Jason Evans did some research into Duke's 10-0 start and was kind enough to share his findings with us and with you. Here they are:
There has been much talk (rightfully poo-poo'd by the DBR) that Duke might go undefeated this year. Lost in that talk is the fact that this team has already done soemthing quite remarkable.
They are 10 and 0.
While it may not seem like all that much, you'd be suprised how rarely that feat has been accomplished by a Duke team. I did a little checking with the help of the excellent Sportsstats.com data base and this is what I came up with.
1991-92: 17-0, first loss, Feb 5 (UNC)
1985-86: 16-0, first loss, Jan 18 (UNC)
1988-89: 13-0, first loss, Jan 18 (UNC)
1984-85: 12-0, first loss, Jan 14 (Maryland)
1979-80: 12-0, first loss, Jan 9 (Clemson)
1993-94: 10-0, first loss, Jan 13 (Wake Forest)
1992-93: 10-0, first loss, Jan 10 (Georgia Tech)
We can now add the current 2001-02 Devils to that list. It is worth noting that two of the teams on that list did not even make the Sweet 16. Only one went on to win the national title. Long win streaks are very, very hard-- especially when you play in the tough ACC. What is really worth noting is that every one of these teams lost their first game against ACC competition.