5. Duke (17-1)
The recent weeks have been closer than many expected but Duke just keeps winning games. The lone exception was that surprise defeat against Texas Tech before Christmas but we’re not holding one lousy finish against these Blue Devils. Cameron Boozer and the rest of this team have the raw talent to make another significant postseason push this season and they keep showing that against their ACC rivals.
On the first leg of their west coast swing, Duke handled California, picking up a solid 71-56 road win. Boozer starred with 21 points and 13 rebounds while Isaiah Evans added 17 points. Saturday’s matchup became more of a laugher, with the Blue Devils pulling away for an 80-50 win at Stanford. This team took it to the Cardinal, getting a legendary 30-point, 14-rebound performance from Boozer and another 15 points out of Evans.
After a few finishes that were closer than expected, Duke left no doubts about who is the most talented team in the ACC. The Blue Devils remain atop the conference standings with their 6-0 start and looked much more explosive with that trip out to California. After that work out there, the Blue Devils won’t be on the road for a couple weeks and we’ll next see Boozer and the gang in action against Wake Forest.