Duke basketball: 5 best seasons in Blue Devils history, ranked

WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 25: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half during their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at LJVM Coliseum Complex on February 25, 2020 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

2. Duke basketball starts a dynasty in 1990-1991

The first two national championship squads in Duke’s history were back-to-back winners, so it makes sense that they’re the top two teams on this list. Distinguishing between the two title winners isn’t easy, but we’ll put the first team here.

There was immense pressure on Krzyzewski’s squad to perform after they were humiliated in the 1990 Final Four. That appearance resulted in a 30-point loss to UNLV, one of the most embarrassing outings in Duke history.

The Blue Devils went into the regular season and played well, going 16-0 at home and picking up big non-conference wins over Oklahoma and Michigan while sweeping North Carolina. The Tar Heels got their revenge against Duke in the ACC Tournament, winning in the title game and costing the Blue Devils a chance to get a No. 1 overall seed.

The Selection Committee gave Duke the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, which they got out of with relative ease to return to the Final Four. Awaiting Duke there was UNLV, which had gone undefeated during the regular season and looked like a slam dunk to repeat.

The Blue Devils pulled off the massive upset, knocking off UNLV and sealed the deal with a win over Kansas in the championship game two days later. This performance helped Coach K earn his first title and got a huge monkey off the backs of the Duke program.