Thoughts on the AP poll: Duke drops to No. 22 after two straight road losses

Duke men's basketball is currently in a tough stretch, dropping to the No. 22 position in the AP poll after opening the season at No. 2. The Blue Zone is here to recap the rest of the poll:

Back-to-back crucial road losses for Duke 

The Blue Devils found themselves on the rather depleting side of two stormed courts this week, following their unranked losses to Arkansas and Georgia Tech. While head coach Jon Scheyer might have led Duke to an undefeated home stretch in his first season as head coach, his road record provides a much weaker resume of 4-8. 

The unranked Razorbacks simply outplayed Duke in the ACC/SEC Challenge, dominating in offensive production and competitive spirit. While the Blue Devils provided a glimpse of hope, cutting the lead to three with 18 seconds left, a determined Arkansas team sealed its victory with clutch free throws. Filipowski led the team with 26 points, but Duke’s performance was characterized by its weak shooting abilities. The team posted a field-goal percentage of 35.8% and a demoralizing 6-of-22 from 3-point range. 

The Blue Devils' struggles against the zone was further exposed in the team's first ACC matchup of the season. The Yellow Jackets held Duke to three points during the first five minutes of play, allowing them to take a commanding 14-3 lead. While Georgia Tech controlled most of the game, opportunity struck in the final minutes of play when sophomore forward Mark Mitchell put the Blue Devils up 66-62. However, with emotions high, Mitchell’s behavior after the play earned himself a technical foul, washing away the team’s lead. Like the loss to the Razorbacks, Duke’s lack of offensive efficiency proved crucial to the loss, going 4-of-16 from 3-point range. To add insult to injury, sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor left the game early with an apparent leg injury. As a result of this week’s losses, the Blue Devils drop to No. 22 in the rankings. 

Deja vu in Purdue 

It’s deja vu all over again for the Boilermakers as Northwestern handed the team their first loss of the season. This marks the Wildcats’ second win over a No. 1-ranked team, its first also coming against Purdue back in February. While the Boilermakers led at the half, Northwestern clawed its way back into the competition, leading by two points with three seconds left in regulation. It was the Boilermakers’ dominant 7-foot-4 center in Zach Edey that advanced the game into overtime, holding onto hopes of preserving its No. 1 spot. 

As the Big 10 matchup progressed into overtime, Purdue’s defense proved unable to control Wildcat guard Boo Buie, who put up seven points in overtime, contributing to a game total of 31. Although Edey continues to add impressive performances to his resume, putting up 35 points and 14 rebounds against the Wildcats, he can’t carry Purdue to a national championship on his own. The Boilermakers only lasted one week in the No. 1 spot, dropping to No. 4 in this week’s AP poll.