Duke Basketball: While Impressive, No. 5 Blue Devils Yet to Be Truly Tested

With a record of 10-1 and a ranking of No. 5 in the nation, there is no question that the Duke Blue Devils are good. Exactly how good they really are is up for debate, however.

Those who consider Duke to be an elite team will point to wins over No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Michigan State and No. 18 Kansas, but just how good are those teams? The Spartans seem like they may be the real deal after upending Indiana last night, but Michigan was wiped out by a decent Virginia team and Kansas lost to a Davidson team that Duke had little problem against.

It's easy to deduce that the Blue Devils are national championship contenders at the very least, but when they had a chance to see where they truly measured up against No. 2 Ohio State, the Buckeyes housed them by a score of 85-63.

The Blue Devils couldn't contain beastly forward Jared Sullinger. While that is indeed an issue for most teams, it exposed a major interior weakness for Duke. Mason and Miles Plumlee are adequate, especially in what looks to be a mediocre ACC this season, but they simply can't hold up against elite big men like Sullinger.

Duke is going to score some points as it is averaging over 80 points per game and shoots 50 percent from the floor. The Blue Devils also feature great guard play from Austin Rivers and Seth Curry. While that can get a team a long way in college basketball, they need to be able to lock down defensively in big moments. I'm not sure Duke can do that against the best of the best.

The Blue Devils will take on Western Michigan and a couple of other cupcakes before entering conference play in about a week, but I doubt we will truly find out anything about Duke until it faces No. 6 North Carolina on Feb. 8.

There are several ACC games for Duke leading up to that, but there is no reason to think the Blue Devils shouldn't win them. Even if they do slip up once or twice in the meantime, I don't think it will mean much.

North Carolina is the ideal barometer for Duke because it possesses everything that the Blue Devils must prove they can stop. The Tar Heels have a fast-paced, high-volume offense that will be a challenge to slow down. Also, North Carolina has a bevy of versatile bigs in John Henson, Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes, so the Plumlees will be tested thoroughly.

Until that game, one can only judge Duke based upon what we have seen to this point.

There is no question that the Blue Devils are deserving of their ranking. They have beaten some quality teams. However, the key is whether Duke can compete with the upper echelon of teams, especially those with a dominant presence in the paint.

Until Feb. 8, Duke fans should simply enjoy the ride. Once that day comes, things will suddenly get very serious.