Blue Devil Country

Why Duke Shouldn’t Mind Lack of Movement in Poll

The Blue Devils picked up two big wins over the week but stayed put in the AP Poll.
Hugh Straine|
Jan 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) celebrates making a three point shot with guard Isaiah Evans (3) during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Jan 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) celebrates making a three point shot with guard Isaiah Evans (3) during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

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Duke Blue Devils

The Duke Blue Devils picked up two more ranked victories over the past week, taking down No. 20 Louisville (12-4, 2-2 ACC) on the road, 84-73, and then-No. 24 SMU (12-4, 1-2 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium, 82-75. With the Blue Devils adding two victories over ranked opponents to bring their record to 6-1 in those games on the 2025-26 season, mixed with some wild results around college basketball over the weekend, it seemed like Jon Scheyer's club was poised to move up in the Associated Press Top 25.

However, that wasn't the case, as the Blue Devils stayed put at No. 6, which is a bit head-scratching. Duke technically picked up two Quadrant 1 victories over the weekend, as in addition to taking down SMU, Texas beat No. 18 Alabama on the road 92-88, which Duke took down in its opening game of the year. Previously, the win over the Longhorns counted as a Quad 2 victory, but after they beat the Crimson Tide, it jumped to a Quad 1 win for Duke.

Scheyer and Co. now have seven Quadrant 1 victories on the season, and no other team in college hoops boasts more than five.

Duke Stays Put in AP Top 25 at No. 6

Duke also remained at No. 4 in the NCAA NET Rankings despite a plethora of Quadrant 1 victories. Additionally, then-No. 2 Michigan fell in shocking fashion at home to unranked Wisconsin on Saturday, 91-88, handing the Wolverines their first loss of the season. Michigan is now the only team in the top 14 of the NET with a loss outside of Quad 1. Despite the ugly defeat, Michigan fell to No. 4 in the AP Poll, two spots ahead of Duke.

The Blue Devils now sit in the poll behind Arizona, Iowa State, UConn, Michigan, and Purdue, in that order.

The ACC still sits with five teams in the poll, led by Duke. North Carolina (14-2, 2-1 ACC) came in at No. 14, Virginia (14-2, 3-1 ACC) slotted at No. 16, Louisville remained at No. 20, and Clemson (14-3, 4-0 ACC), entered the poll for the first time at No. 22. SMU fell out after back-to-back losses to Clemson and Duke.

Silver lining

Now, the selection committee doesn't factor in the AP Poll when deciding seedings for the NCAA Tournament, and Duke's elite résumé cements them heavily into the conversation to earn a 1-seed in the big dance.

What's Next For Duke?

Duke will head out west for a road trip, first against California (13-4, 1-3 ACC) on Jan. 14, then against Stanford (13-4, 2-2 ACC) on Jan. 17.

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.