With the Duke Blue Devils stacking their third straight win on Sunday night, a 76-65 road comeback over Louisville Cardinals, they moved up to third in the KenPom men’s basketball rankings.
The Cardinals found the mark on eight of their first 11 3-point tries to take an early 30-16 lead, but the Blue Devils held them to just 28 points in the second half for their first conference win of the season. None of Duke’s opponents have scored more than 78 points this season, and KenPom still considers the Blue Devils the best defense in the country (89.2 adjusted points per 100 possessions).
On the offensive side, Duke has closed back in on the top 10 thanks to its last two showings. The Blue Devils also put 84 points on the board in their midweek victory over the No. 2 Auburn Tigers, and their 120.0 points per 100 possessions have them 12th in KenPom’s efficiency rankings.
Only three other teams rank within the top 12 on both sides of the ball, including the Tennessee Volunteers (No. 2), Houston Cougars (No. 5), and Iowa State Cyclones (No. 6). The Tigers, thanks to their top-ranked offense, remain in the top overall spot.
As of Monday morning, KenPom projects the Blue Devils will finish with a 26-5 record and an 18-2 run through the ACC.