Duke Basketball: Why Blue Devils Deserve a No. 1 Seed

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The loss to the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels definitely hurt the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils, especially since it was a massacre. However, that does not mean Duke cannot earn a No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA tournament.

Duke already has an amazing resume this season, and winning the ACC tournament would absolutely make them  a top contender in the Big Dance. 

Read on to find out why the Blue Devils deserve a No. 1 seed.

Duke Has Beaten Four Top 10 Teams

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Many people are saying that No. 4 Kansas and No. 8 Michigan State deserve No. 1 seeds in this year's dance. Though it's true both teams have had outstanding seasons, head-to-head matchups should be the deciding factor in determining No. 1 seeds in the tournament. Therefore, the edge should go to Duke since they beat both teams earlier in the season.

The other two Top 10 teams that Duke beat this season was No. 10 Michigan and the North Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina obviously just whooped up on the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor stadium, but Duke beat North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well.

Whoever wins the ACC tournament will most likely get the nod for a No. 1 seed, that is, if Duke or North Carolina makes it that far. Most likely though, these teams will play each other in the championship game, so it would be fair to give the winner the top seed.

As it stands, Duke has to get a No. 1 seed over North Carolina for beating them once and also beating Kansas, Michigan and Michigan State.  

The Computer Rankings

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Not everyone likes the computer rankings, but they are certainly in Duke's favor.

The Blue Devils have six wins over Top 25 RPI teams, which is the second most in the nation. Duke's RPI is four and its SOS is two.

Duke also ranks first in RPI and second in SOS in their out-of-conference schedule.. This is huge and proves that the Blue Devils are one of the most tournament-ready teams in the country.  

If the computer rankings decided the seeds, the Blue Devils would obviously be a No. 1.

Duke's Quality Wins

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Duke has some of the best wins out of any team in college basketball. 

Like I stated earlier in this article, Duke has beaten four top 10 teams in Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State and North Carolina.

The Blue Devils have also beaten No. 17 Florida State. 

For the record, Duke also beat Virginia this year, who was ranked No. 17 at the time. 

Duke's Losses

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The Blue Devils have five losses on the season. None of them bad.

Every team that Duke has lost to has a great chance of making the NCAA tournament field. The only questionable team that might not make it is Miami, who Duke lost to in overtime.

All of the Blue Devils' other losses were to ranked teams. These teams include, No. 21 Temple, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 17 Florida State.

The Blue Devils Team in General

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Duke is an amazing team that is lethal behind the arc. Most people will recognize Austin Rivers and Seth Curry as great shooters, but Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins are also tremendous from long range.

There is no question that when Duke is hitting threes, they are one of the best teams in the nation.

However, the Blue Devils also have a great post game in the Plumlee brothers. In their last game against North Carolina, Miles and Mason combined for 33 points. Mason definitely gets most of the attention, but his brother is not too shabby himself.

Duke is the 11th highest-scoring team in the nation at 78.7 points per game.

Although the Blue Devils rely on the duo of Curry and Rivers, its whole entire team is good and deserves a No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament.

If you’re a Tweeter, feel free to follow me @Trevbot77.