Duke Basketball Drops in Key Rankings Despite Winning Streak

Jan 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer (right) talks to guard Caleb Foster (1) during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Duke Basketball Drops in Key Rankings Despite Winning Streak

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Feb 4, 2026 7:18 PM ET

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Jon Scheyer and his fourth Duke basketball squad entered Tuesday night's home game against the unranked Boston College Eagles riding a nine-game winning streak. And the No. 4-ranked Blue Devils (21-1, 10-0 ACC) extended that stretch to double digits via their 67-49 victory, marking their second straight wire-to-wire win.

Nevertheless, on Wednesday morning, Duke fell two notches from the NCAA NET Rankings' top position, which the Blue Devils reached earlier this week, and now sits No. 3 below the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (20-1, 10-1 Big Ten) and No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (22-0, 9-0 Big 12).

Duke (2-0 in NET Quad 3 clashes following its win over now-No. 148 Boston College) and Arizona are the only two programs in the country boasting nine Quad 1 victories this season.

Meanwhile, it's worth pointing out that the Blue Devils face the Wolverines in just a few week. That highly anticipated battle between Duke and Michigan at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., is set to tip off on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Other Notable ACC Teams in the NCAA NET Rankings

The NCAA NET Rankings, which help determine at-large bids and seeding for the NCAA Tournament come March, currently include nine ACC squads in the top 50.

That group consists of the No. 3 Blue Devils, sitting alone atop the ACC standings and off to the program's best overall start to a campaign since 2007-08, plus the No. 17 Virginia Cavaliers (19-3, 8-2 ACC), No. 18 Louisville Cardinals (15-6, 5-4 ACC), No. 25 NC State Wolfpack (17-6, 8-2 ACC), No. 26 UNC Tar Heels (18-4, 6-3 ACC), No. 31 Clemson Tigers (18-4, 8-1 ACC), No. 34 SMU Mustangs (15-7, 4-5 ACC), No. 39 Miami Hurricanes (17-5, 6-3 ACC), and No. 50 Cal Golden Bears (16-6, 4-5 ACC).

There are four Duke basketball outings on tap before the matchup against Michigan takes place, beginning with the Blue Devils' road bout against archrival UNC (No. 14 in AP Poll) in the Dean E. Smith Center at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN).

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