The Associated Press released its preseason men’s basketball rankings on Monday and preseason women’s basketball rankings on Tuesday, but the two lists featured one constant for the Duke Blue Devils.
The Kansas Jayhawks took the top spot on the men’s side while defending national champion South Carolina remained atop the women’s rankings, and both teams will play the Duke Blue Devils before the end of the calendar year.
The men’s basketball team travels to Las Vegas for a battle with the Jayhawks on Tuesday, November 26, just days before Thanksgiving. Kansas is one of five teams in the preseason top 25 on Duke’s schedule, including four teams within the top 11. The Arizona Wildcats (No. 10) and Auburn Tigers (No. 11) are on the slate between November 22 and December 4, the most intimidating stretch of the year.
On the women’s side, the Gamecocks host the Blue Devils on Thursday, December 5, as a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. While South Carolina hasn’t lost a game since the 2022-23 season, Duke begins the season as the No. 11 team in the country after retaining six of its top seven scorers, recruiting a five-star freshman, and pulling a former five-star from the transfer portal.
Duke basketball fans will get a healthy dose of ranked matchups across both teams before the conference schedule even starts.