Duke basketball has rolled to a 7-2 start to the 2024 season with its only losses to #10 Kansas and #5 Kentucky. The program also tacked on a massive non-conference win versus #2 Auburn last Wednesday night.
The Blue Devils came in at #4 in the new Associated Press Poll which, according to history, has major implications on what fans can expect in terms of accomplishments for this Blue Devils team for the remainder of the season.
This was the release of the Week 6 AP Poll, and over the last two decades, this has been the most important release of the season. Here's why.
Since 2004, every men's college basketball national champion was ranked in the top 12 of the Week 6 AP Poll.
This is the entire Week 6 Top 12:
1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Iowa State
4. Duke
5. Kentucky
6. Marquette
7. Alabama
8. Gonzaga
9. Florida
10. Kansas
11. Purdue
12. Oregon
So if the trend stays, one of these squads will be crowned national champions when the nets are cut down in early April, and Duke is a part of that list.
It seems ridiculous to rely on a statistic so random, especially towards a poll so early on in the season. But it actually makes a lot of sense.
Just about all of the big time non-conference games have already been played and now teams are transitioning into conference play. The best, most talented, and most consistent teams have already proven themselves as able to beat anybody or at least have been tested with top tier competition.
That's a big reason why Duke is ranked 4th despite already having two losses. Jon Scheyer scheduled one of the toughest non-con schedules in the country, and his team performed in all of those games even with two losses.
There are plenty of other reasons to believe this year's Duke squad can win a national championship beyond this stat alone. It's ranked #12 at KenPom in offensive efficiency, #1 in defensive efficiency, have a National Player of the Year candidate in freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, and an elite supporting cast around him oozing with talent.
But as we sit here in early December, Duke fans can take a sigh of relief as their team is officially a national championship contender.