Duke Blue Devils: Winning the War of Attrition, Duke New No. 1 in Polls

If March is a sprint, the regular season is a marathon.  The Duke Blue Devils have been the top team longer than anyone else in this year's campaign, and after a rough week atop the Coaches Poll, they step back into the Nation's top spot.

After a string of six straight wins, Duke's quiet but impressive record sits at 25-2.  Throughout the season, Duke has started games slow but has used strong second half play to win. 

This team is back on top of the NCAA mountain for many reasons.  Nolan Smith, Coach K, and the role players have been pivitol to this point of the season, and this team appears to be getting better each game.

Nolan Smith is starting to surprise everyone with his constant ability to score and pass giving Duke a real No. 1 threat.  He has grown more than any other ACC player since last season and has completely surpassed Kyle Singler as this team's go to guy.  He isn't showing signs of slowing down, but history has shown that former Duke starts tend to slow in March (JJ Redick for example).  This team will go as deep as he can carry them, but a cold spell could be trouble for this team if Singler can't find his stroke.

It is unimaginable that someone such as Mike Krzyzewski could be overlooked.  As one of the greatest NCAA D1 coaches of all time, he is earning his pay check this season. 

Coach K is doing one of his best coaching jobs ever with this team, and like last year, not many are giving them a true shot at running the table.  K's ability to change lineups to get the best out of the entire cast is helping this team get better.  Everyone assumed that as Kyrie went down, Duke did, too.  K is proving that is just not the case, and he will have this team ready for a No. 1 seed.

Like every Duke team, this one is not short on role players.  Everyone remembers the floor slapping days of the '90s and early 2000s in which role players stepped up and nailed shot after shot helping Duke win multiple titles. 

This year Seth Curry is starting to come out of his shell and is one of the most important role players in the country.  He isn't his father or brother, but the athletic sharpshooter is dangerous.  He can get hot at any time and help this team win.  

Combine Curry with the Miles and Mason Plumlee, and there is a true supporting cast that can help this team remain at the top.

Duke did not lose last week which resulted in their jump from No. 5 to No. 1.  Many feel that Ohio State is the best team in the nation, but like Kansas last year, winning is everything.