Duke Falls In Rankings After First Loss Shakes Up Polls

Duke Slides to No. 6 in National Rankings After First Loss of the Season

After an impressive 11-0 start, Duke basketball finally hit its first speed bump of the season-and the ripple effect is showing up in the rankings.

The Blue Devils dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll released Monday, December 22. It’s a slight fall, but a meaningful one, especially for a team that had held steady in the top three for the past two weeks.

The loss that triggered the slide? A gut-wrenching 82-81 defeat to No.

19 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden-a game that saw Duke surrender a 17-point lead in the second half.

A Tale of Two Games

Duke’s week started strong with a 97-73 win over Lipscomb on December 16. It wasn’t the cleanest performance-16 first-half turnovers and 22 giveaways overall-but the Blue Devils’ firepower eventually overwhelmed the Bison. That kind of offensive depth has been a hallmark of this team’s early-season success, and they showed flashes of that again in the second half to pull away.

But then came the showdown with Texas Tech, and things got complicated.

Despite the Red Raiders being shorthanded due to injuries-and losing both Leon Horner and LeJuan Watts to fouls with 11 minutes still on the clock-Texas Tech clawed back from a deep deficit. JT Toppin battled through foul trouble for most of the game, but Texas Tech’s resilience paid off. The Red Raiders not only notched their first win over a ranked team this season, but they did it in dramatic fashion, handing Duke its first loss of the year in a game that will sting for a while.

Where Duke Stands Now

Even with the loss, Duke remains the highest-ranked ACC team in the latest coaches poll. They’re still ahead of conference rivals North Carolina (No. 12), Louisville (No. 14), and Virginia (No. 21), with California and Clemson also receiving votes.

Here’s how Duke stacks up across the major rankings as of December 22:

• USA TODAY Coaches Poll: No. 6
• AP Poll: No. 6 (with 1,148 total points)
• KenPom Ratings: Down from No. 4 to No.

6

• Bart Torvik Rankings: Fell from No. 2 to No.

6

• EvanMiya Rankings: Slipped from No. 2 to No.

4

• NCAA NET Rankings: Dropped from No. 2 to No.

4

Across the board, Duke is still firmly inside the top 10, but the slide is a reminder that even elite teams can’t afford to take their foot off the gas-especially against battle-tested opponents like Texas Tech.

Looking Ahead

Duke now heads into a short holiday break before returning to the court on New Year’s Eve to host Georgia Tech and tip off ACC play. With nonconference action nearly behind them, the Blue Devils sit at 11-1 and have shown flashes of a team that can make a deep run in March. But the Texas Tech loss exposed some cracks-particularly in closing out games and protecting leads-that head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff will want to address before the grind of conference play begins.

For now, Duke fans can take some comfort in the fact that their team is still very much in the national conversation. But as the calendar flips to January, the margin for error tightens, and every possession starts to matter just a little bit more.

Coaches Poll Top 10 Snapshot (Dec. 22)

1. Michigan (20 first-place votes)
2. Arizona (11)
3. Iowa State
4. UConn
5. Purdue
6. Duke
7. Gonzaga
8. Houston
9. Michigan State
10. BYU

There’s a lot of basketball left to play, but one thing’s clear: Duke’s journey through the ACC and beyond is going to be must-watch basketball.