Duke Can Win 30 Games, but OOC Schedule Could Cause Issue

As Duke  enters the college basketball season, a lot of how its regular-season record looks will likely come down to how it can play during the out-of-conference schedule. 

Not that the ACC is arguably the best conference in America when it comes to college basketball, but all Jon Scheyer has done in the ACC is win at a ridiculously high level. That's not to say that there won't be some challenges for this Duke team throughout ACC play, but the out-of-conference schedule is absolutely ridiculous, and I think it's even fair to say that Duke might lose more games. 

Duke will take on Illinois, Michigan State, Florida, UConn, Georgia, and Texas Tech. All of those teams come in as one of the best 20 teams in America, with Duke even playing Nos. 1, 3, and 4.

If Duke weren't the second-best team in America, it would literally be playing the top three teams in the country. 

As for how that's going to impact Duke, it's very possible it drops some of those games, and that's not necessarily the worst thing. 

I still expect Duke to win these games at a high level because of what we've seen in the past, but again, I don't think it's crazy to suggest it could lose to some of those programs. 

However, ESPN recently predicted that Duke would be one team that wins 30 games this season, and it's almost tough to see a scenario in which it doesn't.

“Jon Scheyer may not have a Cameron Boozer or Cooper Flagg, but this team is just as capable of winning 30-plus games and a national championship as those Boozer and Flagg squads were. It's not wise to make assumptions after exhibition games, but Duke's 39-point win over a preseason top-10 Tennessee team and six-point victory against Kansas were early statements. Former All-Big Ten standout John Blackwell and returnee Patrick Ngongba II will be anchors for a deep, balanced lineup this season,” ESPN wrote.

Like I said, for Duke not to win 30 games, it's going to come down to how it looks in this out-of-conference slate. 

In the ACC, I can see some difficult games that Duke can drop, as the conference leads to some losses that nobody expects. Duke will take on Virginia, Miami, Louisville, and some other tough opponents throughout the ACC slate. 

There's a scenario in which some of those teams can beat Duke, though I still confidently think that if this team is nearly as good as we're all thinking it's going to be, there aren't going to be many teams in the country that can play with Duke on a nightly basis. 

There's only one way to find out, and we're going to see it relatively soon, as Duke starts its season on Monday night against Army in Durham.