I had a husband & wife team of Covid-19 virologists from the CDC in my livingroom on Sunday. (We live on the same street as the CDC campus. Lots of neighbors work there.) The current & prevailing thinking is that the hot weather is very likely to put a pin in this balloon.

They both seemed cautiously optimistic about how things are being handled in most of the world. They both correctly predicted that the sports world was going to be affected just as it has been.

Tejas_Duke wrote:

Sorry to say, I am kind of glad this happened, but I had a gut hunch they were going to lose today! Just a feeling, if you had put a gun to my head and forced me to bet, I would have taken Fordham. This way, it's a great unfinished symphony and the season doesn't end with a loss! Build for next year

I'd have to respectfully disagree. Not about betting Fordham, I think them +9.5 would've been a solid play but not straight up. This team had something special about them, you can tell how close they are as friends and their mindset as a team seems to have been much more focused and supportive than last year. Dambrot has said it many times, Baylee said it after Richmond: The 2020 Dukes had everything it takes, they just still have never executed everything together at the same time. I could imagine this team winning the A10 tournament with no hesitation... I could see them finally putting everything together and executing. Now that won't happen.

BluffHunter wrote:

Also, these kids only have four year careers.  For a year like next year where we should have pretty much everybody return, the loss of that experience is ginormous. Lastly, Baylee Steele played his last college basketball game of his life and when he was on the court he didn't even know it. I can't find many, if any positives to this situation for our Dukes at all. (I know cancellation is necessary, an obvious positive is the suppression of the spread of this virus)

 Yes I feel bad for Baylee, it sucks going out like that. But I had a bad hunch that had they lost, there would have been a few transfers from the program, after yet another "One and done" in the A 10 tourney.  Once again, just my hunch!
 

Tejas_Duke wrote:

Sorry to say, I am kind of glad this happened, but I had a gut hunch they were going to lose today! Just a feeling, if you had put a gun to my head and forced me to bet, I would have taken Fordham. This way, it's a great unfinished symphony and the season doesn't end with a loss! Build for next year

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooo

😀

No positive spin here. As an aside I totally get and agree with the moves for cancellations, but I still am so disappointed and sad the great story ended prematurely and abruptly.

It will always be a case of what could have been. It could have been at least a decent shot at the NIT, and still a long shot but a potential tourney appearance. It could have been 22, 23, 24 wins potentially, more records and accomplishments. This team deserved that shot. While inconsistent, this was the best team and most fun season since I became a fan.

A great year in the A10 and while we lost to Rhody and Dayton, the games were extremely close and on a neutral site anything can happen in March, I know Dambrot would have had them fired up and ready to play. 4 point loss to Dayton at home, and a lead at halftime away, and we will never know if there was to be a part three (guess that means it wasn’t meant to be by definition).

It’s all just a shame, I too really feel for Steele, especially due to his consistent work effort and energy through both his ups and downs. The kid gave everything and was probably “best case scenario” in terms of getting a one year gun for hire. Now his career gets cut short, just feel for him.

All in all a great season, this one made me proud to be a Dukes fan for the first time since the TJ days, and that team wasn’t as good as this one.

But, I just wish for us and them we could have seen it’s natural conclusion. The guys deserved it.

Go Dukes!!!

Last edited by Duques102 (3/13/2020 11:25 am)

Duques102 wrote:

No positive spin here. As an aside I totally get and agree with the moves for cancellations, but I still am so disappointed and sad the great story ended prematurely and abruptly.

It will always be a case of what could have been. It could have been at least a decent shot at the NIT, and still a long shot but a potential tourney appearance. It could have been 22, 23, 24 wins potentially, more records and accomplishments. This team deserved that shot. While inconsistent, this was the best team and most fun season since I became a fan.

A great year in the A10 and while we lost to Rhody and Dayton, the games were extremely close and on a neutral site anything can happen in March, I know Dambrot would have had them fired up and ready to play. 4 point loss to Dayton at home, and a lead at halftime away, and we will never know if there was to be a part three (guess that means it wasn’t meant to be by definition).

It’s all just a shame, I too really feel for Steele, especially due to his consistent work effort and energy through both his ups and downs. The kid gave everything and was probably “best case scenario” in terms of getting a one year gun for hire. Now his career gets cut short, just feel for him.

All in all a great season, this one made me proud to be a Dukes fan for the first time since the TJ days, and that team wasn’t as good as this one.

But, I just wish for us and them we could have seen it’s natural conclusion. The guys deserved it.

Go Dukes!!!

No question it sucks, but we do have company. Imagine how bad we would feel, if like Rutgers, we had finally totally gotten over the hump, and earned an at large bid, only to have this happen. Sucks  for Penn St. for the same reason. Dayton, and San Diego St. had to feel like they actually had a shot to cut down the nets, especially with most of the blue bloods down a bit this year. They are just dying over in Dayton. Florida St. and Gonzaga have to feel that they had a decent shot to win it all as well. Why couldn't this have happened in 2006 instead?