Published Aug 18, 2006
Duke schedule: By the numbers
Randall Thomason
Devils Illustrated Staff
Duke's 2006-07 men's basketball schedule was officially released yesterday.
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Today, Devils Illustrated looks at the schedule in a deeper context, by the numbers.
518-Number of division one wins recorded by Duke's 06-07 opponents last season.
367-Number of division one losses recorded by Duke's 06-07 opponents last season.
.585-Combined winning percentage of Duke's 06-07 opponents last season.
100.2-Average 2006 RPI ranking of Duke's 06-07 opponents.
21-Number of games Duke will play in the state of North Carolina.
11-Number of games Duke will play against opponents that made the NCAA Tournament last season (not counting potential opponents in the final two rounds of the CBE Classic)
16-Number of combined 2006 NCAA Tournament games won by Duke's 06-07 opponents (counting BC and UNC's totals twice)
11-Number of combined 2006 NCAA Tournament games lost by Duke's 06-07 opponents (counting BC and UNC twice).
10-Number of conferences represented on Duke's non-conference schedule.
13.1-Average final 05-06 RPI ranking of those 10 conferences.
Non-Conference Opponent Review
Columbia-The Lions went 10-16 last season and 4-10 in the Ivy League. Best win: Pennsylvania; worst loss: Army
**Georgia Southern-The Southern Conference member had a solid season, going 18-9 and closing the year with a 8-2 stretch in their final 10 games. Best win: Davidson; worst loss: Wofford
**UC-Davis-The Aggies suffered through a 20 loss season last year, including five straight losses to finish the schedule. One major highlight came when UC-Davis knocked off Stanford after starting the year 0-4. Best win: Stanford; worst loss: UC-Riverside
UNC-Greensboro-The Spartans went 10-19 a year ago, including a 102-69 loss to Duke at Greensboro Coliseum. Best win: Gardner-Webb; Worst loss: Wofford
Davidson-The Wildcats continued their consistent winning ways last year, putting together a 17 win season and winning another Southern Conference championship. They put a major scare into Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Best win: St. Joseph's; worst loss: Wofford
Indiana-A turbulent season in Bloomington ended with the resignation of Mike Davis and a second round NCAA Tournament loss to Gonzaga. Duke defeated the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge last year. The Hoosiers finished the regular season 18-11 but faltered after starting 12-3. Best win: Ohio State; worst loss: Indiana State
Georgetown-The Hoyas made a strong statement a year ago about their return to college basketball's elite. Under John Thompson III, they made the Sweet 16 and toppled Duke during the regular season. National champion Florida ended their season. Best win: Duke; worst loss: South Florida
Holy Cross-The proud Patriot League program won 20 games last year, but hardly anybody noticed because of the incredible season by Bucknell. Bucknell beat Holy Cross three times, including the league championship game, to account for 25 percent of the Crusaders' losses. Best win: Northeastern; worst loss: Harvard
George Mason-Nobody needs a reminder about what the Patriots did last year. After squeaking into the NCAA Tournament as an at large, George Mason set the basketball world on fire by knocking off Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State, and UConn to make the Final Four. The Patriots finished the year with 27 wins after their postseason run. Best win: UConn; worst loss: Mississippi State
Kent State-The Golden Flashes made their to the big dance again last year by virtue of their MAC championship game victory over Toledo. They closed the regular season on a tear, winning nine of 10 down the stretch before bowing out to Pittsburgh in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Best win: Akron; worst loss: Bowling Green
Gonzaga-The enduring image of Gonzaga's season is Adam Morrison's emotional conclusion to a great collegiate career. After posting 27 regular season wins, the Bulldogs made the Sweet 16 before collapsing in the closing minutes of a loss to UCLA. Gonzaga had won 20 straight games prior to that defeat. Best win: Michigan State; worst loss: Their losses were Washington, Memphis, UConn, and UCLA-no shame there
San Jose State-It was a long season for the Spartans, winning only six games and dropping 25. San Jose State lost its final nine games. Best win: San Diego; Worst loss: Montana State
Temple-John Chaney closed his Temple coaching career with another winning season, guiding the Owls to a 17-14 mark. Controversial issues clouded his final seasons, but college basketball lost a legendary coach with the end of his run at Temple. Duke escaped Philadelphia with an eight point win last year on the day J.J. Redick broke the ACC career scoring record. Best win: George Washington; worst loss: Rhode Island
St. John's-The Red Storm are still struggling trying to recapture the excellence their program sustained in the past. St. John's endured its third straight losing season in 05-06. After starting the year 10-6, the Red Storm nine out of 11 to close the year. Duke defeated St. John's 70-57 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in December. Best win: Pittsburgh; worst loss: Marist