Getty
CLEMSON, SC – JANUARY 14: Mike Krzyzewski head coach for Duke during a college basketball game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Clemson Tigers on January 14, 2020, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Getty
CLEMSON, SC – JANUARY 14: Mike Krzyzewski head coach for Duke during a college basketball game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Clemson Tigers on January 14, 2020, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 2021 college basketball season is setting the tone for new records, but not all of them are ending up on the brighter side. Viewers have already witnessed quite a few upsets as the top seeds have failed to make a mark. Likewise, Duke Blue Devils broke a 39-year-old record with their most recent loss to Illinois.
The Duke Blue Devils are now 2-2 in the season, and this hasn’t been the ideal start they wanted. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski won’t be a happy man, as his team has failed to capitalize on the home game advantage they had.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
In fact, Duke Blue Devils have played all four of its games at home and their winning rate is 50%. They’ve already lost twice at home this season, which is indeed a worrying sight. As per ESPN Stats & Info, “The last time Duke had multiple home losses this early in the calendar year was 1981-82 (Coach K’s second season at Duke), when their 2nd home loss came on December 5.”
Getty
CLEMSON, SC – JANUARY 14: Mike Krzyzewski head coach for Duke during a college basketball game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Clemson Tigers on January 14, 2020, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As mentioned above, this is indeed a startling record, but not one for the good books. The results have seen a downward spike in Duke’s rankings, and one can expect it to get worse if they continue their losing trend.
Duke Blue Devils suffered a double-digit loss against the Fighting Illini
Duke took on sixth-ranked Illinois in their recent home game at the Cameron Indoor Arena. The Blue Devils were visibly outsmarted by their opponents as Illinois put up a clinical 83-68 victory against the 5x National champions.
Duke trailed by 14 points during half-time, and the lead gained further momentum as Illinois took charge of the game in the second half. Blue Devils’ HC Mike Krzyzewski expressed his disappointment post-game and said, “We got beat by a team that’s better than we are and older, more mature. They kind of imposed their will on us…We’re not there yet. We’ve got a lot to learn.”
Duke Blue Devils have four five-star recruits in their roster this season but are still struggling to match the intensity of their opponents. In what is proving to be a challenging season for everyone, how far will Mike Krzyzewski’s team go in 2021?
