Duke Basketball: Ranking the Biggest Games Left on Blue Devils' Schedule

Welcome back to the race for the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament, Duke.

After losing three of six games, including two by double digits against the likes of North Carolina State and Miami, and dismissing valuable guard Rasheed Sulaimon from the team, the outlook for Duke’s season took a bleak turn.

All it took was five minutes of blistering three-point shooting at Virginia to put it back on track.

While the Blue Devils (18-3, 5-3 ACC) are back in the muddled picture for the top seed in the conference tournament after the critical win at Virginia, they still have to start racking together wins down the stretch of their ACC schedule. After all, there are still four teams ahead of them in the league.

Given Duke’s position in the ACC standings, as well as its goal for a favorable seed in the NCAA tournament, some games are more important than others on the remaining schedule.

Here is a look at those most important ones.

No. 3: At Syracuse, Feb. 14

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Many ACC fans forgot about Syracuse after it struggled in nonconference play, but the Orange are actually tied with Duke at 5-3 in the league.

Their next three games also come against beatable opponents in Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Boston College, so they aren’t going anywhere before this Valentine’s Day clash.

Still, this is a game Duke should win based on talent alone.

However, playing at Syracuse in a marquee contest is about as difficult as it gets in college basketball, and the Blue Devils will have to deal with a raucous crowd.

If Duke wants to set its sights on catching Virginia, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Louisville in the ACC, it is going to have to navigate tricky road games like this one. There is a clear separation of tiers in the top-heavy ACC, but the key to emerging from that top group is handling games against the mid- and lower-tier opponents.

The Blue Devils simply cannot afford a loss here with two games against North Carolina and a game against Notre Dame still on the docket.

No. 2: At North Carolina, March 7

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The showdowns with North Carolina are always going to be on the "most important games" lists because of what the rivalry means.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski commented on the nature of the Duke and North Carolina matchups, via C.L. Brown of ESPN.com: "When something is great, it means it's been there for a long time and it has a certain excellence about it that separates it from most. And our games against North Carolina over the decades have proven to stand that test of greatness, and time and excellence."

However, this particular game’s importance goes well beyond bragging rights along Tobacco Road. It is the final regular-season game on the schedule for both squads, which means positioning in the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament will likely be on the line.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

What’s more, seeing as how it is the second contest between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels, tiebreaking scenarios will likely come into play.

North Carolina is only one game ahead of Duke in the loss column in the race for the top seed in the ACC, so a couple of head-to-head victories over the Tar Heels are all Krzyzewski’s squad needs to move up in the league. 

Plus, this represents another opportunity for Duke to add a quality road win to a resume that already includes wins at Wisconsin, Virginia and Louisville.

No. 1: Vs. Notre Dame, Feb. 7

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Notre Dame is 8-2 in the ACC and right behind Virginia for the top spot. It also already has the critical head-to-head win over Duke that Virginia does not and could play itself into the discussion for a No. 1 seed with a strong finish to the season.

The Blue Devils want to play their way into that discussion as well and absolutely must beat the Fighting Irish in the rematch for that to happen.

After all, it is difficult to envision a scenario where the Blue Devils pass Notre Dame in the ACC standings with two head-to-head losses, which would give the Fighting Irish the tiebreaker advantage.

Plus, this game represents another chance for center Jahlil Okafor to make a statement in the race for ACC and National Player of the Year against fellow candidate and Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant.

Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated discussed that race after Grant destroyed Duke in the first game with 23 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals:

"

Okafor may be, by sheer ability, the best player in his league or any other. It is also true that he may not be the most valuable, not when there is a player like Grant making the argument he did Wednesday. It’s the same argument he has made over and over in a redemptive senior year: His top-10 team would be lost without him, because Grant does everything to make Notre Dame what it is.

"

It would be difficult to make the case for Okafor if Grant wins both head-to-head contests they play this year.

Ultimately, Duke is not going to finish atop the ACC standings this season without a win over Notre Dame. That is what makes this the most important contest remaining on the schedule.

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