NCAA Basketball: Tennessee, Baylor, Illinois rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
6. Duke (20-5)
This week the Blue Devils reached 20 wins and they’ve been mostly playing smart basketball. Still, Duke might even be flying under the radar due to a few bad performances earlier in the year paired with the general weakness of the ACC. Still, the record is impressive and the Blue Devils had two pretty solid performances this past week.
Despite a tough challenge from the upstart Demon Deacons, Duke held onto a 77-69 home win over Wake Forest back earlier in the week. Mark Mitchell led with 23 points and 8 rebounds while Kyle Filipowski added 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Blue Devils hit the road this weekend and grabbed a 76-67 win in Tallahassee over Florida State. That win featured a breakout performance from Jared McCain with 35 points, including 8 of 11 from beyond the arc.
It’s undeniable that there’s talent in Durham this season. The Blue Devils have put together another solid season and are playing great basketball down the stretch with just a few weeks left in the regular season. Their 11-3 mark in the ACC is pretty solid, though they’ll be tested with road games at Miami and Wake Forest this coming week. What exactly is the ceiling in Jon Scheyer’s second season at the helm?