Irving: Tournament Return Prompted Early Departure

Here's something Duke fans might not want to think about--the Blue Devils were a mere three games from seeing the mega-backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers that was the dream of so many.

Irving said as much to Fox Sports Ohio Tuesday:

 

Had Irving not been able to play in the tournament, he said he would have returned to Duke for his sophomore season.

"Those eight games (before the injury) just weren't enough," he said. "But playing in the tournament gave me a chance to prove something to all the naysayers about my durability."

Irving was certainly brilliant in the tournament, as his 28 points were Duke's lone bright spot in a Sweet Sixteen loss to Arizona. But while the thought of an Irving-Rivers backcourt may haunt fans' dreams, it would be hard to fault Irving's decision now that he is expected to be the first overall pick in the draft.

Stay tuned to the Blue Zone in the coming days for more updates on Irving, as well as Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, as the draft approaches.

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