The Season is Dead. Long live the Season.

I have been an emotional wreck since Duke's season-ending loss to VCU in the first round of the tournament. It was a fairly even matchup and VCU was not a bad team, so it's not that big of an upset this year, even though historically, it is significant.

Actually, I was only an emotional wreck for the first day. Since then, I have been trying to compile some stats for a blog post that I hope will be upcoming in the near future.

What has brought me out of my funk is the future. We will be keeping our eye on Josh McRoberts and his possible move to the NBA, but even without him, next year should be fun year.

Of the returning players, I am most excited about Greg Paulus. Granted, turnovers are still a major issue, but he is becoming a go-to scorer. He finished the year extremely accurate from behind the arc which is a nice addition to the on-again off-again heat of Jon Scheyer from deep. And now that he's broken through his sophomore slump, expect Paulus to come out strong his Junior season.

Gerald Henderson is also going to be a huge returning player. His athletic ability is at the elite level, and he's only going to become more refined with coaching. He's already a shut-down defender, and can be an all-around scorer if he gets aggressive, which is something he began doing down the stretch.

If Pocius gets some defensive coaching, he could be HUGE coming off the bench. He's already shown himself to be a consistent scorer from deep. Unfortunately, he's also a defensive liability.

DeMarcus Nelson will be the lone senior for the squad next year, and he looks to be good for 14 points a game. However, something's going to need to change for him to be the leader of the team. He's consistent, but not as aggressive as a gifted veteran should be. He's also woefully deficient at the free-throw line, which is unfortunate, because he can drive and get sent to the lane often.

Brian Zoubek. We love you Brian, but please put some extra time in the gym with the coaches this summer and figure out how to move with the ball at the college level. The number of travels this year had to be approaching a national record, and you only averaged 7.3 minutes per game.

David McClure, one of my favorite guys on the team for his hustle will still be valuable for his fire and rebounding ability. He was third on the team in rebounds, second in blocks, and tied for second in steals, while averaging fifth in minutes per game, well behind fourth. However, he was good for at least four fouls in 20 minutes of game play as well, so there's a weakness to work on.

Lance Thomas is someone who stayed quiet for most of the season. He had some moments, but overall, remained a non-standout, consistent contributor. A starter on many squads, with the new extreme talent coming in next year for the Blue Devils, Thomas may continue to be a roll player for Duke.

And speaking of the new talent, get ready to hear a lot about Kyle Singler, Taylor King, and Nolan Smith in coming posts. With Paulus, Scheyer, Henderson, Nelson and possibly McRoberts next year, these three give Duke the potential to be a top ten team once again, allowing those of us who love them through thick and thin, to once more be on the thick side.

Go Duke