Duke, Not UNC, Is the ACC Team To Beat This Young Season

The Blue Devils of Durham and the Tar Heels of Chapel Hill were named co-favorites to win the ACC during the preseason. Never before had there been two schools tied for first in the voting, and never before had the rivals of Duke and UNC started the ACC season on equal terms.

Duke was elected as a contender because of their experience, big names like Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith, and a talented core of inexperienced frontcourt players. UNC, on the other hand, was given the nod because of coach Roy Williams' star-studded recruiting class packed with five-star freshmen.

Four games into the season, it is easy to say that Duke has the edge.

The fourth-ranked Tar Heels knocked off an underachieving Ohio Buckeyes team ranked 15th in the preseason polls. The win showed how talented the freshmen at UNC are and how good they can be when all the pieces of the puzzle come together.

Then came the game versus 24th-ranked Syracuse: A game that reunited Coach Williams of UNC and coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange, a game that would decide the winner of the 2K Sports Classic, and a game that Tar Heel fans everywhere wish they could forget.

Shot after shot, rebound after rebound, up and down the court, UNC was outplayed from tip-off. The loss not only showed that this UNC team is vulnerable, but also how far the freshmen on the roster have to go in order to become an elite team.

While the UNC season has started with big voids to fill and questions that need to be answered, Duke's couldn't have started any better.

The first two games saw junior guard Nolan Smith sitting out after having been suspended for two games by the NCAA for playing in an unsanctioned summer league during the offseason. Although his presence was missed, ACC Player of the Year candidate Kyle Singler carried most of the load for Coach K and his staff.

Duke opened the season at home against UNC-Greensboro on Nov. 13. The Blue Devils started the game slowly, but Singler (20 points) and senior point guard Jon Scheyer (18 points) led Duke down the stretch for a huge 96-62 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke didn't play another game until that following Monday, Nov. 16, a first-round game in the NIT Season Tip-Off at home against Coastal Carolina. The Blue Devils, ranked ninth in the country, once again got off to a slow start before turning a low-scoring contest into a blow out of 74-49.

Kyle Singler once again led the scoring effort with 23 points, followed by freshman shooting guard Andre Dawkins (who started in place of the suspended Smith) with 13 points and Scheyer and Miles Plumlee with 10 apiece.

Going into their second-round contest versus Charlotte, Duke welcomed a familiar face back to the starting lineup: Nolan Smith. Smith was a spark to a team that had played the night before, scoring a career-high 24 points and leading the Blue Devils past a defenseless Charlotte, 101-59.

Nolan Smith commanded the team on the fast break and scored in a variety of different ways: driving to the basket, pull-up jumpers, and spotting up from the three-point line. His improved play, apparent from his scoring outburst, could be a main factor in seeing how far Duke can go in the tournament come March.

The final game in what was an eventful first week for Duke's season saw the Blue Devils easily defeat Radford College 104-67. During the game, Duke matched a school record with 13 three-pointers in the first half and 18 total.

Freshman Andre Dawkins led the way for Duke with 20 points (6-8 from three-point territory) followed by Nolan Smith (20 points), Jon Scheyer (18), Kyle Singler (13), and Miles Plumlee (12). The balanced Duke attack easily penetrated the Radford zone-defense.

Through four games this season, Duke has proven themselves to be a top 10 team in the country. With experienced players such as Singler, Smith, and Scheyer leading the way, and with young and talented big men prepared for the challenges that are ahead, Duke is primed to make a run for the National Championship come March.

UNC, however, is left with questions that need to be answered and shoes that need to be filled. Roy Williams' group has struggled early on adjusting to a team full of young players. They have proven they are not top 10 material just yet.

Although the Blue Devils and Tar Heels were early co-favorites to win the ACC this season, through the first four games it is easy to say that Duke will be the team to beat.