The Duke Blue Devils started their 2024-25 men’s basketball season on the right foot, beating Maine by 34 points and the Army Black Knights by 42, and the Associated Press rewarded them slightly in Monday’s updated rankings.
Duke shuffled up one spot to sixth, the same spot the Blue Devils earned in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Head coach Jon Scheyer and his team will have plenty of chances to prove themselves over the next month with four top-20 opponents in the non-conference schedule. Duke’s next opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats, moved up four spots to 19th, and the Arizona Wildcats (No. 9), Kansas Jayhawks (No. 1), and Auburn Tigers (No. 5) all appear on the slate before December 4th.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, who lost to the Jayhawks on the road last week, slipped down one spot to 10th. No other ACC teams broke into the top 25, but the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Miami Hurricanes, and Clemson Tigers all received at least 10 votes.