8. Duke (13-3)
High expectations started the year for the Blue Devils and they didn’t really meet up to that out of the gate. Duke had a few rough performances on the road but the last month has been much better for Jon Scheyer’s crew, who are riding a long winning streak further and further into ACC play.
Duke played a nearly perfect game on Tuesday, getting a 75-53 win at Pittsburgh for their second straight road win. Kyle Filipowski continued his great young career with 26 points and 10 rebounds while the Blue Devils shot 44% from outside the arc. Saturday’s action was a closer call, but the Blue Devils avenged an earlier loss by winning 84-79 over Georgia Tech. Filipowski stunned yet again with 30 points and 13 rebounds, concluding quite a week for the Blue Devils’ star center.
Now winners of eight straight games, the Blue Devils are up to 4-1 against the ACC after that tough loss at Georgia Tech back in early January. They’ve started to win road games, which they couldn’t do in the nonconference, and look like a force to be reckoned with considering all this young talent. It’s a quiet week ahead for the Blue Devils, who rematch with Pittsburgh this upcoming weekend while hoping to continue this hot stretch.