When the next AP top-25 poll is revealed in Men’s college basketball on Monday, we could have a new team at the top for the second week in a row. This time it might be the Duke Blue Devils, thanks in part to their 68-63 win over No. 1 Michigan on Saturday.
Duke is well-positioned to take over the top spot this week
It is not just the fact that Duke beat the top-ranked team that could move it into the top spot.
It is the fact that Duke won its game, while No. 2-ranked Houston also lost a top-five matchup on Saturday by losing a 73-66 decision against No. 4-ranked
Arizona.
The top two teams losing in the same week, on the same day, while one of them lost to the No. 3 team, is a perfect recipe for some big changes at the top.
Cameron Boozer, one of the projected top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, was once again the big star for Duke on Saturday as he finished with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win. He also added seven assists and two blocks in what was a pretty dominant individual performance.
Boozer’s presence, as well as his consistently strong play, has been a big part of the Blue Devils being ranked in the top six nationally all season. Their No. 3 spot this week is the highest they have been, and given Saturday’s results, there is a very good chance they will move into the top spot for the first time since the end of last season when they went into the postseason as the nation’s top-ranked team.
They are making a similar late-season push this year.
Michigan moved into the top spot this week, ending Arizona’s nine-week run at the top.
The question now for Duke will be whether or not it can hold on to that No. 1 spot going into the tournament again, earn the top-seed in the tournament, and have it turn into a national championship. The Blue Devils have not won a national title since the 2014-15 season despite consistently being a No. 1-ranked team multiple times in the decade since.