NCAA Basketball: Kentucky, Arkansas fall in latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
8. Duke (3-1)
With the talent that second-year head Jon Scheyer has assembled, this could be a really special season in Durham. Regardless of the talent, it was still a surprise to see the Blue Devils fall at home to Arizona in the opening week of the season. Still, Duke has numerous chances this season to shake that off and get back on track and they did that well this week.
Tuesday night presented a challenge in Chicago, though Duke beat Michigan State 74-65 as part of the Champions Classic. Freshman Caleb Foster’s 18 points off the bench lead the team while Kyle Filipowski was brilliant with 15 points and 8 rebounds as per usual. A few days later, the Blue Devils were back in action at home as part of the Blue Devil Challenge, delivering in a 90-60 win over Bucknell. Mark Mitchell’s 20 points led the way while Jared McCain had a double-double.
Three out of four to start the season isn’t awful for Duke, even if it’s not exactly what most fans expected. They’ve got the pure talent to win basically every game they play this season, though there will certainly be growing pains at times for a young team as well. There aren’t major challenges ahead, as the Blue Devils continue their little home tournament with games against La Salle and Southern Indiana that should bring them to 5-1 next weekend.