The Duke Blue Devils look far ahead of schedule.

Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff built a team with a load of depth, versatility, and talent. Duke looked like the best team in college basketball through its three preseason contests and enters the regular season with as much momentum as any club in the sport.

As has become the norm for Duke under Scheyer, the Blue Devils will again face one of the toughest non-conference schedules in college basketball, and there isn't much of a grace period before the heat of it gets underway.

Let's go over what Duke can learn about itself in its three premier November games.

Vs. Michigan State – Nov. 10: Is Duke Truly in a Tier of Its Own?

Duke will play two regular-season games at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Army (Nov. 2) and Coastal Carolina (Nov. 5) before its first premier bout of the year against No. 6 Michigan State in the Champions Classic. Tom Izzo once again has the Spartans in position to contend for a deep NCAA Tournament run, but this early contest could be a good indicator of how far ahead Duke is of the rest of the pack.

The Blue Devils defeated Belmont by 40 points, a shorthanded No. 8 Tennessee squad by 39 points, and No. 17 Kansas on the road after entering the halftime locker room down through the preseason. Michigan State is led by arguably the best player in college basketball entering the year, Jeremy Fears Jr., but it has some questions, specifically at the center position.

MSU brought in Charlotte transfer center Anton Bonke and has other intriguing frontcourt guys like freshman Ethan Taylor, Jesse McCulloch, and Kaleb Glenn. However, Sparty didn't look great throughout the preseason, falling to UConn and Marquette. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils look way ahead of schedule, specifically on the defensive end of the floor.

In its third game of the year, if Duke can comfortably defeat a talented yet vulnerable Michigan State team, that will show whether Duke is on a tier of its own, with maybe one or two other teams, at the top of the sport.

Vs. Illinois – Nov. 17 – Is Duke Truly Dominant Defensively?

Duke has the depth, switchability, and pure size and length to be the best defensive team in college basketball this season. I'll take it a step further and say that the Blue Devils can be one of the most analytically dominant defensive teams college basketball has seen in the last few years. Illinois will be a good early test to gauge how elite the Blue Devils are defensively right out of the gate.

The Fighting Illini ranked No. 2 nationally at KenPom last season in adjusted offensive efficiency, and Brad Underwood brings much of that production back. Illinois returned five of its top eight scorers from last season, namely Andrej Stojakovic and David Mirkovic. Illinois also brought in 6'7" Providence transfer guard Stefan Vaaks and 5-star freshman Quentin Coleman.

Illinois is dealing with injuries right now with Mirkovic, Stojakovic, and Zvonimir Ivisic, who were all held out of the team's final exhibition game against UIC on Wednesday. However, if it can get fully healthy, or close to it, by Nov. 17, it will be a fantastic test for the Blue Devils defensively.

The Illini are poised to have one of the best offenses in college basketball again, and Duke looked utterly dominant on the defensive end across the majority of preseason play. This game will be at Cameron Indoor Stadium and should be one of the best outings of the season.

Vs. UConn – Nov. 25 – How Big an Advantage Is Duke’s Guard Depth?

Duke and UConn looked like the clear two best teams in the country throughout the preseason, and the Blue Devils have a chance for revenge after Dan Hurley's Huskies broke the hearts of Duke fans everywhere in the Elite Eight last season. The Blue Devils boast what is likely the deepest backcourt in college hoops, with Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Deron Rippey Jr., and John Blackwell. However, UConn has one of the best starting backcourts in the country.

Silas Demary Jr. could end up as the best point guard in the sport this season, and Braylon Mullins has a chance to become a star. Blackwell will probably be on the floor most of the time, but Rippey, Boozer, and Foster are all able to play the point guard position at a high level right now. Demary is a pest defensively, and Mullins could become a big-time scorer this season. Duke has three big-time point guards it can send out at any time, and one of the best scoring guards in the country.

Duke is deep everywhere, but the backcourt is as deep as any area of the floor. How Scheyer and Co. use their backcourt depth against a UConn duo like Demary and Mullins will be interesting to follow.