Duke basketball (23-3, 15-1 ACC) is 9-1 over its last ten games with the only loss coming at Clemson a few Saturday's ago by a score of 77-71, the Blue Devils' lone road and ACC loss this season.
The Blue Devils have been elite offensively, averaging almost 82 points per game over that ten-game span. The program has also assisted on 59% of its made shots this season, a near top-40 rate nationally at KenPom.
But what's been leading the way for the Blue Devils over that stretch has been elite backcourt play, and the guard duo of Tyrese Proctor and Sion James is developing into one arguably the best backcourt in the entire country, and is the makeup of a national championship-caliber guard duo.
After hitting a major slump in late January where Proctor averaged just 6.6 points per game on 27.5% shooting from the field over Duke's last five games in the month of January, he's been in the conversation of the best guard in the nation over the course of February.
In Duke's six games in February, Proctor is averaging 17.3 points per game on 52.7% shooting from the field and 47.5% shooting from three-point range. He's scored 20 points or more in two of those contests.
His confidence has been off the charts, taking whatever shots the defense gives him, and he's cashing in on his opportunities.
James doesn't look for his own scoring unless it's there, but his threat as a driver to the basket at six-foot-six and 220 pounds makes him an elite drive-and-kick passer, and he's been dominant out of the pick-and-roll game as well.
The Tulane transfer guard has tallied 40 assists to just seven turnovers over Duke's last ten games, a ridiculous 5.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
James and Proctor have worked so well together and, since James was integrated into the starting lineup earlier in the season, the two have gelled into one of the most experienced and high-IQ backcourts in the nation.
"You talk about the 'dog mentality', I think those guys (Proctor and James) have just been competitive and tough, and the rest comes from there," Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said after Duke's 106-70 home win over Stanford last week. "They've been really unselfish but then picking their moments to be aggressive. I think we're building continuity with our guys understanding how to play with one another."
Duke's guard play has been some of the best in the nation this season, and the mix of talent, intelligence, and experience that James and Proctor display together ooze the makeup of a backcourt that can lead a young group like this year's Blue Devil squad to a national championship win in early April.