Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to Duke's demoralizing 84-79 loss to UNC on Senior Night. What does it mean for Duke to get swept by a UNC team that wasn't significantly better than them by metrics or record? Why did Duke fall so far behind in the first half yet again? How was a role player for UNC able to have a huge night in both games? Was the game plan to shut down RJ Davis a mistake? 
Then they look back at the regular season as a whole, grading it against their preseason predictions and overall expectations. 
Lastly, they look ahead to the ACC Tournament, assessing Duke's side of the bracket as well as which teams could challenge UNC. They make their predictions for who will win the tournament. 

 
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
  
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 233 - UNC Reaction and ACC Tournament Talk

Listen to The Devil's Den Podcast for all the latest news and notes surrounding Duke Basketball and Football.

Sports

Football

Basketball

Josh, Dustin, and Raul react to offseason which saw seven players from Duke's 2023-24 roster enter the transfer portal. They talk about the fits of Jeremy Roach and Mark Mitchell on Baylor and Missouri respectively, as well as what it means to lose promising players like TJ Power and Sean Stewart. They discuss the difficulties of maintaining fan engagement in an era of ludicrously high turnover. They debate what Duke's roster-building strategy should look like in this new climate.

Next they turn their eye to Duke's transfer portal commitments, Maliq Brown of Syracuse and Mason Gillis of Purdue. How will these players fit on the roster and how can they help next year's team? Where should they play positionally? Who should start?

Lastly, they talk about whether Duke will add anyone else in the portal. What is the area of biggest need?

 
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
  
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 241 - Transfer Portal News and Reactions

Josh and Raul are joined by Brendan Marks of The Athletic. First they discuss the 2023-24 season for Duke and for the ACC as a whole. How did Duke's season stack up against the lofty expectations? What led to UNC's turnaround from missing the tournament to a 1-seed? What do NC State and Clemson's tournament runs say about the health of the conference? 
Then they turn their attention to the 2024-25 season. What do Tyrese Proctor's and Caleb Foster's returns mean for Duke? What kind of player(s) should Duke add in the portal? What will Duke's starting lineup next year be and what will the product look like on the court? 
 
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
  
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 240 - Offseason Talk with Brendan Marks

Josh, Dustin, and Raul go through the over/under picks they made for various team and player stats at the beginning of the season. They react to their guesses and discuss why a player or the team fell short or exceed their predictions. A winner is announced and gets nothing but bragging rights. 
Note: this episode was recorded before Mark Mitchell entered the transfer portal and before Tyrese Proctor announced he'll return back to school for his junior season. Another podcast will be released next week discussion this and any other developments in the coming days. 
 
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
  
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 239 - Over/Under Results for the 2023-24 Season

Josh, Dustin, and Raul look back at Duke's 2023-24 Season. Topics discussed include:


What it means for Coach Scheyer to make the Elite Eight in his second season

How much differently they would feel if Duke had made the Final Four

Missed opportunities

Favorite games and moments from the season

Biggest pleasant surprises (players, aspect of team play, coaching)

Biggest disappointments

Potential departures and returnees for next season

Who Duke needs to return to be a contender


 
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
  
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 238 - 2023-24 Season Recap

Josh, Dustin, and Raul are joined by Brian Geisinger of 247Sports to preview Duke's matchup with the Houston Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen. They talk about the keys to a Duke victory and pitfalls to avoid. Topics discussed include:

Containing Jamal Shead's off-the-dribble game

Limiting Houston's offensive rebounds and winning the field goal attempts battle

Avoiding live-ball turnovers when Houston blitzes the ball screen

Filipowski as a pressure release valve when the guards are blitzed

Houston's backside help principles and rim protection

Mark Mitchell as a baseline cutter

Tyrese Proctor's as a hit-ahead passer and movement shooter

Duke's baseline out-of-bounds and after-timeout plays 

Jared McCain in flex action

Empty side ball screen with Jeremy Roach

Roach's ability to attack the middle of the paint

Other actions Duke can run (DHOs, split action, inverted pick and roll) to avoid the blitz altogether 


Then Raul gives his prediction for the outcome and score of the game while Josh and Dustin dodge the question altogether.
 
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
  
 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 233 - UNC Reaction and ACC Tournament Talk

Download our free app to listen on your phone