Duke men’s basketball has a long and successful history, boasting 24 ACC regular-season titles and 27 conference tournament championships. However, few Duke teams have dominated the league as thoroughly as this year’s squad.
Their latest victory came against North Carolina, a team that had won six straight games and was pushing for an NCAA tournament bid. The Tar Heels briefly led by seven early in the second half, but Duke responded with strong defense and transition play, securing an 82-69 win at the Dean Dome. Twelve of Duke’s 19 ACC victories this season have been by at least 20 points, with 10 of those by 25 or more. Only Wake Forest and Notre Dame managed to keep the margin within single digits, and Clemson was the only team to defeat Duke.
Duke’s overwhelming dominance is reflected in its historic +434 scoring differential in ACC play, the largest in conference history. Since the ACC expanded to 20 conference games five years ago, no team has achieved such a margin. The last teams to post bigger differentials were 2016-17 Gonzaga (+471) and 1953-54 Kentucky (+503) among power-conference programs.
A key factor in Duke’s superiority is that this is arguably their best team in a decade—stronger than the 32-win Zion Williamson-R.J. Barrett squad and the Paolo Banchero-led Final Four team. This year’s Blue Devils (28-3) are challenging the idea that a freshman-heavy roster cannot win a national title in an era dominated by experienced transfer players.
Leading the way is Cooper Flagg, an exceptional freshman who has exceeded expectations. Projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg leads Duke in scoring (19.6 PPG) and every other major statistical category, including rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. While Flagg has drawn the most attention, Duke’s roster is stacked with future NBA talent, including projected lottery picks Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, along with seasoned veterans. Even when Flagg sat early due to foul trouble, his teammates extended Duke’s lead before a brief North Carolina comeback. However, Duke locked in defensively and took control in the second half, with Knueppel’s fast-break layup giving them the lead for good. Flagg’s defensive presence, including four second-half blocks, helped seal the win.
Another reason for Duke’s dominance is the overall decline of the ACC. Outside of Duke, only Louisville (25-6, 18-2) and Clemson (26-5, 18-2) are guaranteed NCAA tournament spots. The rest of the conference has struggled, with North Carolina being the only other team on the tournament bubble, holding a dismal 1-11 record in Quadrant 1 games.
A major contributor to the ACC’s decline is the departure of legendary coaches. North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Miami’s Jim Larrañaga, and Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton have all retired, leaving a leadership vacuum. Additionally, many ACC programs have been slow to adapt to the new era of college basketball, where NIL deals and transfer portal strategies play a significant role. Schools from other power conferences, especially the SEC, have leveraged these tools to lure top talent that might have once chosen ACC programs.
If the ACC doesn’t adapt, Duke’s reign of dominance could continue for years to come.
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