Duke Basketball: 10 predictions for Blue Devils’ 2017-18 season

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GREENVILLE, SC – MARCH 17: A Duke Blue Devils cheerleader performs in the first half against the Troy Trojans during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 17, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Duke loses to Michigan State on Nov. 14

Arguably the biggest match-up of the early season, the No.1 Duke Blue Devils will face off with the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans on Nov. 14.

Duke, who boasts a mixture of young talent and veterans, is the favorite and should be the favorite. This team is built to take on other top opponents, and I think that, if anything, the Blue Devils will be upset by teams they overlook more often than they are beaten by the top teams on their schedule – both of which will be extremely rare.

However, I think Tom Izzo’s team comes in hungry for a win and gets the early season victory over the Blue Devils.

Michigan State is clearly the closest team that is chasing Duke this season for the No. 1 spot and there will be a target on the Blue Devils’ back. That game has been circled for a long time, especially now that it’s official that both the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 have Michigan State squarely behind Duke.

But don’t worry Duke fans. While this prediction is a bit negative (you probably thought there were going to only positive predictions throughout this piece), this is just the early-season wakeup call the Blue Devils will need to carry them through the rest of the season — and the other predictions are mostly positive.

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