Duke Basketball Finally Earns Some First-Place Votes

With last week's wins over two ranked opponents in the then-No. 15 Florida Gators and No. 7 Michigan State Spartans, Duke basketball extended its winning streak to 10 games. That marks the program's longest stretch without a loss to begin a season since 2017-18.

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So, it's no surprise the Blue Devils (10-0, 0-0 ACC) climbed a spot in this week's AP Top 25 Poll, released on Monday afternoon. Duke now stacks up at No. 3 in the country, sitting below the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines and No. 1 Arizona Wildcats; the No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones and No. 5 UConn Huskies round out the top five.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer — Dec 2, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer directs his team during the first half against the Florida Gators at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Moreover, for the first time in four weeks, fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils boast multiple first-place votes. In fact, the seven first-place votes that went to Duke are its most this season.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils appear at No. 2 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings, used to help determine at-large selections and seeding for the NCAA Tournament, sitting below only No. 1 Michigan there.

Duke basketball — Nov 23, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (second from right) reacts with teammates after a dunking and being fouled during the second half against the Howard Bison at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

More ACC Squads in Top 25

The ACC now enjoys four ranked programs: Duke, the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals, No. 14 UNC Tar Heels, and No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers. And five conference members are among the 20 unranked teams receiving votes this week: the Clemson Tigers (14 votes), Cal Golden Bears (six), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (four), Miami Hurricanes (four), and SMU Mustangs (three).

Duke basketball is just a few days into the second-longest break on its schedule. The Blue Devils next square off the unranked Lipscomb Bisons (6-4, 0-0 ASUN) in the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 6 p.m. ET (ACC Network) before making a return trip to New York City's Madison Square Garden to face the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-2, 0-0 Big 12) on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Duke basketball guard Caleb Foster — Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) dribbles up court during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"Ten games in, we get a little bit of a pause," Jon Scheyer noted following his group's 66-60 victory at Michigan State on Saturday afternoon. "We'll learn, grow, and see how we can continue to get better because we don't want this to be the peak of our season. We've got a lot we want to play for still."

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