Duke Basketball Debuts Below One Squad in All-Important Rankings

Duke basketball still checks in at No. 4 in the AP Top 25 but sits two notches higher than that in the first NET of the season.

Nov 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer watches the play against the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the Dick Vitale’s Invitational game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Duke basketball has been nothing short of outstanding in its first eight games of the fourth season with Jon Scheyer at the helm. Not only are the Blue Devils off to the program's best start since 2017-18, but they have won all eight of their outings by nine points or more and boast a Naismith Award frontrunner in freshman forward Cameron Boozer.

That said, it's tough to argue that any team has been more dominant of late than the Michigan Wolverines (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten). Last week, they reeled off wins over two ranked opponents, the Auburn Tigers and Gonzaga Bulldogs, by a combined 70 points.

So, it's no surprise the Wolverines sit atop the season's first edition of the NCAA NET Rankings, which was released on Monday morning and is used to help determine at-large bids and overall seeding for the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils stack up at the No. 2 overall.

The season's first NET rankings are in:

1) Michigan
2) Duke
3) Purdue
4) Vanderbilt
5) Gonzaga
6) Arizona
7) Iowa State
8) UConn
9) Louisville
10) Michigan State
11) Indiana
12) Tennessee
13) BYU
14) Alabama
15) Kentucky
16) Iowa
17) Kansas
18) Houston
19) LSU
20) USC
21) Butler…

— Made For March (@madeformarch) December 1, 2025

Michigan and Duke rank No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, also released on Monday, with the Purdue Boilermakers appearing at No. 1 there and the Arizona Wildcats coming in at No. 2.

Only one other ACC program joins the Blue Devils in the top 25 of the NCAA NET Rankings, as the Louisville Cardinals are No. 9, with the UNC Tar Heels debuting at No. 26.

Nov 14, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Isaiah Evans (3) forward Cameron Boozer (12) and forward Dame Sarr (7) react to a dunk during the second half against the Indiana State Sycamores at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

In the AP Poll, the Cardinals sit only two notches below the Blue Devils at No. 6 in the country. And the Tar Heels remain at No. 16 despite falling to the Michigan State Spartans, 74-58, last week.

Scheyer, Boozer, and the Blue Devils are now gearing up to face the defending national champion Florida Gators (5-2, 0-0 SEC) in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN), part of the annual ACC/SEC Challenge. The Gators, who suffered a loss to the unranked TCU Horned Frogs last week but bounced back by beating the unranked Providence Friars, rank No. 15 overall in this week's AP Poll but only No. 33 in the NET.

Nov 21, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer (right) talks to forward Maliq Brown (6) during the second half against the Niagara Purple Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

After hosting Florida, Duke basketball will prepare for a trip to East Lansing, Mich., to square off against the Michigan State Spartans (No. 7 AP, No. 10 NET) at noon ET Saturday (FOX). That matchup will serve as the 2025-26 Blue Devils' first true road test versus a high-major opponent.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE