The Duke men’s basketball team and its fans probably hoped for a perfect start to the 2024-25 season, but two losses against the Blue Devils’ early schedule isn’t disqualifying by any means. College basketball analyst Andy Katz certainly feels that way as he kept Duke eighth in his updated Power 37 rankings on Monday.
Duke’s two neutral-site losses came by five points to the Kentucky Wildcats and by three points to the Kansas Jayhawks, two powerhouse programs that remain undefeated so far this season. The Blue Devils sat tied with Kentucky and one point behind Kansas with 20 seconds left on the clock, only falling thanks to some late turnovers from their freshman starters.
“The Blue Devils are close to finishing off elite teams and will get another test this week,” Katz wrote.
Katz put the Jayhawks second and the Wildcats fifth in his rankings.
The upcoming chance Katz referred to won’t be any easier, however. The Auburn Tigers come to Durham for a Wednesday night game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and they actually jumped Kansas for Katz’s top overall spot after the Maui Invitational last week. Through their first seven games, the Tigers have stacked wins against the Houston Cougars, Iowa State Cyclones, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Memphis Tigers.