Duke isn't healthy yet. But the Blue Devils are getting healthier. And a reminder of why Mike Krzyzewski's team was No. 1 in the preseason was provided late Tuesday when the ACC power cruised to an 84-74 win over Florida in the Jimmy V Classic.
The CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year, Grayson Allen, missed 80 percent of his shots and finished with just six points, but it didn't really matter because the Blue Devils are so talented elsewhere a poor performance from anybody seems possible to overcome. Amile Jefferson and Luke Kennard, both of whom projected as little more than good-but-not-great rotation players a month ago, have -- as I noted Tuesday -- developed into legitimate National Player of the Year candidates. And projected top-five pick Jayson Tatum is starting to look comfortable. And fellow projected top-five pick Harry Giles should debut soon.
Add it up, and Coach K has a luxury of riches and thus incredible rotation options with this roster. His Blue Devils are No. 5 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). They have the highest ceiling in the nation, undeniably.
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Biggest Movers
1
USC
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jalen Brunson finished with 26 points in Tuesday's win over La Salle. The Wildcats have won 15 straight games dating back to last season. | -- | 3-4 |
| 2 |  | The Bruins have an effective field goal percentage of 63.5 that ranks first nationally. They're just the fifth team to beat John Calipari at Rupp Arena ever. | -- | 5-1 |
| 3 |  | The Bears already have five top-50 KenPom wins - among them victories over Louisville and Xavier. Miami transfer Manu Lecomte is averaging 13.9 points and 5.3 assists. | -- | 4-2 |
| 4 |  | Frank Mason's 30 points Tuesday vs. UMKC lifted his average to 20.8 points per game. KU has won eight straight games since its season-opening loss to Indiana. | -- | 5-0 |
| 5 |  | Luke Kennard is averaging 32.0 points in Duke's past two games. The sophomore guard is among the reasons why Duke rates No. 1 in offensive efficiency. | -- | 4-1 |
| 6 |  | The Tar Heels own two top-50 KenPom wins - including one over Wisconsin. Their lone loss is last week's 76-67 loss at Indiana. | -- | 4-1 |
| 7 |  | The Wildcats have seven double-digit wins despite shooting just 32.4 percent from 3-point range. That number ranks 235th nationally | -- | 5-0 |
| 8 |  | The Gaels recorded their fourth top-100 KenPom win late Wednesday via a 66-51 victory at Stanford. Jock Landale is averaging a team-best 19.7 points and 9.0 rebounds. | -- | 6-0 |
| 9 |  | The Zags have three top-30 KenPom wins, including Saturday's victory over Arizona. Freshman Josh Perkins is averaging a team-high 13.1 points while shooting 51.3 percent from 3-point range. | -- | 5-0 |
| 10 |  | The Cardinals' lone loss is a 66-63 loss to Baylor. As of Sunday morning, they had the No. 1 defensive efficiency rating in all of college basketball. | -- | 3-1 |
| 11 |  | The Hoosiers have won four straight games since losing at Fort Wayne. Thomas Bryant is averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds. | -- | 4-0 |
| 12 |  | The Mountaineers are creating turnovers on 33.6 percent of their opponents' possessions. They made Virginia commit a season-high 14 turnovers in Saturday's upset of the Cavaliers on the road. | -- | 3-1 |
| 13 |  | The Cavaliers' lone loss is a single-digit loss to West Virginia. Kyle Guy is shooting 61.9 percent from 3-point range after making three threes in Tuesday's win over East Carolina. | -- | 3-2 |
| 14 |  | The Bluejays have shot 44.8 percent from 3-point range while winning their first eight games. Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster is averaging a team-high 19.4 points. | -- | 4-2 |
| 15 |  | The Badgers' two losses are to North Carolina and Creighton. They won't play another currently ranked team until they meet Indiana in early January. | -- | 7-0 |
| 16 |  | The Boilermakers' only losses are single-digit losses to Villanova and Louisville. Caleb Swanigan is averaging a team-high 16.2 points and a team-high 11.3 rebounds. | -- | 5-1 |
| 17 |  | The Bulldogs' perfect start includes wins over Arizona, Northwestern, Utah and Vanderbilt. They host Cincinnati this Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. | -- | 4-1 |
| 18 |  | The Musketeers have only lost once but they've been in tight games with Lehigh and Missouri. Their next two games are against Colorado and Utah. | -- | 6-0 |
| 19 |  | The Gators' only losses are to schools ranked in the top 10 of the Top 25 (and one) - namely Duke and Gonzaga. KeVaughn Allen is averaging 13.3 points and shooting 94.7 percent from the free-throw line. | -- | 6-0 |
| 20 |  | Sindarius Thornwell was suspended indefinitely before Sunday's win over FIU. He's the Gamecocks' leading scorer and leading rebounder. | -- | 3-3 |
| 21 |  | The Wildcats' losses are both to schools (Gonzaga, Butler) ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). Freshman Lauri Markkanen is averaging 17.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. | -- | 2-2 |
| 22 |  | The Bearcats have established themselves as the clear favorite in the American Athletic Conference. Their best win is a 55-54 OT win at Iowa State. | -- | 5-0 |
| 23 |  | Bonzie Colson is averaging 17.1 points and 11.1 rebounds through nine games. Next up for Notre Dame is Saturday's showdown vs. top-ranked Villanova. | -- | 4-1 |
| 24 |  | The Cyclones' two losses are to Gonzaga and Cincinnati - and by a total of three points. Deonte Burton is averaging 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. | -- | 3-1 |
| 25 |  | The Hurricanes' only losses are to schools (Florida, Iowa State) also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). Freshman Bruce Brown recorded a triple-double in Tuesday's win over South Carolina State. | 1 | 3-3 |
| 26 |  | The Trojans' perfect record features wins over Texas A&M, SMU and BYU. Elijah Stewart is averaging a team-high 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. | NR | 5-1 |
