College Basketball Power 10: Watch Out For Baylor Bears
By Jeremy Karll
7. Duke (8-1)
Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden made their Duke debut, however Grayson Allen missed the same game. For as many injuries as Duke has suffered, it’s impressive how good they have still been.
With only a two-point hiccup to a top-10 Kansas team, Duke is now on a six-game winning streak with a win over then-ranked Rhode Island team.
That being said, Duke’s biggest wins of the season thus far, over Rhode Island and Michigan State, came against teams that are both unranked and struggling right now.
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Plus, for as impressive as Tatum and Bolden looked in their first collegiate action, granted it came against Maine, Duke will need time to adjust with them in the rotation.
Duke is hoping their season doesn’t turn into one big “what if” because it’s headed that way right now. They continue to beat bad teams, beat two teams who started the season ranked, but lost their lone big game of the season.
Still, a two-point loss with a team full of injuries isn’t terribly concerning.
Duke needs to get healthy, but it will be hard to get a grasp on them until conference play. Until then, Duke will likely hang around the top-five area as we anticipate the team they have the potential to be.
Duke has a chance to bolster their resume with a game against Florida and then travel to UNLV later in the week.