The No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1 ACC) cemented themselves as arguably the best team in college basketball on Saturday night after capping off the regular season with a 76-61 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium over No. 17 North Carolina (24-7, 12-6 ACC).
For the last few weeks, the Blue Devils have remained the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25, the NCAA NET Rankings, and at KenPom. Led by National Player of the Year frontrunner Cameron Boozer, Duke is hot heading into the postseason.
Jon Scheyer's clubended the regular season on an eight-game win streak, winning those games by an average margin of 23.1 points. The only contest that did not result in a double-digit victory for the Blue Devils over that span was the one game that took place out of conference. Duke took down then-No. 1 Michigan 68-63 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Each season, Scheyer gives his guys one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation to prepare them for league play and the latter weekends of the NCAA Tournament. What was different this year was that the ACC is in a much better place than it has been in any of the past few seasons, giving the Blue Devils more marquee opportunities in the postseason.
Duke Cements One of the Best Resumes in the History of College Basketball
Duke is on the fast track to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and much of that has to do with the team's stellar overall body of work. Heading into the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils are 15-2 in Quadrant 1 games, 20-2 across the first two quadrants, 15-0 at home, and 10-1 on the road.
Only Arizona owns more Quad 1 victories than Duke. However, what separates the Blue Devils' resume from the rest of the pack is its elite record against ranked opponents.
The blue blood program ended the regular season with an 11-2 record against AP Top 25 teams. This is more ranked wins than any other team in the nation and ties the record for the most in the history of the AP Poll.
Duke Is Battle Tested Heading Into March
The Blue Devils played one of the toughest overall schedules in the country, and that will bode well for a late postseason run. Duke controls its own destiny to earn the No. 1 overall seed in this year's big dance, with a chance to be the favorite to cut down the nets in early April.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke Cementing Case as One of College Basketball's Best Ever.