Is This the Year Duke Returns to the Final Four?

The Duke Blue Devils haven't been to the Final Four since 2004.

For most programs, a six-year hiatus from college basketball's big stage wouldn't be a point of contempt.  

But this is Mike Krzyzewski we're talking about—he has averaged a Final Four once every three seasons in his 30 years at Duke, so a six-year break is a big deal.

Most experts weren't talking about the Blue Devils in Final Four conversations a few months ago, not after the loss of Gerald Henderson to the NBA and Elliot Williams to Memphis.

Sure, Duke returned Kyle Singler, the ACC preseason Player of the Year, but without a true point guard and a mountain of unanswered questions, the Blue Devils weren't high on anyone's post-season short list.

But things change quickly in college basketball, and with conference play underway, the Blue Devils certainly look like one of the best teams in college basketball and, without a doubt, the best team in the ACC.

Their success hasn't been the result of Singler carrying this team on his back the way many expected.

Ironically, it's largely due to the stellar play of their two biggest question marks entering the season—Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith.

Scheyer played well as Duke's point guard at the end of last season, but without the kind of explosive athleticism that would enable him to penetrate at will (and without a guy like Gerald Henderson to occupy the attention of defenses), it's easy to understand why many questioned the likelihood of his success this season.

But Scheyer has been nothing short of brilliant.

He's the second leading scorer in the ACC at 19.7 points per game (just one-tenth of a point behind Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney), and he leads the entire NCAA in assist-to-turnover ration at 4.6-to-1.

So far, the senior guard isn't just putting up All-ACC numbers, he's putting up All-American numbers.

Nolan Smith was supposed to be Duke's point guard solution last season, but struggled mightily once conference play began. He dropped out of the starting rotation and, thanks in large part to a concussion suffered against Maryland, saw a big decline in minutes as the season came to a close.

Being able to return to his more natural off-guard position has made a world of difference for him this season, and he looks like a completely different player.

He is currently the third leading scorer in the ACC at 18.5 points per game, and his three point percentage on the season is over 50 percent.

But it's not just the top-notch play of Scheyer and Smith (or even Singler for that matter, despite not playing at quite the expected level) that has the Blue Devils looking so good.

They do about everything a Final Four team needs to do—make a high percentage of free throws, shoot well from long range, take care of the ball, rebound, distribute, and play excellent defense.

Despite losing to Wisconsin in Madison, the Blue Devils have handled just about everyone they have played with relative ease, including ranked teams like Connecticut, Gonzaga, and Clemson.

The season is still young, and a lot can change during conference play.

But as of now, you'd be hard-pressed not to consider Duke as one of the four best teams in the country.