The Blue Devils won by a score of 84-81 in a game played on Nov.

The battle between future NBA lottery picks Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga and Paolo Banchero of Duke was among the must-watch elements of the contest, with Banchero (21 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 20 points in the first half) leaving with the upper hand statistically as Holmgren (16 points on 8-of-13 shooting) also showed frequent flashes of his potential No.

ESPN's college basketball team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi weighed in on what they saw from the Zags, the Blue Devils, both teams' dazzling freshmen and which team is best positioned for a top seed on Selection Sunday.

For Duke, Banchero wrestled with what appeared to be cramping issues that forced him to go back to the locker room in the second half and miss significant time.

I don't actually think he's going to be a chronic cramper in his basketball career, but this is the second big game for Duke so far this season and it's the second game Banchero has needed to leave for an extended period of time in the second half.

In terms of Banchero's game, though, he had as impressive a first half as we'll see from anyone in college basketball this season.

I think one thing to note was Williams really impacted the game in the first half, and arguably overshadowed Holmgren.

First, Duke showed it's more than just Banchero against Gonzaga.

Yet the Blue Devils were able to prevail thanks to big games at both ends of the floor from Moore (20 points, six assists and four steals) and Williams (17 points, five blocks and two steals).

Holding Gonzaga to 81 points in a 79-possession game and especially harassing the Bulldogs into 17 turnovers most certainly qualifies as excellent defense.

Six Duke players recorded at least one steal against Gonzaga, and Williams is plainly one of the best rim defenders in the nation.

Duke's first-half performance could be the blueprint to slow down Gonzaga moving forward -- although not everyone has a Banchero or Williams up front.

But Duke has three physical drivers in Banchero, Trevor Keels and Moore, and they went straight at Holmgren and Timme -- and Williams was a legitimate go-to post presence for the Blue Devils.

Timme picking up his fourth foul on an ill-advised reach-in when Gonzaga was starting to pick up momentum in the second half changed the game.

The Blue Devils certainly solidified their position with the victory, and the Bulldogs -- who entered the game as a comfortable No.

It is the only true road game for either the Zags or Blue Devils in non-league play.

Unofficially, I have a hard time identifying three better teams in all of college basketball -- and it would take at least three to knock both the Blue Devils and Zags from the top of the bracket