The second Associated Press Poll of the regular season came out and the Duke Blue Devils sit at #6. It found itself ranked #7 in the preseason poll and rises a spot after two dominant wins over Maine and Army to kick off the regular season at 2-0.
Next up, the Blue Devils have their biggest test of the season on Tuesday night as they take on #19 Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic.
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But through the first two games for Duke, there's been little to really impress on. The Blue Devils faced two squads they should've won easily against, and that's exactly what happened. So with the rest of the movement in this week's AP Poll, does Duke's new ranking make sense?
Four of the five teams ahead of Duke in the poll were ranked ahead of the Blue Devils last week. Kansas remained at #1 after beating then #9 North Carolina 92-89 in a great matchup on Friday night and Gonzaga rose from #6 to #4 after the Bulldogs slaughtered then #8 Baylor on the first night of the regular season by a score of 101-63.
The only team that jumped Duke this week was Auburn, who rose from #11 to #5 after the weekend. The Tigers are out to a 2-0 start and look like one of the fiercest teams in the country.
The Tigers' week started with a 94-43 victory over Vermont, then Bruce Pearl and his team made a massive statement after knocking off then #4 Houston 74-69 at the Toyota Center in Houston. The game was part of the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k24.
As someone who was very low on Auburn entering the season, this was one heck of a statement. The Tigers out-defensed the team that runs defense in college basketball, that being the Houston Cougars. It was a sloppy, hard-nosed contest that favored the team that could take more hits. Offense lacked early, but Auburn was able to get some shots to fall in the second half behind 21 points from freshman Tahaad Pettiford to take the victory.
Besides that, there weren't many games that would've affected Duke's ranking. The Blue Devils jumped Houston after it fell to Auburn, and the Cougars now sit at #8. Besides that, no other team jumped Duke and the Blue Devils didn't have any resume-boosting games to move up too much more in the poll.
#1 Kansas will also play in the Champions Classic with Duke, as the event is always represented by Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and Michigan State. The Jayhawks will play Michigan State, the only unranked team in this year's event.
A win against Kentucky and a loss for Kansas to an unranked opponent on a neutral floor could bring Duke up in the polls next week. #2 Alabama also faces #13 Purdue on the road this Friday.
Overall, after looking around college hoops this past week, Duke's new ranking feels just right.