Duke is the No. 1 ranked men’s basketball team in the nation for the first time since 2019 after winning two games to start their season. The Blue Devils are off to a 8-0 start, including an impressive win over Michigan State University on Saturday night. Duke defeated Arizona Wildcats and LSU Tigers with ease so far this year while being led by freshman Zion Williamson who averages 28 points per game through five contests..
The “college basketball rankings” is a list of the top 25 men’s college basketball teams in the United States. It is released weekly by ESPN, and has been released since December 1968.
Mike Krzyzewski’s last Duke squad has ascended to the top of The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll.
Following a victory against Gonzaga, the Blue Devils surged four positions to the top of Monday’s poll, knocking the Bulldogs out of first place. This is the latest in a string of high rankings for both Duke and Krzyzewski, who is slated to retire after this season.
This is Krzyzewski’s 127th week at No. 1 and the Blue Devils’ 145th, putting them ahead of the late John Wooden (121) and UCLA (134).
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The Blue Devils are ranked No. 1 for the first time since spending two weeks at the top in November 2019, and it comes after a turbulent season that saw the team miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995 due to the epidemic.
Duke (7-0) is back among the nation’s best after reloading with a top-tier recruiting class led by 6-foot-10 standout Paolo Banchero.
When Duke plays Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday, it will be the Blue Devils’ 255th game as a top-ranked team under Krzyzewski, compared to 161 games as an unranked club.
“It’s not about me — it’s about us,” Krzyzewski said after his team’s victory against Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Friday night. “This is our moment as a couple, not mine.”
THE FINAL STAGE
In a reshuffled poll that saw no team keep their placement from the previous week and three new teams enter the rankings, No. 2 Purdue received nine first-place votes and moved up a notch behind Duke. It is the highest ranking for the Boilermakers since they were ranked second late in the 1987-88 season.
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Duke is number one (51) | 7-0 |
| 2. Purdue University (9) | 6-0 |
| 3. Gonzaga University (1) | 6-1 |
| 4. Baylor | 7-0 |
| 5. UCLA | 6-1 |
| Villanova is ranked sixth. | 4-2 |
| 7. Texas | 4-1 |
| 8. Kansas | 5-1 |
| Kentucky is number nine. | 5-1 |
| Arkansas is number ten. | 6-0 |
| Arizona is number eleven. | 6-0 |
| 12. BYU | 6-0 |
| Tennessee is number thirteen. | 4-1 |
| 14. The state of Florida | 6-0 |
| Houston is number fifteen. | 5-1 |
| Alabama is ranked 16th. | 6-1 |
| 17. UConn | 6-1 |
| 18. Memphis, Tennessee | 5-1 |
| 19. Iowa State University | 6-0 |
| 20. USC | 6-0 |
| 21. Auburn University | 5-1 |
| Michigan State University (#22) | 5-2 |
| Wisconsin is number 23. | 5-1 |
| Michigan is number 24. | 4-2 |
| Seton Hall (#25) | 5-1 |
Gonzaga dropped to third place, while Baylor, the defending national champion, jumped two places to fourth place after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Following a 20-point defeat to Gonzaga last week, UCLA dropped three positions to No. 5, with Villanova, Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, and Arkansas rounding out the top ten.
RISING
After defeating California, Ohio State, and Troy last week, Florida jumped nine positions to No. 14 in the rankings.
No. 11 Arizona and No. 12 BYU both climbed six positions, with the Wildcats gaining ground quickly under first-year coach Tommy Lloyd despite just making their poll debut a week ago.
No. 17 UConn improved five positions after finishing third in the Battle 4 Atlantis, which featured a thrilling 115-109 double-overtime victory over a ranked Auburn squad.
In all, 13 clubs improved their standings in this week’s poll.
SLIDING
Memphis dropped nine positions to No. 18 this week after falling by 19 points to now-ranked Iowa State in the NIT Season Tip-Off final game. No. 16 Alabama dropped six points, while No. 8 Kansas dropped four spots after losing to Dayton on a last-second shot. No. 24 Michigan and No. 25 Seton Hall both dropped four spots.
In all, nine clubs dropped out of the vote this week.
WELCOME
Iowa State’s No. 19 ranking is part of a rapid start for coach T.J. Otzelberger, who took over a team coming off a two-win season that featured a 0-18 Big 12 record.
Number 22 Michigan State entered the poll after defeating UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game, while Wisconsin entered at No. 23 after winning the Maui Invitational, which was moved to Las Vegas.
GOODBYE (FOR NOW)
Illinois (14th), St. Bonaventure (16th), and Xavier (25th) all dropped out of the top 25.
WATCH THE CONFERENCE
Six rated teams are from the Southeastern Conference, while Duke is the lone ranked team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
SECTION: 6 (Nos. 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 21)
4 in the Big Ten (Nos. 2, 22, 23, 24)
4 in the Big 12 (Nos. 4, 7, 8, 19)
Pacific-12: 3 (Nos. 5, 11, 20)
3 in the Big East (Nos. 6, 17, 25)
2 on the West Coast (No. 3, 12)
2 – American Athletic (Nos. 15, 18)
1 ACC: (No. 1)
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Duke jumped to No. 1 in the Top 25 men’s basketball poll for the first time since 2019. The Blue Devils are led by freshman Zion Williamson and have a record of 16-1 so far this season. Reference: top 25 college football.
Related Tags
- womens basketball rankings
- ap top 25 football
- college football rankings
- unc basketball
- gonzaga basketball
