The Duke Blue Devils picked up their fifth Quad 1 win of the season on Tuesday night with a 76-47 blowout of the Pittsburgh Panthers, leaving the team from Durham second in the men’s basketball NET rankings as of Wednesday morning.
Even with Duke’s two early losses to the Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks, only the Auburn Tigers boast more Quad 1 wins as of January 8. The Blue Devils handed Auburn its only loss of the season last month, the top line on a resume that also includes road wins against the Arizona Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, and SMU Mustangs. While the Panthers came to Durham for this weekend’s game, they still did so with a 12-2 record and a five-game win streak.
Auburn remained ahead of Duke in the NET rankings thanks to its seven Quad 1 wins, but the Blue Devils officially jumped the Tigers for the No. 1 spot in the KenPom rankings after the 29-point win over Pittsburgh. Duke has now won nine straight games, including each of the last six by at least 20 points.
The Tennessee Volunteers, Houston Cougars, and Florida Gators rounded out the NET top five in an SEC-dominant season thus far. Pittsburgh remains second among ACC teams at No. 20.