up)

2007- Lost to VCU (Round of 32)


So, In this 6 year span....we have 1 National Champ, 3 2nd Place 1 Final Four team, 1 team that lost in the round of 32.

Looks to me like Duke while based on seeding may have underachieved (Seeding is not a mathematical nor scientific process its men in a hotel room looking for match ups and good ratings).....the teams that beat them have gone on to success in the tourney....its not like they have underachieved against inferior opponents.

 

That is a good point . You could take that back further too. The team that knocks out Duke usually does very well in the tournament. I know they lost to Kentucky back in the late 90s when Kentucky went on to win it all.

 

1998- Duke lost to UK in the Elite 8 (Natl Champs

1999-....ugg...UCONN

2000- Sweet 16 loss to Fla...(Runner Up)


So if you go back to the beginning of the century, Duke has lost to only 1 team that did not go to the FF that year..that was...2007.

 

Yeah I've made that point on this board before. It was a REALLY impressive streak until last year lol

 

Weird, but when Pittsburgh kept getting beat at home in the AFC championship game - as the higher seed - no one went around going "Yeah we lost, but the folks that beat us won/made the Super Bowl!"

Most folks just wondered how we fucking blew it.

 

The difference is that your "seed" is based on record and not what "the best match-ups could be....

 

Not unless you think "the best matchup for TV" is the only factor in seeding - and it isn't.

 

Well, no shit, because they only had to beat Pittsburgh to win/make the Super Bowl.

Your argument would work if every time dook lost in the Elite Eight. The point is that when dook loses to a team in the tourney recently, they go on to do well the next game.

 

BFD. Losing to someone who does well is still, well, losing.

I admit it's a little different because Coach K already has a few championships to fall back on. Cowher didn't have that and took a lot of heat for losing. But if "Team A" had gone to the playoffs - any playoffs - for six straight years only to lose to a lower seed every time, some fans might start grumbling.

Call it "What have you done for me, LATE-ly?" syndrome. It may not be fair, but I'm guessing those fans aren't going to give a shit how far the team that beat them went in those 6 years.

 

64 teams do not make it to the playoffs in the NFL......