Here’s the Loud Truth Revealed About Duke’s Success So Far

The No. 4-ranked Duke Blue Devils (19-1, 8-0 ACC) boast one of the best overall bodies of work in all of college basketball so far this season, and arguably the best in the entire country. Like he does each season, head coach Jon Scheyer has given his guys a brutal non-conference slate to go through, and the Blue Devils got through it almost perfectly.

Duke is now cruising through its ACC slate in a conference that is vastly improved from a depth standpoint than it has been in any of the past five seasons. The ACC currently has five squads ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and eight ranked inside the top 50 of the NCAA NET Rankings.

Jan 6, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Duke defeated Louisville 84-73. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Scheyer's club has gone 7-1 against ranked opponents and 6-0 in true road games this season, with its lone loss coming by one point to No. 11 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20. Duke has now won five of its last six games by double figures and three in a row by 20 or more points.

However, it feels like all the success the Blue Devils have accomplished so far through the 2025-26 campaign has almost flown under the radar, and they aren't being included in conversations as one of the clear favorites to cut down the nets in early April.

Jan 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) reacts during a break in the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Insider Reveals Hard Truth on Duke Basketball This Season

ESPN recently released a tier ranking of 47 teams, and didn't include the Blue Devils in the top tier of national title favorites. Duke is currently ranked No. 2 in the NET with more Quadrant 1 victories than every other team in the nation besides No. 1 Arizona, but it seems to go unnoticed.

The Field of 68's Rob Dauster said the quiet part out loud, as Duke doesn't seem to be in the upper echelon tiers of title favorites.

"Duke is good enough to win a national championship. What they've been able to do is somehow still flying under the radar"@RobDauster on another DOMINANT win for @DukeMBB 👀

🎥: https://t.co/9iOKMXyUSo pic.twitter.com/64lPKHMMLh
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 27, 2026

"Duke is good enough to win a national championship," Dauster said. "What they've been able to do is somehow still flying under the radar."

Led by National Player of the Year frontrunner Cameron Boozer, Duke has established itself as one of the best teams in the sport. Its resume speaks for itself, but it feels a little odd how little it feels like the Blue Devils are talked about in national title conversations.

Duke Needs To Take Down a Title Favorite

The general favorites seem to be Arizona, UConn, and Michigan. However, Duke has nearly as good, if not a better, resume than those schools.

What the Blue Devils lack is a win over a perennial national title contender. Their highest-rated NET win of the season was at Michigan State, which is currently No. 10 in the NET.

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) dribbles against Nebraska forward Braden Frager (5) during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Duke will have an opportunity to add that to the resume, as it will take on No. 3 Michigan at Capital One Arena on Feb. 21.

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