Why would I want to talk about those early Duke losses? Why dredge up this house of horrors? Reverse mojo? Gambling debts? Lost a dare?
Not really. I keep hearing and reading about these games as examples of what might happen to Duke Thursday against Oral Roberts. But the 1996 and 2007 Duke teams were .500 in the ACC. The 1996 and 2012 teams were hampered by injuries. None won the ACC Tournament, none entered the NCAAs on a hot streak.
None of these are cautionary tales for 2023.
You always want to be playing your best basketball going into March Madness. Cliche 101. Duke is playing its best basketball.
The last Duke team to enter the NCAA Tournament with a winning streak of nine or more games?
We have to go back to 1999. After a last-second loss to Cincinnati in the Great Alaska Shootout, Duke won 27 straight going into the Big Dance, 32 straight before we-won’t-talk-about-it.
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