With the biggest month in college basketball finally here, it’s time to start sorting between the contenders and pretenders.
The Athletic released a ranking of the top men’s college basketball teams in the country on Thursday, and Duke barely crept into the top 10 as the ninth-ranked squad.
Staff reporter Brendan Marks wrote about how Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, and freshman Jared McCain all have a reasonable claim as Duke’s best player so far this season, highlighting Roach’s 48% 3-point percentage and McCain’s recent form.
The Blue Devils finished two spots below North Carolina, who was seventh in the site’s rankings. No other ACC team made the site’s top 16.
Houston led the power rankings with Purdue and Connecticut close behind. Tennessee, Marquette, Iowa State, the Tar Heels, Arizona, the Blue Devils, and Saint Mary’s rounded out the top 10 in order.