Independent's Day

Last week during the Duke-BC game, Dick Vitale mentioned (among many, many, many other things) that the general public was quick to mock the Dook Nation for their losing streak with the same enthusiasm they would mock the Yankees, Lakers, Cowboys, and Notre Dame football. Surprisingly, it made all of the sense in the world; Duke is the polarizing force in college basketball, and since they were losing, it was the haters' turn to have a chance to preen.

What doesn't make sense is why the Blue Devils don't make the leap entirely, and become a Division I-A independent in basketball. Here are a few reasons how it could work:

Television: there's no doubt that ESPN would shell out whatever it took to secure Duke basketball rights. They have four networks that could broadcast games (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPNU), and would bring in better ratings on a nightly basis than retreads of six year old poker tournaments. Moreover, it allows Dick Vitale and Mike Patrick to cut the charade of impartial journalism and allow them to play sack-tickle with Coach K and Greg Paulus full-time.

Money: Tying to the entry above, the Blue Devils would cash in on this move. Their television deal aside, the fact that they would not have to split any of their NCAA tournament monies with their conference would make March runs to the title all the more lucrative.

Flexibility: The Blue Devils recruit nationally, so exposure is vital to a program who have had players from Alaska to Virginia suit up for them. By not being tied to a conference schedule, Duke would be free to pursue mid-season, intersectional matchups that would coincide with their recruiting efforts. Want to show a recruit in Los Angeles what your program is all about? It's just a phone call to any one of the schools in that area (at least four, by my count), tell them you want to play them at home, put their school on TV and sellout their gym. Who would pass that up?

NCAA Tournament: Since Duke is practically guaranteed a bid into the tournament, they do not need the affiliation with a conference to make the Dance. The losers, in this situation, are the mid-majors and whatever team Steve Alford is coaching, as that will effectively reduce the number of at-larges from 34 to 33 on a yearly basis.

Prestige: Frankly, Duke could do this because they're able to make the move. Independence would indeed remove them from their built-in rivalry with North Carolina; but their defection could potentially move the ACC back to the TRU round-robin format that the fans have been clamouring for since the addition of Virginia Tech and Miami.

With all of the above said, it's highly unlikely that this kind of move happens. Then again, stranger things have happened. Stranger things indeed.

(posted by JH)