Somebody has to be the dissident around here. Somebody has to be the crank at the lovefest, the non-believer at the revival, the reviewer who hated "Citizen Kane."

This is where I come in, with Sancho Panza riding shotgun.

Opposite Duke.

Opposite truth, justice, the American Way and Coach K. Opposite Jason Williams and the 200 other high school All-Americans on the roster. Opposite those oh-so-pleased-with-themselves future doctors and lawyers who hop around Cameron Indoor Stadium like sugar-addled kindergarteners.

	The 'Curse of the General' is one reason Coack K's kids may not repeat as national champions.

I'm slapping my palms on the floor. Bring it on, Blue Devils.

(Who else here at Durham.com is contrarian enough to spit into this gale? Dookie V? Jay Bilas? Even Andy Katz has the suspiciously well-groomed look of an end-of-the-bench Krzyzewski walk-on.)

Rooting for Duke right now is like rooting for Microsoft or the Yankees. Degree of difficulty in picking them No. 1: 0.0. Odds on the Devils repeating are just slightly higher than on the sun rising in the east tomorrow.

Somebody must take up arms against a sea of prognosticators and by opposing end them. The Dookification of college basketball must stop.

And it will.

(It would look silly to follow up this much bluster by saying the Devils will repeat, wouldn't it?)

As the designated pooper of this party, I hereby offer Hoop Nation five unassailable, unimpeachable reasons why Duke will not win a second straight national title:

1. It's hard.

Think about the only post-Wooden team to repeat: Duke, of course, in 1991 and '92. Think of what that team needed to make it happen: a certifiable miracle against Kentucky in the GGEP. (Greatest Game Ever Played, shorthand to keep in mind as we approach the 10th anniversary of said classic next March.) If Christian Laettner -- among the five greatest college players ever, it says right here -- misses just one of his 10 field goals or 10 free throws, we're still waiting for a repeat champ.

Think about the stacked teams that came close but didn't: Georgetown in '85, with Patrick Ewing. UNLV in '91, with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony -- but with nobody else to handle the ball when Anthony fouled out against Duke in the '91 Final Four. Arkansas in '95, with Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman. Kentucky in '97, with Ron Mercer, Scott Padgett and Nazr Mohammed. Michigan State last year.

In other words: A lot of teams have looked like locks in October and wound up with some 'splainin' to do come March.

This is why Krzyzewski sincerely celebrates every Final Four berth, no matter how rote they have become. More than anyone else coaching today, he understands how many things can derail a sure thing.

2. Curse of The General.

It might not rank up there with the Curse of the Bambino on the Boston Red Sox, but work with me.

When Duke won its second title in '92, the last team with a chance to beat it was Indiana in the national semifinals. The Hoosiers lost a heartbreaker, and Knight graced the occasion by brusquely short-changing former player Krzyzewski after the game, denting that relationship for years to come.

"X Files" enthusiasts surmise that Knight threw the hex on Coach K at that point, preventing a few highly qualified Duke teams from winning a title (namely the 1998, '99 and 2000 squads). The Blue Devils finally broke through last spring -- when Knight was out of college basketball.

Coincidence? Or not?

Now that Bob's back -- if residence in Lubbock constitutes being back -- we'll see whether the hex is back with him. Sure, the two were buddy-buddy last week at Krzyzewski's Hall of Fame induction. But ... The truth is out there.

3. Shane Battier doesn't live here anymore.

The patron saint of college basketball literally elevated his game to a truly inspired level during the 2001 Final Four, making startling above-the-rim plays down the stretch in the title game against Arizona. Battier was the best off-the-ball defensive player anybody's seen in years, and his leadership was legendary as well -- and nobody is more obsessive about player leadership than Krzyzewski. Take-charge guys of Battier's caliber don't come around very often.

If Krzyzewski is searching to fill a locker-room leadership void during tough times, Rudy Giuliani is coming available soon. Anybody know whether he has any eligibility left? Or, considering the 5/8 rule, whether he's willing to walk on?

4. Curse of The General II

If Krzyzewski does win another title this year it will be his fourth -- one more than his mentor. That might dangerously destabilize Knight's universe, and we can't have that.

5. Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri and a Darkhorse To Be Named Later will have something to say about it.

The Wildcats are just about as loaded with talent as the Devils -- and even more experienced. In Tayshaun Prince, Keith Bogans and Jules Camara (who sat out last season under athletic-department policy for a drunken-driving conviction) Tubby Smith has a trio that compares to Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy. And if widebody Jason Parker returns by midseason from major knee surgery, Kentucky will have every question answered by its No. 1 point guard.

The Illini might have the game's second-best point guard in Frankie Williams, plus plenty of ancillary talent. Bill Self has made two straight regional finals, one with Tulsa and one with Illinois, and this is the team to take him a step farther. At least.

Maryland has the one guy who seems to bother Williams in Steve Blake, plus a ton of other players. All it has to do now is hold a lead against the Blue Devils (easier said than done, as last year vividly illustrated).

Missouri might have the second-best offensive player in the land in Kareem Rush, and Quin Snyder has recruited enough talent to play 10 guys without flinching. Besides, a big run here could immensely aid Snyder in the Krzyzewski Replacement Bake-Off (other contestants: Michigan's Tommy Amaker, Notre Dame's Mike Brey).

For a darkhorse, consider the potential percolating at Memphis. DaJuan Wagner is a transcendant talent to go with junior-college transfer Chris Massie and a bunch of holdovers, headlined by stringbean center Kelly Wise. In case you had forgotten, John Calipari is the coach, and he's done stranger things -- like turning Massachusetts into a national power.

So there you have it. Five reasons why Duke won't do it, and I didn't even have to haul North Carolina out of the bullpen.

And here's a sixth, for the same low price if you act now: Our nation's system of checks and balances demands it. America doesn't do dynasties in college basketball anymore -- and this is no time to go around being unpatriotic.

Remember that you read it here first. And last.

Pat Forde of the Louisville Courier-Journal is a regular contributor to ESPN.com