Krzyzewski's Blue Devils will be short on seniors

The senior leadership that has been Duke's staple over the past two seasons will be largely absent in 2011-12.

With three senior starters in Jon Scheyer, Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas, the Blue Devils captured an NCAA championship in 2010.

In 2011, senior first-team All-ACC standouts Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler helped the Blue Devils post a 32-5 record with a third consecutive ACC tournament title and a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament.

Duke's trip to the West Regional, and the senior season of Smith and Singler, ended Thursday with a 93-77 loss to No. 5 seed Arizona.

"It's an abrupt end for everybody when you don't win," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Thursday night. "Last year it wasn't an abrupt end for us, when we won the whole thing. You have to look at the full body of work: These guys [Smith and Singler] have been part of 125 wins over a period of four years, and it's been an honor for me to coach them."

Next season, Krzyzewski won't have as much senior leadership.

Duke's lone senior, forward Miles Plumlee, played a supporting role with 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 2010-11.

So the Blue Devils will have to count on younger players to replace the combined 38.1 points per game Smith and Singler provided, and to replace their leadership.

The biggest question for Duke in the offseason is whether point guard Kyrie Irving will return for his sophomore season. He is projected as a top-five pick in the NBA Draft after a freshman season that was interrupted for 31/2 months by an injury to his right big toe.

Should Irving return, the Blue Devils will be among the favorites to reach the Final Four despite their lack of seniors. He got off to a spectacular start in helping Duke win its first eight games, then finished strong with 53 points in three games after returning from his injury.

He said he will talk with his family and coaches before making a decision.

"There's no guarantee I'm definitely coming back," Irving said.

Duke should know Irving's status by the end of the month. The early entry deadline for the draft is April 24.

If Irving does not return, the Blue Devils still will be expected to finish near the top of the ACC, but they won't be projected as a top Final Four contender.

Incoming freshman Austin Rivers of Winter Park, Fla., is expected to shoulder a significant portion of the scoring load as one of the top guards in the nation.

The son of Doc Rivers, the Boston Celtics coach, Rivers has an unusually mature approach to the game.

"I've gotten to see and meet and talk to a lot of different NBA players and see how their lives are and how they live," Rivers said recently. "And I grew up around my dad, who knows the game as well as anybody. He's always taught me right from wrong as far as basketball."

The Blue Devils will have experience in the low post with Miles Plumlee and juniors Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly. Josh Hairston, who will be a sophomore, and a third Plumlee brother, freshman Marshall Plumlee, also will compete for time as big men.

On the wings, juniors Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins will be expected to elevate their games as they move into more prominent roles, and freshman Michael Gbinije will try to contribute in an inside-outside role.

Sophomore Tyler Thornton and freshman Quinn Cook will have opportunities to handle the ball at point guard, particularly if Irving does not return.

It's a roster with talent that just about any college basketball coach would like to have. But Duke will have to get by without a big group of seniors to lead the way.