The ACC Rival Duke Didn’t See Coming

The No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils (28-2, 16-1 ACC) are the clear team to beat out of the ACC, recently securing the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and the outright ACC regular season title following their two most recent victories.

Duke took down No. 13 Virginia (25-4, 13-3 ACC) on Saturday by a score of 77-51, and defeated NC State (19-11, 10-7 ACC) on the road 93-64 on Monday night.

Mar 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) shoots a free throw during the second half against the NC State Wolfpack at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

It's clear at this point of the regular season that although the ACC as a whole is in a much better place than it has been in any of the last few seasons, there isn't a single club near the level that the Blue Devils are at.

Jon Scheyer's club is currently riding a seven-game win streak, winning those games by an average margin of 23.4 points. The only contest over that span that Duke didn't win by at least 13 points was the only one that took place out of conference, when the Blue Devils defeated No. 3 Michigan 68-63 in Washington, D.C.

Feb 28, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA;Duke Blue Devils forward Dame Sarr (7) reacts after hitting a three-pointer during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

The Blue Devils have also won four of those other six bouts by over 25 points and two by over 30 points.

Duke has run through the rest of the ACC with almost no issues whatsoever, but there's one squad in the conference that it hasn't faced yet, and it could cause challenges for the Blue Devils for unique reasons.

Miami and Duke Could Meet in ACC Tournament

The Hurricanes are a resurged program under new head coach Jai Lucas, who served as an assistant coach at Duke beginning in 2022 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2023.

Coming off a 7-24 overall campaign a season ago, Lucas has Miami off to a 23-6 start in his first season at the helm. The Canes came in at No. 22 in this week's Associated Press Top 25.

Feb 24, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jai Lucas during the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Miami is arguably the biggest threat to the Blue Devils in the entire ACC, given that it is one of the few squads Duke hasn't faced off against. The Hurricanes are currently in third place in the conference standings with a 12-4 league record, meaning they could meet Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals if the standings hold.

Jan 24, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jai Lucas reacts during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Why Miami Has a Unique Advantage

Lucas is the only current head coach in the ACC who has worked under Jon Scheyer. Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel was an assistant alongside Scheyer under Mike Krzyzewski, but with the Panthers currently sitting at 11-18 overall, they're not much of a threat.

Meaning, Lucas understands Scheyer as a coach and how he wants to operate better than any other in the ACC. With a talented group, could this have a major effect? Possibly. But Lucas's connection to Duke is one particular advantage Miami has over every other club in the ACC.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.