Duke Could Be One Win Away From No. 1

And then there were none—and now, there could be a new No. 1.

Wake Forest, the only undefeated team in the country, lost to Virginia Tech at home Wednesday, which could clear a path to the top of the polls for Duke, if it can get past Maryland at home Saturday.

The Blue Devils were the only team besides the Demon Deacons to earn first-place votes in last week's poll, garnering four of the 72, and Mike Krzyzewski's squad was 131 votes ahead of No. 3 Connecticut. The Huskies lost at home to Georgetown, a team Duke beat last Saturday, while No. 4 Pittsburgh lost on the road at then-No. 20 Louisville Saturday. Duke's only loss came at Michigan Dec. 6, and since then, the Blue Devils have won nine straight. Many anticipated Duke's Jan. 28 trip to Winston-Salem as a matchup of the top two teams in the country, but it seems certain that, at the very least, the rankings will be reversed.

Wake Forest's stunning loss also has implications in the hunt for the ACC regular season title. At 4-0, Duke is now the only team with an undefeated league record. The Blue Devils enjoy a two-loss cushion over preseason favorite North Carolina and, now, a one-game pad over Wake Forest. Krzyzewski and Co. play the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons four times in the regular season.

In the meantime, what are your initial thoughts on Wake Forest's loss? Happy that Duke could be No. 1 for the first time since 2006? Upset that the Nos. 1-2 matchup likely won't come to be? Does Duke have more pressure to win Saturday against the Terrapins with the top ranking on the line?

Or, perhaps most pertinent now: Is Duke really the best team in the country?