The Duke Blue Devils have been one of the most impressive teams in the nation and after a loss by Indiana, the team could be back in the number one ranking with a win on Sunday against Boston College in Massachusetts.
The Blue Devils are fourth ranked and have compiled a 20-2 record, but the team will be a late arrival to the city due to the winter storm that raged the East coast. The team will travel on Sunday morning and will face off against an Eagles team that is coming off of a 72-50 loss to Miami on Tuesday.
Duke has done 7-2 in the ACC this season, including a loss themselves to Miami in a 90-63 blowout that was the third worst ever for a team in the number one spot. With a good showing on Sunday, Duke will likely have another chance at the top ranking.
"We've been there (No. 1) twice before," said Mason Plumlee, who had 30 points on 9-of-11 shooting. "We don't go by rankings ... we're just focused on us. We can't worry about Big Ten, Big 12, Kansas, Indiana -- we can't worry about all that. We'll watch the games but we're so focused on us, and I think that's what's helping us get better right now."
The Blue Devils have played much better over the past week, as they are the only team in the top without a loss after Indiana, Michigan and Kansas all lost. The Blue Devils will be seeking their fifth straight win against the Eagles and have been shooting nearly 55 percent since the Hurricanes loss.
Mason Plumlee has been a consistent force for Duke, averaging nearly 20 points while leading the team with 10.7 rebounds per game.
"I think he is playing as well as anybody in the country really," coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
Seth Curry has been much better since missing all 10 of his shots against Miami, averaging over 20 points in the last four games. Duke has been challenged without Ryan Kelly over the last seven games, since he has been out with a foot injury, but the team has responded with solid defense.
The Eagles shouldn't pose much of a challenge for the Blue Devils, as they have lost the past three games against opponents in the top 25. The team is just 2-7 in the conference and lost 75-50 in last seasons matchup at Boston College,
Boston College has a rough game against Miami, but freshman guard Joe Rahon has been solid, scoring 26 points in the previous win against Clemson.
"That's what you see in freshmen and young players," coach Steve Donahue said. "We're not a team that necessarily understands how we're going to win every game. We're just trying to develop that."
Boston College has lost five straight games with Duke and is just 1-10 over the past 11 matchups.
