Duke is No. 4 in the country.
I guess it shouldn't be that big of a surprise. It's Duke after all-unquestionably the most successful college basketball program of the last two decades (sorry Kentucky, but Laettner hit the shot).
After a few unexpectedly early exits in the NCAA Tournament and a .500 conference record last year, however, the Blue Devils seemed to have lost that swagger.
But beyond the midpoint of this season, Duke has just one hard-luck overtime loss and impressive victories over Marquette and Wisconsin.
Sure, on this date last year the Blue Devils were No. 10 and Scheyer-to-McClure was hours away from beating Clemson. After that, well, things kind of fizzled.
This year, though, promises to be different. Cameron was supposedly back Saturday against the Tigers (I have to say "supposedly" because I was one of those left out in the cold. But don't worry, I had the pleasure of hearing Mike Patrick call a rare Duke game on ESPN), and last night Duke rolled past Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, a trip that's given the Blue Devils problems since the Hokies immigrated to the ACC.
It certainly seems as if the Blue Devils are back in the national consciousness, and not for reasons such as "Will Duke make the Tournament?" or "Was the elbow on purpose?"
In the process, the Blue Devils have proven wrong the critics who extrapolated a one-year aberration into doubts about the program's aura. Duke has shown that it's still Duke, whether it's drawing the constant ire of opposing fans or ESPN and Patrick to announce every conference game.
Down years and down stretches happen for even the best programs. See: the Matt Doherty Era in Chapel Hill or even recent struggles at UCLA and Connecticut. It's always been about how players and coaches respond to adversity, and Mike Krzyzewski has exhibited a surprising willingness to adapt his style to his roster this season.
After years of under-using his bench and wearing out key players, Krzyzewski has substituted liberally and placed more trust in his reserves. As a result, only DeMarcus Nelson averages more than 30 minutes per game just a season after four Blue Devils eclipsed that mark.
Granted, it's easier to point to Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith on the bench this year than Marty Pocius and Brian Zoubek last season. But Krzyzewski has given Taylor King the green light for any shot this side of the midcourt stripe and has handed the offense over to Smith for key stretches.
At the same time, the coach has freed Smith and Greg Paulus to push the tempo and take advantage of the team's strengths in the open floor.
And the champion of man-to-man defense has even dared to go zone on occasion.
This isn't to say this team doesn't have flaws-and glaring ones at that. Trouble containing Pitt's DaJuan Blair translates into serious problems with more skilled post players such as, you guessed it, Tyler Hansbrough.
A reliance on the 3-point shot leaves Duke susceptible on nights when those aren't falling (and leads to long rebounds, which equal easy fast break points for teams such as, you guessed it, North Carolina).
And the Blue Devils have developed a disconcerting habit of letting teams back in games after building early leads.
But right now, Duke is No. 4. With the exceptions of undefeated Memphis and Kansas ahead of them, it's hard to find a team markedly better than the Blue Devils. And with the ACC shaping up into a two-team battle along Tobacco Road, Feb.6 and a date in the Dean Dome can't get here fast enough.
Maybe that's not a surprise after all.
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