Duke Faces Company in the ACC Title Race

The Duke Blue Devils are getting ready for ACC play. They will play their first game next week, and if they want to get off to the start they are looking for, they are going to have to play better than they have in their last two games.

They will have another week before that game, which could cause some problems with Duke. Last week, Duke was coming off a week's layoff as well, and they did not look good in their first game back from that one. They were able to get the job done in the second half and win.

Dec 16, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer during the second half against the Lipscomb Bisons at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Then, in their last game against Texas Tech, they could not finish the job and dropped their first game of the season. These last two games have been about not coming out from the start and playing good basketball. Then, on the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Devils have not been playing well. That will need to change once they get into conference play. We know that this ACC conference has some great teams that could put up points. Duke cannot win every game in a shootout.

Teams Looking to Win ACC

The ACC was a three-horse race last season with Duke, Louisville, and Clemson losing two or fewer conference games. Both the Tigers and Cardinals have played well in the non-conference slate, albeit in different ways.

Dec 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks to Duke Blue Devils forwards Cameron Boozer (12) and Maliq Brown (6) and guard Cayden Boozer (2) during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"Clemson brought back only one returner who played on last year’s NCAA Tournament team, but head coach Brad Brownell’s new-look squad is 10-3 with quality wins against West Virginia, No. 23 Georgia and Cincinnati," said Ranjan Jindal of The Chronicle.

"The Tigers led against Alabama and BYU late but blew a 22-point lead to the Cougars in a loss. They have nice depth with Carter Welling, Jestin Porter and boomerang transfer R.J. Godfrey. However, talented freshman Zac Foster will miss the rest of the campaign after tearing his ACL against South Carolina, an injury that may limit this team’s ceiling."

Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

"At 9-4, Wake Forest is another team with a host of new faces. It has had quite a roller-coaster season with heartbreaking one-point losses to Michigan and Texas Tech and too-close-for-comfort wins against Northeastern and Longwood. Sophomore Juke Harris is one of the league’s top scorers at 19.9 points per game."

"Meanwhile, former Demon Deacon Boopie Miller has found a nice home in Dallas, leading a SMU team once again filled with offensive talent. The Mustangs have gone 2-2 against the SEC — picking up overtime wins against Mississippi State and Texas A&M."

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