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

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SYRACUSE, NY – FEBRUARY 14: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils speaks with a referee during the first half against the Syracuse Orange on February 14, 2015 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Blue Devils secure a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament

The Blue Devils head into the 2017-18 season as the No. 1 team in both the Coaches and AP Polls, something that will be extremely significant later on in the season when it comes to NCAA Tournament seeding.

The expected best team in the ACC, Duke will have a target on their back night in and night out and will be the biggest opponent on many of their opponents’ schedules. Teams with no chance of making the NCAA Tournament will look at Duke as their National Championship.

That being said, I doubt that Duke gets upset many times this season.

Like I mentioned earlier, after the Michigan State game on Nov. 14, the Blue Devils do not face an elite opponent until their match-up with the North Carolina Tar Heels on Feb. 8. If they live up to expectations and are able to win all of these 18 games even if they lose to Michigan State, there is no doubt in my mind that the Blue Devils will be the No. 1 team in college basketball going on the road to North Carolina.

From that moment on, however, Duke will basically be a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens. Sure, they might not be the No. 1 overall seed, but that’s hard to do when you’re one of the best conferences in college basketball.

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