ACC Tournament 2005: Duke

Team record: 22-5, 11-5 conference
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

The Duke Blue Devils are always favorites to win the ACC tournament because they do it with such consistency. The Blue Devils are out to show that last year's loss in the finals to Maryland was an aberration as before that they won five straight.

Strengths:
The Blue Devils spent a lot of time during the beginning of the season as the country's best team. They suffered a disappointing second half of the season after they began red hot starting 15-0. Regardless of their late season struggles, this team may be Mike Krzyzewski's best-coached team because he lacks a superstar.

To fill the scoring lost (see weaknesses), junior J.J Redick has elevated his game and now has more options than just his outside shot. Redick leads the team is scoring with 22.6 points a game and a ridiculous .41.7 shooting percentage behind the arc. Their big man Shelden Williams averages a double double with 15.8 points and 11.1 rebounds a game. He is definitely a presence in the paint and one of the keys for Duke should be to keep him on the floor and out of foul trouble.

Weaknesses:
However the difference between the past years and this year is the fact that Duke has not dominated the ACC. All of the teams' five losses are against ACC opponents, including two against Maryland.

Returning sophomore Luol Deng and incoming freshman Shaun Livingston opted for the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft rather than playing at Duke. Krzyzewski also lost his starting point guard Chris Duhon who was graduating after four years with the Blue Devils.

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