DURHAM -- It may have been Duke’s best start of the season.

Sparked by senior point guard Nolan Smith, the top-ranked Blue Devils scored 26 of the first 30 points Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium in an 85-64 defeat of Alabama-Birmingham.

Duke cooled off eventually. UAB grew more accustomed to the crowd and the Blue Devils’ defense, cutting the deficit to as little as 14.

But there aren’t many teams capable of defeating top-ranked Duke (14-0) after falling behind by 22 points in any arena, let alone at Cameron.