Duke Basketball: Will Blue Devils Solidify Spot as the Nation's 2nd-Best Team?

Nobody just waltzes into the Kohl Center, dominates the Wisconsin Badgers, wins by 10 points and leaves behind a wake of basketball destruction. Nobody, that is, except the Duke Blue Devils.

Mike Krzyzewski’s bunch knocked off Bo Ryan’s group Wednesday night in the final game of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge to the tune of 80-70. Even though Wisconsin pulled to within a few points in the second half, the game was never really in doubt down the stretch.

It was clear that Duke was the better team, at least for that night.

Andy Manis/Associated Press

This isn’t the first time the incredibly talented Blue Devils have made waves on the national stage, and perhaps it is time the college basketball conversation changes from Kentucky and everyone else to Kentucky, Duke and everyone else. Duke beat Michigan State, Temple and Stanford by double-digit margins as well and has seen a number of stars emerge.

Jahlil Okafor is a virtual lock to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, thanks to his strength, footwork, post position and rebounding ability, among other traits. Frank Kaminsky, who is a collegiate superstar in his own right, simply couldn’t guard Okafor on the blocks.

Okafor finished with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but he dealt with foul trouble all game and sat on the bench for portions of the second half.

Andy Manis/Associated Press

The real star was fellow freshman and running mate Tyus Jones. 

Jones may primarily be a distributor on a team of future NBA players, but he finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists on 7-of-11 shooting and had complete control of the game from the point guard spot. Considering that performance came at Wisconsin in one of the most intimidating venues in all of college basketball and with a senior point guard in Traevon Jackson guarding him, Jones deserves plenty of recognition.

He certainly got some from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express:

Justise Winslow was fairly quiet offensively, but he has already caught the attention of the nation with his athleticism and defensive prowess. He held Sam Dekker to five points, which is more than Krzyzewski could have asked for against the Badgers’ veteran considering Winslow’s freshman status. 

Rasheed Sulaimon also showed his value with 14 critical points off the bench. Jones may have been the key to the victory, but Sulaimon came through with multiple back-breaking shots in the second half whenever Wisconsin closed the gap.

Andy Manis/Associated Press

Mark Titus of Grantland acknowledged that we may already have our best two teams in the aftermath:

"

Do you realize what the Blue Devils just did? Only three programs in America have a better home winning percentage over the last 14 years than Wisconsin. Yet Duke went into the Kohl Center with a bunch of freshmen, got virtually nothing from future lottery pick Justise Winslow, its All-American big man Okafor dealt with foul trouble all night, Wisconsin’s Traevon Jackson scored his career high, and Duke still beat the second-ranked team in the nation by double digits. I don’t want to come across as the kind of fellow who overreacts to early-season games, but it’s obvious that Duke and Kentucky are going to go 39-0 before playing each other in the national championship. Why are we even wasting our time with the rest of the season?

"

The question now for Duke is whether it can establish itself as the clear-cut No. 2 team in the country and even enter the discussion with Kentucky. Ultimately, the issue isn’t whether Duke can surpass Kentucky, but whether Duke can change the conversation from “can the Wildcats beat the Philadelphia 76ers?” to “can the Wildcats beat Duke?”

Duke still has a nonconference showdown with Connecticut and the ACC games against Virginia, Miami, Louisville, Virginia, Syracuse, Notre Dame and North Carolina, among others, on the schedule.

While Kentucky plays a number of marquee nonconference games that will keep it in the spotlight, the one advantage Duke has on the Wildcats is the conference slate. The SEC is the worst of the power conferences without a lot of substance behind Kentucky. Florida could eventually become a force on the national level, but it is off to a disappointing 3-3 start on the season, and one of those three wins came in overtime against Louisiana Monroe.

Duke, on the other hand, will have a chance to impress the selection committee throughout the season with a formidable league slate to go along with the nonconference portion of the schedule.

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

It’s not just about Duke’s position next to Kentucky, though. Arizona, Louisville, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia and even Gonzaga are all threats for that mythical No. 2 spot. We already saw what Blue Devils can do against the Badgers, and they will get the chance in ACC play against the Cavaliers.

Elsewhere, the Cardinals already knocked off Ohio State with an incredible defensive effort, but their offense may be an issue. After all, Rick Pitino’s squad only scored 45 points against Cleveland State and let the Buckeyes back into the game because of offensive struggles when it held an early 19-point lead.

Pitino himself doesn't think the Cardinals are equivalent to Duke yet, via Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal:

The Longhorns have plenty of length and balanced talent and will get a shot at Kentucky in their next game. As for Arizona and Gonzaga, they are the kings out west, but, fair or not, Duke is more of a national-spotlight team than those who play in the western time zone based on exposure and brand recognition.

As long as the Blue Devils continue to win, they will have the inside track for a No. 1 seed, which is the most important part of the regular season for any national contender.

Duke has all the ingredients to stay in the national consciousness as an equal to Kentucky with a couple more impressive showings.

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

It has arguably the best coach in the history of college basketball this side of John Wooden and the future No. 1 pick in the draft in Okafor. Throw in a budding star in Jones and a highlight machine who will capture the attention of even casual basketball fans with highlight plays and the "wow" factor in Winslow, and this team is loaded.

Duke showed the nation how talented it can be with at least three potential first-round picks and a few important role players in its game against Wisconsin. The Blue Devils may not have two entire five-man rotations of superstar players, but they can certainly change the national conversation to include more than just one team with a few more performances like we saw Wednesday.

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