Duke Gets No. 2 Team in Country Prediction From ESPN Insider

It'll be a really big year for the Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer. Scheyer, who is facing some pressure to win a national title, finds his team in a very good spot, though it's probably a bit different than in years past. 

Right now, Duke has a very good roster, and one could even argue that it's one of the better ones Scheyer has put together throughout his career. However, it's a lot different than it typically is.

Scheyer typically brings in a young group that is loaded from top to bottom. However, that hasn't necessarily worked out for him in recent years, at least in terms of winning a national title.

Duke has still been arguably the best program in the country over the past few years, even without winning it all. This year, however, he's going with an older route. That's part of the reason why many view the team as the second-best in America right now, and I think it's tough to argue with.

“Key nonconference game: Nov. 17 vs. Illinois

“Another potential Final Four preview and another early look at the Blue Devils' point guard battle. Caleb Foster is back as the starter, but Cayden Boozer saw huge minutes in the postseason and incoming five-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr. is also in the mix. Going against the size of Illinois' perimeter group will be a good test. It's worth noting here that former Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell averaged 27.5 points in two games against the Illini last season,” Jeff Borzello of ESPN wrote.

If there's one thing for certain with this Duke team, we're going to get a real feel for how good they are early on in the campaign. 

For Duke to be who it is looking to be, there's no debate that it will have to win some games early on in its out-of-conference slate.

Duke also arguably has the best schedule in America, so we're going to get a great feel for how things look rather early on.