Busting Brackets
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NCAA basketball: 3 thoughts on the latest AP Top 25

By Holden Walter-Warner

DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 27: Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils taunt Devon Hall
DURHAM, NC - JANUARY 27: Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils taunt Devon Hall /
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DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 13: Bagley III
DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 13: Bagley III /

2. Duke rising

Every week, the Duke Blue Devils go flying in one direction or the other in the AP Top 25. They maintain Final Four expectations, but can’t seem to maintain any level of consistency on the court.

This week, however, Duke is on the rise. The Blue Devils continued their rebound from consecutive losses to St. John’s and rival North Carolina, destroying Virginia Tech before earning a solid road win at Clemson.

Those victories came without freshman Marvin Bagley III, whose absence due to a right knee sprain has now extended to three games.

Duke is now No. 5 in the AP poll, which would leave them just short of a No. 1 seed (if the selection committee remained faithful to the poll). The fact that they’re winning games without one of the country’s best players bodes well for the team going forward.

Most importantly for the Blue Devils, they have four winnable games remaining on their regular season slate. This week, they host Louisville and Syracuse, two teams on the bubble. Next week is a little more tricky, with a road game against Virginia Tech and a revenge hosting of the Tar Heels.

Should any of the top four teams slip up, Duke looks poised to make their move.