Following the Duke’s big 68-63 win against Michigan on Saturday, the Blue Devils found themselves coming in with the No. 1 ranking in the country in the latest AP men’s basketball poll. Michigan had previously been the top ranked team the week before.
This is the first time this season that Duke has grabbed the No. 1 spot in the AP poll rankings. The Blue Devils have been led this season by freshman star Cameron Boozer, who is widely projected to be no worse than a top-three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
In the win against Michigan, Boozer finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots in 34 minutes of play. He shot 6-of-10 (60 percent) from the field, 1-of-2 (50 percent) from the 3-point line and 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) from the free-throw line.
Boozer has appeared in 27 games as a freshman this season for Duke, at a little over 32 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 22.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals with splits of 58.2 percent shooting from the field, 39.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 76.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Following the win against Michigan, Duke improved to 25-2 on the season. They are currently 13-1 in ACC play, and have the top spot in the conference standings. They are one game ahead of Virigina who is 12-2. Duke doesn’t play Virginia until Saturday, a matchup that could have major implications for conference tournament seedings.
This is Jon Scheyer’s fourth season at the helm as Duke head coach. Over the past three seasons, he’s led the Blue Devils to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including last season’s run to the Final Four. This year, Duke appears to be in the mix as a legitimate national championship contender.
