1 stat encapsulates just how dominant the Duke basketball defense has been

In Duke's seven-game winning streak, the Blue Devils haven't allowed an opponent to score more than 64 points. That's all the more impressive when you consider some of those wins were against Michigan (5th in KenPom O), Virginia (35th), and NC State (22nd).

Duke has taken on all comers and shut down nearly everyone it has faced. The defense is rounding into its final form as March Madness nears.

Duke ranks No. 1 in the country in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric; it's nearly a full point better than No. 2 Michigan.

The power of the Blue Devils' defense is in its connectiveness. Everyone helps one another, everyone is willing and capable of switching ball screens, and active hands in passing lanes lead to a high number of deflections.

Off the bench, Maliq Brown is consistently praised as one of the nation's best defenders, but Dame Sarr has been a menace on the wing, too, and Patrick Ngongba II has anchored the Blue Devils defense at the five. And despite most of the talk being around Cameron Boozer's offense, he's been a highly impactful defender in his own right.

A recent stat shared by CBB Analytics on X really hammers home just how dominant Duke has been on the defensive end.

In their "3-player lineup combos" with the best defensive ratings in Quad 1 games, Duke has the top three, four of the Top 11, and five of the Top 15:

Note: Defensive rating measures the number of points per 100 possessions a lineup - or individual player - gives up when on the court.

Dame Sarr is Duke's constant in their best 3-man defensive groups

Obviously, you don't play basketball with three players, but it's still a fascinating statistic. Even more fascinating is that the top three all include Sarr and Ngongba, with Sarr also included in Duke's fourth-best combo. It's also fascinating that none of them include Brown, who might be the single best defender in college basketball.

Sarr's recent emergence on the offensive end, teamed with his typically great defense, is a huge development for Jon Scheyer and his team as win-or-go-home season begins.

These aren't small sample sizes, either. CBB Analytics only included lineups that have played at least 100 minutes together, which probably explains Brown's absence. He only plays 19.4 minutes per game on average, and likely hasn't logged enough minutes with any two Duke teammates to reach the minimum threshold. Brown leads Duke in both defensive BPM (9.5) and overall defensive rating (85.1).

Brown's exclusion is still noteworthy, however, in that Duke has had that level of defensive impact even when he's on the bench.

As the old saying goes, defense travels. And Duke will bring the best defense in the country with it to the NCAA Tournament. Add in the recent uptick in three-point shooting, and it's totally understandable if you've already booked your trip to Indianapolis.