The Duke men’s basketball team won its seventh straight game on Tuesday afternoon, a 23-point triumph over the Virginia Tech Hokies that improved the Blue Devils to 11-2 for the season, and the ESPN Basketball Power Index continues to respect them as one of the nation’s best.
As of Wednesday morning, the Blue Devils are second in the BPI rankings behind only the Auburn Tigers.
[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and his teammates have built a reputation around their defense to start the 2024-25 season, and Virginia Tech only managed 65 points thanks to a dozen turnovers. Over the seven-game win streak, only Auburn has scored more points against Duke than the Hokies did, and the Blue Devils are giving up just 59.0 points per night.
The Duke offense might sit on the verge of turning a corner, however. Flagg has averaged 18.2 points over the last six games, and the Blue Devils broke the 80-point barrier in consecutive games for the first time since the first two outings against Maine and Army.
It’s no surprise BPI thinks the Blue Devils are one of the nation’s most well-rounded teams. Duke ranks third in ESPN’s defensive power index, behind only the Houston Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers, and second in the offensive power index behind Auburn. No other program is within the top five on both ends.