The half dozen programs unblemished against Duke basketball are surprising.
Of the 225 schools to have ever faced at least one Duke basketball squad, only 12 boast winning records in the series. Six of those 12 have never lost to the Blue Devils. And those are the ones this list is all about. Though more or less just an interesting nugget for anyone who enjoys growing the sports encyclopedias inside one’s noggin, this list does highlight Duke’s historical success while also forcing Dukies to relive a few unpleasant memories.
To make this more interesting, though, we’ll rank the six that are unbeaten against the Blue Devils by their all-time winning percentage versus all foes, which will help show the shockingly pitiful nature of the bunch. Actually, none are anywhere near being a powerhouse. In fact, none are in major conferences; in other words, the mere existence of these perfect marks is a Cinderella story in itself.
But speaking of conferences, before we get started with the ranking here, it’s worth pointing out that the other six programs sitting above .500 against the Blue Devils are all power-five members: North Carolina (139-112 vs. Duke), Kentucky (12-10), Arizona (5-4), Purdue (4-3), Stanford (2-1), and Arkansas (2-1).
OK, let’s tip this off now with a program that is 1-0 against the Blue Devils and represents what was a giant learning experience for an uber-talented group of freshmen and a young coach in Durham back in 1983…