Watching the Duke basketball team this season has been a conundrum.
On one hand, the Blue Devils don’t lose. The will to win that has been built on this team is incredible. It’s arguably the most important quality to have in a basketball team and this squad shows in every time it takes the floor.
However, on the other hand, they sometimes aren’t overly impressive in their victories. Duke occasionally struggles against inferior opponents but still finds a way to escape victorious.
Many have debated if the Blue Devils are a legitimate National Championship contender and Monday’s beatdown against Louisville should prove to the country that the Blue Devils are just as dangerous as any other team in the nation. With a Cardinal team healthy and looking to show that it is still among the elite teams in the ACC, Duke pummeled Louisville by 31 points, winning 83-52.
Its defense was a good as it showed earlier in the season and its three superstars, Cam Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Pat Ngongba, led the way offensively.
Louisville took a 25-24 lead with 4:30 remaining in the first half and it was the last glimmer of hope the Cardinals had in the game as Duke would outscore them 59-27 for the remainder of the game. It was a run that some of the best teams in the sport could put together and it looked easy for the Blue Devils.
Duke doesn’t get compared to other elite team in college basketball like Arizona and Michigan, who many believe are the favorites to win the National Championship, but after this performance some in the media landscape are starting to group the Blue Devils with those teams.
After blowing a 17-point lead against Texas Tech, Duke has won eight straight games and will be looking to keep momentum rolling into one of its most difficult stretches in conference play.
The Blue Devils will play three of its next four games on the road against Virginia Tech, No. 16 North Carolina, and Pittsburgh before getting No. 22 Clemson and Syracuse at home prior to its showdown with the Wolverines in Washington D.C. Whether they look impressive or not doesn’t matter at this point with Duke. This team proves it has what it takes to win and is absolutely a major contender to cut down the nets in April.
