Blowout Duke win illustrates how low ACC has fallen

Is Duke this good, or is the ACC that bad?

On Monday, the Blue Devils continued their march through the ACC with an 80-62 win over toothless Virginia (13-13, 6-9 in ACC).

Associated Press No. 3 Duke (23-3, 15-1 in SEC) nearly had its 10th 20-point conference win this season. Stathead says the Blue Devils' nine conference wins by 20 points are tied for the second-most in program history (1998-99).

Duke has won its last three games by an average of 25 points since a 77-71 loss at Clemson, including a 106-70 route over Stanford on Saturday.

Freshman forward Cooper Flagg remained an excellent foil to Auburn forward Johni Broome in the National Player of the Year race against Virginia, stocking the box score with 17 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Duke shot 52.9 percent, held the Cavaliers to 38.5 percent and won the rebound battle 41-21.

In most seasons, performances such as the ones Duke has manufactured recently would speak volumes. But not this season.

The ACC is at its weakest in recent memory, taking the luster out of the Blue Devils' dominance.

In ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's most recent men's NCAA Tournament projection, three ACC programs (Clemson, Duke, Louisville) are predicted to qualify for the 68-team field, two fewer than in 2024. 

It wasn't that long ago (2019, to be exact) that the conference tied the NCAA record with three No. 1 seeds in one tournament. Now, it's clearly the worst of the Power Four conferences, trailing the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12.

The lack of tough competition could potentially have an adverse effect on the Blue Devils should they find themselves in more competitive games during March Madness.

But the ACC's steep decline hasn't impacted Duke's title odds yet. According to ESPN Bet, the Blue Devils (+400) have the second-best odds, slightly trailing Auburn (+350), who they beat at home, 84-78, in early December.

If Duke cuts down the nets in San Antonio, it won't be because it was battle-tested in the ACC. While it has looked the part of a national title contender recently, it's unclear how much of that is a product of who they've played.