Why Duke Should be the No. 1 Team in the Country

Duke senior forward Mason Plumlee carried the Blue Devils to victory with his 21 points and 17 rebounds. (Gerry Broome)

I know that Indiana was the No. 1 team in the preseason polls. I know that they are undefeated with a 7-0 record. I watched their impressive shellacking of a young North Carolina team in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The problem is that the Hoosiers nor any other team in the country has even remotely close to as good of a resume as Duke has right now.

Tonight, the Blue Devils picked up their third win over a top five team in the polls. They even managed despite struggling badly offensively, especially in the first half. Duke shot only 30% from the field in the first half and trailed Ohio State by as much as ten in the second half. However, they weren't done yet, especially with the Cameron Crazies urging them on.

A couple of turning points were all the Blue Devils needed. The first was an incredible transition alley-oop from Quinn Cook to Mason Plumlee that further electrified an already crazy loud crowd. The second came with 6:06 left in the game. Duke senior forward Ryan Kelly buried a three-pointer to tie the score up 53-53. He nailed another seconds later to give the Blue Devils the lead for good.

As I already mentioned, this isn't Duke's first top five win. Back on November 13, they beat a young, but very talented Kentucky team. Last Saturday, they also beat Louisville, who was a Final Four team last season. Very few teams ever beat three top five teams in an entire season, but the Blue Devils have found a way to accomplish it in a span of 15 days.

As if that weren't enough, Duke beat a now ranked Minnesota team by 18 points. I have a feeling that their nine-point win over VCU will be another impressive win come March. With three top five wins, wins over at least five predicted tournament teams and a perfect 7-0 record, there is nothing that came compare to what the Blue Devils have accomplished so early in the season.

Sorry about that Indiana. You are undefeated and very talented, but there is a team that has been far more impressive against significantly stronger opposition. Duke should be the No. 1 team in the polls. There is no doubt about it in my mind. If the polls look strictly at a team's resume, there is no way that the Blue Devils cannot be the top team in the country. They have made a strong case to say the least.