DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke had just played with its best start-to-finish level of competitive fight in an opening month gone awry, only to end up with another loss to a top-flight opponent in No. 5 LSU.

Senior guard Ashlon Jackson was clinging to the idea that the struggles could pay off in the long term.

“We’re in the mud right now,” Jackson said softly.

She might as well have been talking for the entire Atlantic Coast Conference in women’s basketball.

The preseason ACC favorite Blue Devils are 3-6. The league has no top-10 teams in the AP Top 25 poll in a season for the first time in nearly a quarter-century. And it wrapped up a 13-3 loss in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Thursday night, including all three matchups involving its ranked teams in No. 11 North Carolina, No. 18 Notre Dame and N

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