[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and the Duke men’s basketball team extended their win streak to eight games on Saturday, handing a red-hot SMU squad a 27-point loss on its own court, and coaches around the country still see the Blue Devils as a top-four team.
Duke stayed put at No. 4 in the updated USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll on Monday, staying behind the Tennessee Volunteers, Auburn Tigers, and Iowa State Cyclones in order.
Flagg has scored at least 20 points in five of Duke’s last seven games, dropping 24 against both the Mustangs and Virginia Tech last week, and the Blue Devils put at least 80 points on the board in three straight games for the first time in 2024-25.
The defense continues to look like the nation’s best, holding the ACC-leading SMU offense to just 62 points. Only three of Duke’s first 14 opponents finished better than 40% from the floor.
After a relatively unimpressive start for the rest of the ACC, no other member of the conference broke into the top 25. The Pittsburgh Panthers, who come to Durham on Tuesday, finished third in the Receiving Votes category.