There may have been a question as to who the best team in the ACC in the preseason but at this moment, it can only be Duke. They easily have the two best wins (Gonzaga and Kentucky) of anyone in the conference and that’s likely to remain that way with just a couple of weeks left in the non-conference.
The star of the Blue Devils is also no question in Paolo Banchero. He had 22 points against Kentucky in the Champions Classic, before going off in the first half versus Gonzaga with 20 points before clamping up. Yet guards Jeremy Roach, Trevor Keels, and Wendell Moore have been fantastic on both ends of the court, alongside the dynamic interior duo of Mark Williams and Theo John at center.
Moore has made a case himself for ACC Player of the Year so far, averaging 17.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 5.6 apg, and has become the de facto point guard of the Blue Devils. His emergence as a star has been huge for the relatively young team and also takes the pressure off of five-star freshman wing AJ Griffin, who had an offseason knee injury and has yet to crack the main rotation. But if he can get fully healthy and provide some more depth, Duke could potentially reach another level.
The win over No. 1 Gonzaga showed that the Blue Devils are national title contenders and could win it all in head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season. But even though the loss to Ohio State this week will bump them out of the top spot in the national rankings, they’re still the heavy favorite to win the ACC, something they and Coach K haven’t done in a decade.