Duke Basketball: Are the Blue Devils the Premier Program in College Hoops?

After Sunday's thrashing of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Duke Blue Devils ascended back up the ranks of college basketball into the nation's top spot, at least according to the polls.

To be fair, they were greatly aided by each of the country's top four teams going down in a single week for the first time since 2003. 

The Blue Devils may be No. 1 in the current rankings, but are they truly the premier program in college basketball?

In my mind, the superiority of a college basketball program is determined by four factors: current success, hopes for the future, national perception and the intangibles.

So, let's take a look at each one. 

Current Success:

Duke started out the year almost unanimously voted as the top team in the country. Talks of an undefeated season abounded. Most people, me included, seemed to be ready to go ahead and crown the Blue Devils as national champions for the second consecutive year.

Then freshman point guard Kyrie Irving went down with a freak toe injury and other teams figured out that shutting down the outside shot and pounding the ball inside on offense gave them some hope at achieving the common goal of beating Duke. 

Even then, the only teams that have been able to completely figure out the Blue Devils and come away with a victory have been this year's giant-killers, the St. Johns Red Storm, and the Seminoles of Florida State. 

The reason for this has been the overall improvement of Nolan Smith and the continued excellence of Kyle Singler. It doesn't hurt either to have players like Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins getting minutes. 

Since the calendars started reading 2011, the Blue Devils have put together an unblemished 6-0 record during ACC play. The most recent win against Georgia Tech improved their overall record to a sparkling 25-2. 

Their current No. 1 spot in the polls is not simply a case of Duke lovers collaborating to put the ESPN favorite back in the national spotlight. The statistics back up the ranking. 

Noted statistician Ken Pomeroy (kenpom.com) also has Duke as the No. 1 team, thanks largely in part to the sixth-best offensive efficiency and the second-best defensive efficiency score in the country. 

The success of this 2010-2011 Duke squad is no fluke. 

Hopes for the Future:

Okay, so let's go ahead and assume that the Duke Blue Devils go on to win their second-straight national championship after failing to drop a single contest for the rest of the season. Or, you can assume that Duke falls in an early round of the tournament. 

To be honest, it doesn't really matter. 

Either way, the Blue Devils should be ranked No. 1 going into the 2011-2012 season. Sure, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith will be gone. Kyrie Irving may or may not be back for a sophomore season that would really be a de facto rookie one. One or both of the Plumlee brothers may choose to leave behind the joys of college life for the rigors of the NBA season. 

Whether or not some of Duke's players leave early shouldn't matter too much when you take a look at the ridiculous recruiting class that the Blue Devils are bringing in. 

Shooting guard Austin Rivers, the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, is the unquestioned No. 1 prospect in 2011's recruiting class. He'll make an immediate impact and could find himself squarely in the middle of the race to be named player of the year in 2012. 

Then there's point guard Quinn Cook, small forward Marshall Gbinjie and center Marshall Plumlee. Yes, that is the third Plumlee brother. 

All four players are ranked in the top 10 at their respective positions by Rivals.com. 

Now let's look ahead to the 2012 class.

The Blue Devils have already received commitments from small forward Alex Murphy and shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon. Murphy is the No. 1 player at his position and the No. 11 player overall while Sulaimon is "just" the 21st-best player in the class. Both are 5-star recruits.

This trend is going to continue year in and year out for Duke. The school recruits well and then Mike Krzyzewski always manages to get the most out of his incoming talent.

You and I both know that Duke is a perennial contender. That simply won't change.

National Perception:

When you think about college basketball, the iconic blue jerseys of the Blue Devils are going to be one of the first images to pop into your head. Now you may think of the team you root for first, assuming of course that you aren't a Duke fan, but your mind will eventually make it's way to the team that calls Durham home. 

To test this, I asked a few random friends for some help by saying: "When i say college basketball, give me the first team that pops into your head. Don't hesitate. You cannot say [insert school you go to]." Duke was the first answer 14 out of 15 times. 

Because of the program's historical success, Duke is virtually synonymous with college basketball. From Christian Laettner to Shane Battier to J.J. Redick to Kyle Singler, great players just always seem to play for Duke and slap the floor on defense. And yes, I know that I left plenty of great players off that very abbreviated list. 

In fact, I would challenge you to find a historical college basketball "best of" list that doesn't include a Duke reference at some point. 

In a different vein, just think about the amount of hatred that the Blue Devils receive from fans of the sport around the country. They're hated because they're consistently excellent. They always have been and they always will be. 

A lot of people point out that Duke always seems to find a way to be talked about by ESPN. Whether it's a segment on ESPNews about one of their games or the perfunctory highlight in the daily Top 10, there is no doubt that a lot of love is given to the Blue Devils by the premier sports network on television. 

People may complain about this seemingly unjust level of attention, but remember that ESPN is a business. They show Duke because people care about Duke and are willing to watch programs about them. That in itself should speak volumes.

There is no team that is more ubiquitous than Duke. 

The Intangibles:

The fourth and final category is just as important as the other three because just like they do on the court, the little things matter. 

Our first intangible in this argument is that the Blue Devils are coached by none other than Mike Krzyzewski. In my opinion, there is no finer coach in basketball, at any level. 

Coach K was elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame back in 2001 and hasn't slowed his assault on the record books since then. The man has coached at Duke since 1980 and has won four NCAA Championships, 12 ACC regular season titles and 12 ACC championships.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more successful coach in college basketball. 

Then there's the court at which Coach K plies his trade, which is conveniently named after him now. Not too many other teams play at a place quite like Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

The stadium itself isn't as impressive as some others around the country, but when the Cameron Crazies fill it up, the noise levels can reach up to 121.3 decibels. Imagine trying to inbound the ball from the sideline as thousands of rabid fans try to intimidate you by reaching down out of the stands and pointing at you while screaming their lungs out. Even worse, imagine trying to shoot a free throw. 

Duke also boasts the greatest rivalry in college basketball. Even though Duke has won the last two matchups with the North Carolina Tar Heels, the rivalry remains the best in the sport in terms of sheer passion produced by both the fans and the teams. 

On what other campus do you find people camping out in tents for months before the game just so they can get tickets? If you're curious, the answer is no place other than Krzyzewskiville. Where else do fans practice their cheers before games so they can fully intimidate the opponents? The answer is not quite as exclusive, but Duke is still a part of it. 

The list of traditions and the intangibles goes on and on. 

The Result:

Duke is currently at the top of rankings for the 2010-2011 season. The school's recruiting class for the next season is stellar, yet that seems to always be the case. As for the national perception, it's sky-high, just as it was in the past and as it will be in the future. And don't forget about all the intangibles. 

All in all, it's safe to say that the Duke Blue Devils are definitely the premier program in college basketball.