The biggest threats to Duke basketball

Duke men’s basketball continues to uphold its storied legacy, currently sitting at the top of the ACC rankings.

With a roster featuring standout players like Cooper Flagg and Tyrese Proctor, the Blue Devils have showcased a dynamic blend of talent and teamwork so far this season. Under Coach Jon Scheyer, The Blue Devils currently sit at 6-2 and are favored to win just about every game this season.

However, as we have seen, no team is perfect, and nor is a team safe from the infamous dreaded upset. Even at the top of the rankings Duke still has plenty of obstacles, including a difficult schedule to start the year.

Duke was scheduled to face four of the top 15 teams early on this season. This is just one of many issues that could cause The Blue Devils trouble this season.

A school that doesn’t get enough talk that could pose a big threat to The Blue Devils campaign is none other than The University of Pittsburgh.

A huge threat to Duke is none other than the Kansas Jayhawks. Providing The Blue Devils with a nailbiting loss in Las Vegas in November, Kansas proved a formidable opponent worthy of wreaking some havoc on Duke.

It’s also important to note that Kansas took down The Blue Devils while missing arguably their best player, Hunter Dickinson, who was ejected in the second half. Duke will have to keep an eye on The Jayhawks and learn from their mistakes if they want to defeat them later on.

The Panthers currently sit at No. 2 in the ACC rankings, but stand a chance to close in and take the top spot. With three victories over power conference teams along with an electric buzzer-beating win in overtime against Ohio State, you can never count out a school as strong as Pitt.

Besides competition from within the ACC, Duke has plenty of issues within its own organization that need to be resolved before the team can truly feel confident in their position. One major factor this season is the need to overcome inexperience.

With a roster made up of Cooper Flagg, three other five-star freshmen, and three veteran transfers, Duke may not be lacking in talent however this current lineup needs time to work on their chemistry, as well as gain experience on the feet of their newest freshman.

Another major misstep for Duke is their over-reliance on Copper Flagg, Duke's star forward. No team is made by just one player, and no one player is invincible. Duke needs to start giving and creating opportunities for other players, rather than only counting on Flagg.

Lastly, Duke's storied legacy is infamous and iconic because of one very important man, Coach K. While Jon Scheyer has attempted to hold his own during his three seasons as Duke's head coach, there is still plenty of discussion that Scheyer doesn’t have what it takes to win in those big moments.

He has been left with massive shoes to fill in the retirement of Krzyzewski and it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop this Blue Devils team.

All in all, The Duke Blue Devils are poised to win big this season, but no team is perfect. With opponents and obstacles at every corner and even surprise upsets hiding in the shadows, this season could be interesting down in North Carolina.

Brooke Casey is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email bec5457@psu.edu.