Duke was run off of its own floor by Illinois last Tuesday. Then coach Mike Krzyzewski wondered aloud whether we should even be playing college basketball in the middle of a pandemic that has killed more than 306,000 Americans. Then he canceled the Blue Devils' final non-league game against Gardner-Webb. And then Jalen Johnson, Duke's most-heralded freshman, suffered a foot injury that will sideline him indefinitely.
It's been a rough stretch.
So there were reasons to question how the Blue Devils would fare Wednesday at Notre Dame. At tip-off, Duke was only a 2-point favorite over the team picked 12th in the preseason ACC poll, which was interesting in and of itself. But, basically from the jump, even while short-handed, Duke looked the way most envisioned Duke would look this season while cruising to a 75-65 victory highlighted by an 18-point, five-rebound, three-assist effort from sophomore forward Matthew Hurt.
"We're ecstatic about the win," Krzyzewski said. "[Mike Brey's] team is a very difficult team to defend. They have all these shooters, and Mike is one of the best at teaching offense, and they're a great veteran team. So for our guys to beat them, we feel great about it."
Undeniably, Duke still has issues and things to fix. Even Coach K would tell you that. But, either way, the Blue Devils will now head into an extended break coming off of a double-digit win on the road over a team that was coming off of a win at Kentucky. And, all things considered, that's a pretty great way to head into an extended break.
Duke remains No. 18 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Blue Devils are 3-2 with both losses coming to teams ranked ahead of them — specifically No. 5 Michigan State and No. 16 Illinois. Their next scheduled game isn't until Dec. 29 at Pitt.
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Thursday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record features wins over Kansas and West Virginia. The Zags have temporarily suspended basketball activities because of COVID-19 issues. | -- | 5-1 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by double-digit wins over Illinois and Washington. The Bears have temporarily suspended basketball activities because of COVID-19 issues. | -- | 5-2 |
| 3 |  | Luka Garza finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 106-53 victory over Northern Illinois. The Hawkeyes' perfect record also features double-digit wins over North Carolina and Iowa State. | -- | 6-1 |
| 4 |  | Ochai Agbaji finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Friday's 95-50 victory over Omaha. The Jayhawks' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to top-ranked Gonzaga. | -- | 6-0 |
| 5 |  | Gabe Brown made five 3-pointers and finished with 20 points in Sunday's 109-91 victory over Oakland. The Spartans' perfect record also features wins over Duke and Notre Dame. | -- | 6-2 |
| 6 |  | Jaden Springer made six of the eight shots he attempted and finished with 12 points in Tuesday's 79-38 victory over Appalachian State. The Vols' perfect record also features wins over Colorado and Cincinnati. | -- | 7-0 |
| 7 |  | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in Wednesday's 85-66 victory over Butler. The Wildcats' 6-1 record also includes wins over Texas and Arizona State. | -- | 4-4 |
| 8 |  | Miles McBride finished with 20 points and five assists in Sunday's 87-71 victory over Richmond. The Mountaineers' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Gonzaga. | -- | 4-1 |
| 9 |  | Virginia's lone loss is a one-point loss to San Francisco. The Cavaliers have temporarily suspended basketball activities because of COVID-19 issues. | -- | 4-2 |
| 10 |  | Houston's perfect record features a double-digit win over Texas Tech. The Cougars have temporarily suspended basketball activities because of COVID-19 issues. | -- | 4-2 |
| 11 |  | Greg Brown finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 79-63 victory over Sam Houston State. The Longhorns' 6-1 record also included wins over Indiana and North Carolina. | -- | 5-1 |
| 12 |  | Terrence Shannon finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 77-57 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christie. The Red Raiders' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Houston. | -- | 5-1 |
| 13 |  | Brad Davison finished with 17 points, two rebounds and two assists in Tuesday's 77-63 victory over Loyola Chicago. The Badgers' lone loss is a final-second loss at Marquette. | -- | 7-0 |
| 14 |  | Xavier Pinson finished with 17 points and five assists in Saturday's 81-78 victory over Illinois. Missouri's 5-0 record also includes a win over Oregon. | 1 | 6-1 |
| 15 |  | The Bluejays allowed Marquette to shoot 53.6% from the field in Monday's 89-84 loss at home. Creighton's other loss is a one-point defeat at Kansas. | 1 | 4-3 |
| 16 |  | Kofi Cockburn finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 92-65 victory over Minnesota. The Illini's two losses are away-from-home losses to Baylor and Missouri. | 1 | 5-1 |
| 17 |  | Ron Harper Jr. finished with 27 points, five rebounds and four assists in Monday's 74-60 victory at Maryland. The Scarlet Knights' perfect record also features a win over Syracuse. | 1 | 5-2 |
| 18 |  | Matthew Hurt finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 75-65 victory at Notre Dame. The Blue Devils' two losses are both to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. | 1 | 4-2 |
| 19 |  | Armando Bacot finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 73-67 victory over North Carolina Central. Both of UNC's losses are to teams ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. | 1 | 4-3 |
| 20 |  | Jordan Schakel finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 80-68 victory at Arizona State. The Aztecs' 5-0 record also features a win over UCLA. | 1 | 3-2 |
| 21 |  | Scottie Barnes finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 74-61 victory over Georgia Tech. The Seminoles' perfect record also includes wins over Indiana and Florida. | 1 | 7-1 |
| 22 |  | Dre Davis finished with 21 points and two assists in Tuesday's 75-54 victory over Western Kentucky. The Cardinals' 4-0 record also features a win over Seton Hall. | 1 | 4-1 |
| 23 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 62-58 victory over Penn State. The Wolverines' perfect record also features wins over Toledo and UCF. | 1 | 6-1 |
| 24 |  | The Buckeyes missed 18 of the 24 3-pointers they attempted in Wednesday's 67-60 loss at Purdue. Ohio State's next scheduled game is Saturday against UCLA. | 10 | 5-1 |
| 25 |  | Jordan Goodwin finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 78-59 victory over Indiana State. The Billikens' perfect record also features a win over LSU. | -- | 4-2 |
| 26 |  | Javonte Smart finished with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists in Monday's 88-66 victory over Sam Houston State. The Tigers' lone loss is a single-digit loss at Saint Louis. | -- | 5-1 |
