Mike Krzyzewski started five McDonald’s All-Americans, and had three others available on the bench, but his second-seeded Duke Blue Devils barely beat No. 15 Belmont — Belmont? — which had, surprise, surprise, no former high-school all-Americans, 71-70, in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

After that narrow escape, the favored Blue Devils not surprisingly lost in the second round to underdog West Virginia, which finished tied for fifth in the Big East in the regular season.

Coach K had a similarly star-laden roster the year before when Duke stumbled to a sixth-place finish in the ACC, lost in the first round of the conference tourney to N.C. State, and then was eliminated in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament by the Colonial Athletic Association champion Virginia Commonwealth University Rams.

So the fact that he has the likes of NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, world-renowned superstar LeBron James, and NBA all-stars Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Jason Kidd headlining a roster of 12 standouts from the world’s best basketball league hardly guarantees victory for the United States team in the Olympic Games in China in August.

After all, Coach K had James, Wade, Anthony and Howard — along with Chris Paul and Chris Bosh (both also named to this year’s Olympic squad) and former Dookies Elton Brand and Shane Battier — two years ago when his U.S. team of high-profile NBA players was embarrassed at the World Championships in Indianapolis, losing in the semifinals to Greece — Greece? — 101-95.

It was, shall we say, interesting, that, given the reputations of Coach K and his players, the Greeks couldn’t score half that many points two nights later in the finals, when they were trounced by Spain, 70-47.

Which has to make you wonder what the Spanish coach — that would be the world-renowned (ahem, ahem) Jose Vicente Hernandez — knows about defense that Coach K doesn’t.

So, while most people wearing red, white and blue assume that Coach Genius and his Dream Team II will roll to a gold medal in Beijing, it’s hardly a sure thing.

To be sure, the pressure will be on Coach K to win. As well it should be. Because although he’s won three NCAA titles at Duke, only one of those has come in the last 16 years, and he’s been doing a lot of losing lately.

Very few people want to hear that the emperor has no clothes.

Especially if those clothes bear the logo of the Duke University Blue Devils.

Two years ago, I received hundreds — more than 500, as a matter of fact — e-mails from indignant Dookies, who were irate that I had the audacity to question the coaching of their adored icon, Mike “You Guys Shoot Around While I Shoot Another Commercial” Krzyzewski.

The column was occasioned by the defeat of the top-seeded Blue Devils and their usual array of McDonald’s All-Americans — headed by superstar shooter J.J. Redick — at the hands of LSU, which featured three kids from Baton Rouge.

The question posed then was: “This will be heresy to some, and lunacy to others, but could it possibly be that Coach K is getting by on his reputation?”

“Yes,” the column from ’06 went on, “he’s won three NCAA championships, but just one in the last 14 years — an inability to finish that might have gotten the legendary John Wooden fired at UCLA.”

It’s one in 16 years now. And the last two years, the talent-laden Blue Devils haven’t even made it into the regionals.

That’s in addition to the indignities suffered in Indianapolis by Team USA.

How, now, brown cow — or Blue Devil, as the case may be — are such results to be explained?

Duke is a perennial powerhouse in the storied and venerated Atlantic Coast Conference. Belmont (which I’m sure you know is in Nashville, Tenn.) is from the Atlantic Sun Conference (of course you knew that, too), which includes the likes of Campbell, Lipscomb, Mercer, Gardner-Webb and Kennesaw State. I have no doubt that knowledgeable readers can quickly locate all of those traditional hoops hotbeds on a map.

So, how can it be, if you’re a genius coach and you have an array of high-school All-Americans, you almost lose to a team with players who weren’t on the radar screen of ACC recruiters, coached by a guy (Rick Byrd), whom only hardcore hoops junkies have ever heard of?

Really, now — if coach K is that smart and his players are that talented — why have they been struggling so in recent years?

The reality has to be that either the players weren’t that good to begin with, which calls into questioning coach K’s ability to evaluate talent, or, if the Blue Devils recruits are, indeed, talented, then coach K hasn’t done a very good job of developing that talent.

Either way, Krzyzewski (and let’s not forget the NBA talent he had at his disposal in the ’06 World Championships) has had as much trouble the last few years winning big games as most people do spelling his name.

Two years ago, I answered almost all of those e-mails. This time, I’m not answering any. If Duke fans have any questions or comments, send them to coach K. He’s the guy the Dookies deserve answers from.

But be forewarned — if Dream Team II somehow fails to win the gold in Beijing, his “in” box will be overflowing.

jdonalds@projo.com