The Duke Blue Devils may have entered the season by being ranked in the top five, but they lost a bunch of talent from last year’s team–top three scorers. Duke hasn’t gotten off to the best start in school history or anything like that, but they still are ranked in the top 10. With that in mind, a win against the UCLA Bruins would be big for this Duke team, as it needs to gain some momentum before ACC play.
The Blue Devils have a couple of solid wins on the season already. They beat Alabama–a team off to a disappointing start–and the Michigan Wolverines. However, this team has already lost to Arizona and Kansas.
The Bruins may not be a top 10 team–at least not yet–but they are still one of the most talented teams in the Pac-12 and they will prove that once conference play begins.
Regardless, Syracuse and North Carolina have been in the headlines as of late. You know, since the Orange are ranked as high as No. 2 and since the Tar Heels have already beaten the top three ranked teams in the preseason poll.
Duke entered the 2013-14 season by being the favorite to win the ACC, but that may not be the case right now. The Blue Devils have basically lost every major challenge so far and the same thing cannot be said about Syracuse and North Carolina. Duke does not want to enter ACC play as the underdog and it needs to get some momentum in its corner before it tips-off conference play.
That is why a victory against the Bruins is so important, even this early in the season. UCLA is going to be ranked in the top 25 on a weekly basis once it beats a marquee opponent. If the Blue Devils take it too lightly, that marquee win could come very soon for the Bruins.
If you’re a tweeter feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry or add me to your network on Google.
