2. Duke Blue Devils (9-1)
Last rank: 2nd (↔)
The Duke Blue Devils have remained unscathed since losing the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Maui Invitational final. With just one loss on their record, the Blue Devils have two more quality games coming up against the Princeton Tigers and the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The Blue Devils have looked like a top team so far with two games remaining on their non-conference slate. R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson continue to be scoring options No. 1 and 2 for the Blue Devils, with Barrett putting up 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists against the Yale Bulldogs this past Saturday. Williamson had 20 points and eight rebounds in the game.
Despite their youth, Duke has figured it out in the early going. A lot will change when ACC play begins but they still have others stars that can emerge in Cam Reddish, Tre Jones and Jack White. He led the team in rebounds against Yale with 12.
Barrett and Williamson have already shown that they can survive with the national spotlight on them. When conference play arrives, the spotlight will only grow.