Duke Basketball: Early observations of the Blue Devils heading into Maui

Three games into the regular season, Duke Basketball looks like the real deal, as they’ve taken over the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll.

Duke Basketball has answered a lot of the question marks with the 2018 freshmen class to begin the 2018-19 season and as the Maui Invitational looms, they’re one team with “NCAA Championship” written all over them.

Depth issues aside, the Blue Devils are ranked 10th in the nation in points per game (98.7) and their average margin of victory is 31.3 points per game. Questions about their defense have been answered by the presence of Zion Williamson around the rim and then some.

R.J. Barrett has been shown to be a fearless leader on the offensive end. He leads the team in scoring and is second in assists per contest, showing why he was considered the No. 1 prospect in this past recruiting class.

Not to be forgotten, 6-foot-8 wing Cam Reddish has quietly flown under the radar as their best 3-point shooter, breaking the freshman record for most 3-pointers in a game in his second official game as a college basketball player.

Duke’s trio of freshmen opened the season with a statement victory over the Kentucky Wildcats, 118-84, on Nov. 6 and since then, they haven’t looked back. Their chemistry on both ends has been fun to watch and outside of their freshmen, they’ve had key players step up and fill their roles as well.

As the Maui Invitational approaches on Monday, the Blue Devils have a few days to get prepared mentally and physically. It could pay dividends as they look to win their sixth Maui Invitational crown with freshmen leading the way.