Another year and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is aiming for another regular season ACC title.

Duke is 22-3 overall and 12-2 in the ACC, which is one game better than Florida State and Louisville in the loss column. Clemson and Louisville are the lone Duke defeats this season in league action.

NC State (16-9 overall, 7-7 ACC) hosts the Blue Devils at 9 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN.

Duke has become a machine in having one-and-done talent, but this season’s team isn’t loaded with sure-fire first-round draft picks.

Duke freshman center Vernon Carey Jr. is a lock for the NBA, and landing freshman wing Cassius Stanley from the Southern California prep ranks was a big coup. Carey and Stanley, who missed the Notre Dame game this week with an eye injury, along with sophomore point guard Tre Jones have been the nucleus of this season’s squad.

Freshman Matthew Hurt, a power forward, and freshman wing Wendell Moore Jr. round out the usual starting five.

Rankings

In the newly established NET rankings done by the NCAA, Duke is ranked No. 6 in the country this season.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has Duke ranked No. 1, and KenPom.com has the Blue Devils at No. 2.

Duke is ranked No. 5 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.

Shooting

Duke leads the ACC and is third nationally at 83.0 points per game and is shooting 48.4 percent from the field. The Blue Devils rank fourth in the league at 35.5 percent from three-point land.

Duke doesn’t have a knock-down shooter, but does have seven players who have made at least 15 three-pointers. Sophomore small forward Joey Baker leads the way at 42.4 percent and Hurt is right behind at 40.9. Hurt has made a team-high 38 three-pointers.

Rebounding

Duke is second in the league with 39.8 rebounds per game and second with 12.6 offensive rebounds a contest. Both stats also rank top 25 nationally. The Blue Devils are third in the league in rebounding margin (6.2).

Carey leads the team with 8.7 rebounds per game, with Stanley second at 4.7 a contest. Duke has six players averaging at least 3.8 rebounds a game.

Defense

The Blue Devils are seventh in the ACC at surrendering 65.8 points a contest, and also seventh in allowing 41.3 percent from the field. Where Duke stands out is on three-point defense, allowing a league-best 28.3 percent, which is 10th best in the country.

Carey has been a solid shot-blocker with 37 blocks, and Hurt, senior Jack White and senior Javin DeLaurier all have at least 20 blocks. Jones has 43 steals and junior point guard Jordan Goldwire has 41.

Depth

Duke has been playing 10 players this season, which is more than usual under Krzyzewski.

Goldwire, junior shooting guard Alex O’Connell, Baker and post players White and DeLaurier are all part of the rotation. White and DeLaurier are the lone seniors on the squad. Baker leads the bench crew at 6.0 points per game.

Carey was in the mix for the Rivals.com No. 1 overall player for the class of 2019 throughout his prep career, but ended up ranked No. 5.

The 6-foot-10, 270-pounder picked Duke over Miami and others, and his father was a former star offensive tackle in football for the Hurricanes and the Miami Dolphins.

NBADraft.net currently has Carey slotted for the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He’s leading Duke in points (17.6), rebounds (8.7) and blocks (1.5) per game. He also leads the ACC in shooting 59.1 from the field.

Carey might not have the flash of past Duke big men Zion Williamson and Marvin Bagley, but he’s been a consistent force all season. He’s reached double figures in all but two games, and has 12 double-doubles for points and rebounds.

Carey exploded for a career-high 31 points, plus 12 rebounds, in just 22 minutes of action in a 87-52 win over California on Nov. 21. He has scored 26 points in three different games, including against Syracuse, where he also grabbed a career-high 17 boards.

Carey fouled out against North Carolina and Colorado State, and has reached four fouls in five contests. He’s only had to play more than 28 minutes in four games this season. Carey is averaging 28.6 points per 40 minutes, which ranks behind only Marquette guard Markus Howard (33.4) and Iowa center Luka Garza (30.8) nationally.

NC State

PG — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 175, Sr., 12.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.9 spg)

SG — 13 C.J. Bryce (6-5, 210, 5th-Sr., 14.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.4 spg)

G — 24 Devon Daniels (6-5, 205, R-Jr., 12.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 spg)

PF — 0 D.J. Funderburk (6-10, 225, R-Jr., 12.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.3 apg)

C — 15 Manny Bates (6-11, 230, R-Fr., 5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.3 apg, 3.0 bpg)

Duke

PG — 3 Tre Jones (6-3, 185, Soph., 15.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.6 apg, 1.9 spg)

SG — 2 Cassius Stanley (6-6, 193, Fr., 12.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 apg) or 14 Jordan Goldwire (6-2, 185, Jr., 4.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg)

SF — 0 Wendell Moore Jr. (6-6, 213, Fr., 7.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.9 apg)

PF — 21 Matthew Hurt (6-9, 214, Fr., 10.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.0 apg)

C — 1 Vernon Carey Jr. (6-10, 270, Fr., 17.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.5 bpg)

3: Projected NBA Draft picks for Duke by NBADraft.net — freshman center Vernon Carey at No. 12, freshman wing Cassius Stanley at No. 36 and sophomore point guard Tre Jones at No. 51.

4.6: Three-pointers made per game by opposing teams against Duke this season, which ranks fourth fewest in the country.

37: Top 10 finishes in The Associated Press for Duke, which enters tonight’s game ranked No. 6.

Jones had a signature moment in scoring 15 straight points between the end of regulation and overtime against North Carolina. He finished with 28 points and six assists in the 98-96 win over the Tar Heels on Feb. 8.

The younger brother of former Duke point guard Tyus Jones is ranked No. 51 for the 2020 NBA Draft by NBADraft.net. Tre Jones was solid as a freshman — he averaged 9.4 points and 5.3 assists per game — but he has made a big jump this season. He has improved to 15.8 points and 6.6 assists in 34.7 minutes per game.

Jones has also improved his outside shooting, making 32.5 percent on three-pointers. He has been cold of late on shots beyond the arc, going 1 of 11 on three-pointers over his last four games.

The 6-3, 185-pounder has scored in double figures in all but four games this season, and he has two double-doubles for points and assists, going for 20 points and 12 assists against Michigan State on Dec. 3, and 17 points and 12 assists in the stunning overtime loss vs. Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26.

NBA scouts will be watching Jones vs. NC State senior point guard Markell Johnson, who is averaging 12.6 points and 6.5 assists per game for the Wolfpack.

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