Blue Devil Country

Duke Stays Put in AP Poll, New ACC Squad Enters

While the top of the poll stayed the same, there's a new ACC squad emerging as a contender.
Hugh Straine|
Dec 31, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer (right) talks to guards Cayden Boozer (2) and Isaiah Evans (3) during the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 85-79. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
Dec 31, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer (right) talks to guards Cayden Boozer (2) and Isaiah Evans (3) during the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 85-79. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

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Duke Blue Devils

The Duke basketball program (13-1, 2-0 ACC) stayed put in this week's Associated Press Poll at No. 6 following a couple of too-close-for-comfort victories over the past week to begin conference play. The Blue Devils took down Georgia Tech (10-5, 1-1 ACC) at home 85-79 and Florida State (7-8, 0-2 ACC) on the road 91-87.

The entire top six of the poll remained the same as last week. Arizona, Michigan, Iowa State, Purdue, and UConn make up the top five of the poll ahead of Jon Scheyer's club.

Although, Duke did take a dip in the latest NCAA NET rankings, falling to No. 7. The Blue Devils have dropped five spots in the NET in the past week alone. Duke does have a chance to earn yet another quality win, as it will take on No. 20 Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center on Jan 6. A victory over the Cardinals would be Duke's fifth win over a ranked opponent this season and would earn the Blue Devils their fifth Quadrant 1 win.

As for the ACC as a whole, it has looked to be in a much better place in 2025-26 than it has been in any of the past five seasons. The conference has sat with four teams ranked in the AP Poll over the last few weeks, but now a new ACC squad has entered the Top 25, giving the ACC the most ranked teams that it's had all season.

SMU Creeps Into AP Top 25 To Give ACC Five Ranked Programs

SMU (12-2, 1-0 ACC) entered the poll at No. 24 after taking down then-No. 12 North Carolina (13-2, 1-1 ACC) 97-83 at home behind a 14-of-27 (52%) shooting performance from three-point range. It won't take long for the Mustangs to prove if they are true ACC contenders or not, as they will take on Clemson (12-3, 2-0 ACC) and Duke over their next two contests, both on the road.

In addition to SMU, North Carolina dropped five spots to No. 17 in the poll, Louisville (11-3, 1-1 ACC) dropped four spots to No. 20 following an 80-76 loss at Stanford on Friday, and Virginia (12-2, 1-1 ACC) fell two spots to No. 23.

Clemson, Miami (12-2, 1-0 ACC), California (13-2, 1-1 ACC), and Virginia Tech (12-3, 1-1 ACC) all received votes this week as well.

It's been a rocky last couple of matchups for the Blue Devils, but they have a chance to pick up a road victory over the second-best team in the ACC. It was announced on Tuesday that the Cardinals would be without 5-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who will now be missing his fifth straight game.

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

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Hugh Straine
HUGH STRAINE

Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.