The Associated Press released its updated AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday, and the Duke Blue Devils jumped up two spots to No. 9 as the highest-ranked two-loss team.
Despite a 75-72 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks last Tuesday, Duke’s 941 votes in this week’s poll helped them leapfrog the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Jayhawks held onto the No. 1 overall spot by a thread, but the Blue Devils’ upcoming opponent made up quite a bit of ground. The Auburn Tigers picked up 26 first-place votes after they defeated the Iowa State Cyclones, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Memphis Tigers in three consecutive games to win the Maui Invitational.
Duke hosts Auburn at Cameron Indoor Stadium this coming Wednesday, giving the Blue Devils a chance at their second top-25 win of the season.
Two other SEC schools, the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats, followed suit in third and fourth. The Connecticut Huskies, two-time defending national champions, tumbled all the way down to 25th after three straight losses in Maui, and the 4-3 Tar Heels slipped down to 20th.