Blue Devils hop within the top eight in ESPN BPI

Duke climbed two spots to eighth in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, now four spots above rival North Carolina.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index certainly seemed impressed with Duke’s 25-point win over Virginia on Saturday evening.

The Blue Devils climbed two spots up to eighth in ESPN’s BPI, jumping above Iowa State and Creighton.

Only Houston, Purdue, Arizona, Tennessee, Connecticut, Auburn, and Alabama are higher than the Blue Devils in the site’s overall rankings.

The two-spot bump moved Duke farther above North Carolina, who slipped all the way down to 12th.

The Blue Devils have built their reputation around their offense this season, averaging 80.3 points per game so far this season. BPI has been impressed with the team’s scoring efforts, as Duke is eighth in the nation in ESPN’s Offensive Power Index.

Head coach Jon Scheyer’s squad has become more well-rounded as the year has progressed, too, as Duke is now just outside the top 20 in the Defensive Power Index.

NC State, whom Duke visits for a road game on Monday, is 72nd in ESPN BPI.