The ACC being down has become a real storyline of this season. The conference now ranks fifth nationally and is closer in quality to the Mountain West or West Coast Conference than it is the SEC, Big Ten or Big 12, according to KenPom.com.
That's not good.
But don't blame Duke!
After starting 4-2 with losses to Kentucky and Kansas, the Blue Devils have reeled off five straight wins to improve to 9-2 with victories over Auburn, Arizona and Louisville. The latest triumph came Tuesday, when Duke beat George Mason 68-47 behind a 24-point, nine-rebound, four-assist, three-steal, one-block effort from freshman star Cooper Flagg.
"I loved Cooper's aggressiveness," said Duke coach Jon Scheyer. "Thought Cooper was really aggressive — putting pressure on the defense. I think for many young guys, you get caught up in percentages and numbers sometimes. And for him, he was a warrior out there, with 24 [points], nine [rebounds], and four [assists]. I think that comes with his competitive spirit and being in attack mode. We need him that way. We have to help him be that way all the time."
Flagg continues to lead Duke in points per game (16.6), rebounds per game (9.0), assists per game (3.6), steals per game (1.6) and blocks per game (1.4). He's the main reason the Blue Devils are No. 5 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Tennessee remains No. 1 for the 14th consecutive day.
Next up for Duke is Saturday's game with Georgia Tech.
The Blue Devils are now the only ACC school in the Top 25 And 1. For some some context, understand that there are now 10 SEC schools in the Top 25 And 1 — specifically No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Auburn, No. 4. Kentucky, No. 6 Alabama, No. 8 Florida, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 14 Texas A&M, No. 17 Mississippi State, No. 25 Oklahoma and No. 26 Georgia.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 84-36 win over Western Carolina. The Vols' next game is Monday against Middle Tennessee. | -- | 11-0 |
| 2 |  | Chaney Johnson finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 100-59 win over Georgia State. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Purdue. | -- | 10-1 |
| 3 |  | Keshon Gilbert finished with 16 points and four assists in Sunday's 83-51 win over Omaha. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against Morgan State. | -- | 9-1 |
| 4 |  | Lamont Butler finished with 33 points and six assists in Saturday's 93-85 win over Louisville. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Ohio State. | -- | 10-1 |
| 5 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 68-47 win over George Mason. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Georgia Tech. | -- | 9-2 |
| 6 |  | Mark Sears finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 83-75 win over Creighton. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at North Dakota. | -- | 8-2 |
| 7 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 75-60 win over NC State. The Jayhawks' next game is Sunday against Brown. | -- | 8-2 |
| 8 |  | Will Richard finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 90-84 win over North Carolina. The Gators' next game is Saturday against North Florida. | -- | 11-0 |
| 9 |  | Stevie Mitchell was 2 of 9 from the field in Saturday's 71-63 loss at Dayton. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Butler. | -- | 9-2 |
| 10 |  | Xavier Booker finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 77-58 win over Oakland. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Florida Atlantic. | -- | 9-2 |
| 11 |  | Jaylen Murray finished with 18 points and five assists in Tuesday's 74-61 win over Southern. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Queens. | -- | 10-1 |
| 12 |  | Dylan Andrews finished with 21 points and six assists in Tuesday's 111-75 win over Prairie View. The Bruins' next game is Saturday against North Carolina. | -- | 10-1 |
| 13 |  | Brandon Angel finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 79-61 win over Stephen F. Austin. The Ducks' next game is Saturday against Stanford. | -- | 10-1 |
| 14 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 16 points and four assists in Saturday's 70-66 win over Purdue. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Houston Christian. | -- | 9-2 |
| 15 |  | Braden Smith had six turnovers in Saturday's 70-66 loss to Texas A&M. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 8-3 |
| 16 |  | Selton Miguel finished with 24 points and four assists in Tuesday's 111-57 win over St. Francis (PA). The Terrapins' next game is Saturday against Syracuse. | -- | 9-2 |
| 17 |  | Claudell Harris Jr. finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 83-59 win over Central Michigan. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Memphis. | -- | 10-1 |
| 18 |  | Nate Santos finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 66-65 win over UNLV. The Flyers' next game is Friday against Cincinnati. | 1 | 10-2 |
| 19 |  | Kasparas Jakucionis was 5 of 15 from the field in Saturday's 66-64 loss to Tennessee. The Illini's next game is Sunday against Missouri. | 1 | 7-3 |
| 20 |  | Tyrese Hunter finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-82 overtime win at Clemson. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Virginia. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 21 |  | Liam McNeeley finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 77-71 win over Gonzaga. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Xavier. | 1 | 8-3 |
| 22 |  | Dusty Stromer was 1 of 5 from the field in Saturday's 77-71 loss to UConn. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Nicholls. | 1 | 7-3 |
| 23 |  | Miles Byrd finished with 19 points and two assists in Wednesday's 81-75 win over Cal Baptist. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday against Cal. | 1 | 7-2 |
| 24 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 22 points and two steals in Tuesday's 62-42 win over Troy. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Toledo. | 1 | 6-3 |
| 25 |  | Sam Goodwin finished with 20 points and had 14 rebounds in Saturday's 80-65 win over Oklahoma State. The Sooners' next game is Wednesday against Michigan. | 1 | 10-0 |
| 26 |  | Asa Newell finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 73-68 win over Grand Canyon. The Bulldogs' next game is Thursday against Buffalo. | NR | 9-1 |
