Duke started 2016-17 as the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll, claiming 58 of 65 possible votes. On-court incidents and injuries -- including Mike Krzyzewski's seven-game absence -- prevented the Blue Devils from reaching the heights many expected during the regular season, but it seemed they had turned a corner by winning the ACC tournament.
However, a once-promising season came to an abrupt end in the NCAA tournament's second round on Sunday. The second-seeded Blue Devils' 88-81 loss to No. 7 seed South Carolina was an unexpected turn in a season full of them. The Blue Devils seemed out of sorts for most of the season until they reached the ACC tournament, where they looked like the juggernaut many expected them to be before the season started.