By WRALSportsFan contributor Bob Holliday

In 71 seasons of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball, only eight teams have finished unbeaten in league play.

NC State went 12-0 in a seven-team league in 1973 and again in 1974. North Carolina (1957), Duke (1963), South Carolina (1970), North Carolina (1984), and North Carolina (1987) all ran the table when the conference fielded eight teams. Duke in 1999 went unbeaten in a nine-team league.

That 1999 Duke team made history. Not only is it the only ACC team in 37 years to win every conference game, it won those 16 games by an average of 24.3 points per game! That’s a record that may never be broken.

Duke’s 1999 team had so much talent that five players made the All-ACC teams. Elton Brand and Trajan Langdon made the first team, point guard Will Avery made the second team, and underclassmen Chris Carrawell and Shane Battier made the third team.

Yet Duke in 2025 is winning games in a way that invites comparison to the ’99 Blue Devils.

After whipping arch rival UNC 87-70 (game not nearly as close as the score), Cooper Flagg and Company are 11-0 with nine ACC games to play. These Blue Devils are winning conference clashes by 19.8 points per game, just 4.5 points less than their hallowed predecessors.

Apart from Flagg, who looks more and more like a generational talent each time out, the most obvious strength of this Duke team is its length. Caleb Foster is the only Blue Devil as short as 6-foot-5 and he doesn’t play that much. Everyone else is 6’6, 6’7, 6’9, or, in the case, of freshman center Khaman Maluach 7’2.

UNC’s lineup of mostly perimeter players 6’4 and under was no match for the Blue Devils’ length. Not a great 3-point shooting team, the Tar Heels rely on attacking the basket for much of their offense. Defenders like the 6’6 Tyrese Proctor, 6’9 Maliq Brown, and Maluach took away the driving lanes. UNC shot just 29% in the first half with nine turnovers. Duke led by as many as 27 points in the first 20 minutes ending all doubt about the outcome.

Duke doesn’t always play great offense (see: games against Wake Forest and NC State). But against Carolina the Blue Devils lit it up, shooting 53% from the floor and a whopping 50% (10-20) from three.

The seasonal numbers tell a more complete story, especially about Duke’s defense. This team has held its 11 ACC opponents to 39% shooting. Duke’s “free throw defense” leads the league. Teams shoot just 65% from the line against the Blue Devils even with no one guarding. Duke is seventh in the league in blocked shots and eighth in turnovers forced. That number should improve now that the long armed Brown is back after missing most of January with an injury.

Finally, Duke is the best defensive rebounding team in the league. So when opponents put up that (usually difficult) first shot, they rarely see a second shot.

Duke does have one defensive vulnerability. Teams make 35.5% of their threes against Duke, which is only 10th-best in ACC games. Both Notre Dame and NC State were able to keep it close against the Blue Devils because of the 3-point shot.

Coach Jon Scheyer has actually turned to a zone defense a couple of times this season, to change the rhythm of the game and cool off Duke’s hot shooting opponents.

Though Duke has suffered a few scoring droughts in recent weeks, the Blue Devil offense is not too shabby either. The Blue Devils are the highest scoring team in the league and the best shooting team at 81 points and 49% respectively. The Devils lead the league in assists by a wide margin, while also ranking among the leaders in fewest turnovers and three point shooting.

Duke’s offense of course revolves around Flagg who is the league’s best passer and one of its best shooters. Kon Knueppel and Proctor also score in double figures. Maluach and Sion James are not far behind.

The rest of the road

Duke will be favored in every remaining game but there are a few that could be interesting.

Syracuse: This can be a challenging trip with the inevitable cold and snowy weather. The Orange has struggled in ACC play, just 4-7, but have a record of 8-4 in all games at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Clemson: Probably Duke’s toughest remaining test: on the road Saturday after the Syracuse trip. Clemson is a very good defensive team that forces opponents into 13 turnovers per game. Teams shoot just 43% against the Tigers and a mere 32% from beyond the arc in conference play.

Offensively, Clemson is efficient with just nine turnovers per game and good shooting, including 39% from three. Again, defending the three is a weakness for Duke. The Blue Devils’ few close games resulted from opponents getting hot from downtown. Four Tigers average in double figures led by guard Chase Hunter at 17 points per game. Rebounding machine Ian Schieffelin gets 12.4 points in addition to 9.5 rebounds. Jaeden Zachery averages 10.8. 6’11 Russian Viktor Lakhin averages 10.4 points and gives Clemson toughness and rim protection inside. Something the Tigers have lacked in years past.

Stanford: Duke should beat the Cardinal in Cameron but 6’11 Maxime Reynaud will be a matchup challenge. Reynaud is a highly skilled big man who has a slew of moves on the low block and can also shoot mid range jumpers and threes. The Blue Devils certainly have options but it will be interesting to see how they defend Reynaud. One other note: This game marks the return of former Duke guard Jaylen Blakes to Cameron Indoor Stadium. He, of course, knocked down the shot that upset UNC a couple of weeks ago.

Wake Forest: The Deacons had Duke on the ropes in Winston-Salem before Scheyer switched to that zone defense which turned Wake’s red-hot offense icy cold. Duke usually beats Wake in Cameron but the Deacons are a good defensive club that forces 13 turnovers per game and limits good shots. If Hunter Sallis gets hot, watch out.

Source: wralsportsfan.com