YouTube Gold: Duke’s 2011 ACC Tournament Championship Highlights

03.10.2024 13:00

GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 16: Mason Plumlee #5 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball in the second half against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks during the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 16, 2012 in Greensboro, North Carolina. | Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

A wonderful team and a big what-if

Duke had a heck of a team in 2010-11. How good?

So good that Kyrie Irving only played in seven games and Duke still finished 32-5.

It’s our firm belief that the Blue Devils were poised for an undefeated season when Irving went out with a toe injury and a second set of back-to-back national championships.

That team was so good without Irving and with him? It would have been unstoppable.

In the end, Irving came back for part of the postseason but it was too late. The team couldn’t recapture the chemistry it was evolving earlier in the season.

Still, the Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament, beating Maryland, Virginia Tech and Clemson to win its third straight ACC championship.

Here are highlights from Duke’s win over UNC to claim the crown. We didn’t know it at the time, but there were seven future NBA players on that team: Irving, Nolan Smith, Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly.

Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a line