The Duke basketball program picked up a massive 66-60 victory on the road over No. 7 Michigan State on Saturday, which might be the Blue Devils' best win of the season so far. Now 10-0 on the 2025-26 campaign, this is the Blue Devils' first ranked win in a true road environment, and it might be the most impressive victory of the season so far. Duke is currently ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Poll, but this victory should put the Blue Devils into the conversation to be ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Current No. 1 Purdue fell in blowout fashion at home to Iowa State on Saturday, 81-58. Obviously, the Boilermakers will fall out of the top spot in the poll, and Duke now has a serious argument to jump up three spots and take over at the top. The Blue Devils now own four ranked wins over No. 21 Kansas, No. 25 Arkansas, No. 15 Florida, and now No. 7 Michigan State. The Blue Devils proved their depth against the Spartans, as freshman phenom Cameron Boozer was completely shut down in the first half. Boozer established himself across the second 20 minutes, but it's hard to say any team has been more impressive than Duke through the first month of the college basketball season.
Duke basketball should be ranked No. 1 after a true road victory over Michigan State
Boozer was limited to just two points in the first half, but the Blue Devils were able to remain in contention, entering the halftime locker room down 34-31. The star rookie went for 16 in the second half, tallying a game-high 18 points to go along with 15 rebounds and five assists on 7-of-13 (53.8%) shooting from the field.
After a huge victory over MSU, Duke should absolutely be in consideration to be ranked No. 1 next week in the AP Poll after Purdue's loss. Duke now owns four ranked wins and five over high-major opponents, while being 10-0 overall.
Currently, Arizona is ranked No. 2, and Michigan is ranked No. 3. The Wildcats own home victories over Florida and UCLA, along with a road win at UConn. The Wolverines own two dominant victories over Gonzaga and Auburn. However, the Blue Devils have assuredly faced the toughest schedule of the three programs and have won every game.
Duke should be the No. 1 ranked team in the nation next week after the victory over Sparty, but the Blue Devils' non-conference slate doesn't get any easier, as they will take on No. 19 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on December 20th.