After Duke’s huge defeat of Arizona on the road, the Blue Devils rose one spot to No. 11 in this week’s AP Poll. The Blue Zone breaks down the changes in both the men’s and women’s rankings:
Desert swarmed
The Blue Devils only had one contest this week on the men’s side, but that result was more than enough to give them good standing with voters. The team traveled out west to take on then-No. 17 Arizona in an extremely high-profile road contest, and head coach Jon Scheyer’s bunch did not back down from the challenge. Duke largely controlled the game from start to finish, clinching a 69-55 victory over the Wildcats and moving up to No. 11 this week as a result.
After faltering late in the second half against Kentucky for the first loss of its young season, the Blue Devils did not let off the gas this time around at McKale Memorial Center, winning each half by seven points and silencing a raucous home crowd. Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg was once again the story down in Tucson, Ariz., as the forward went for 24 points and six rebounds to lead his squad to victory. As a team, Duke did an impeccable job on the defensive end, holding Arizona to a season-low point total and also dominating the glass against a Wildcat group that entered the contest among the nation’s best in terms of rebounding.
However, the Blue Devils cannot rest just yet, as a monster showdown with No. 1 Kansas looms Tuesday in Las Vegas as part of the Vegas Showdown, where preseason All-American Hunter Dickinson will provide an immense test for Duke’s young frontcourt of Flagg and Khaman Maluach. Then, the Blue Devils will complete the multi-team event back on campus against Seattle Friday.
Rocky mountain high(er)
While Duke’s victory was one of the biggest stories of the week in college hoops, arguably no one had a better past week than the Tennessee Volunteers, who swept through the Baha Mar Hoops tournament in the Bahamas and rose to No. 7 in this iteration of the poll. It was no sweat for Rick Barnes’s bunch in their two games, as they decimated Virginia and Baylor en route to winning the tournament and establishing themselves as one of the top dogs in the SEC.
Recent Tennessee teams have been known for their elite defense, and that seems to be no different this season. The Volunteers held Virginia to just 42 points in a 22-point victory, an impressive feat against a Power Four school no matter the level of the Cavaliers’ offense. Then, they also limited a high-octane Baylor team to a measly 62 points in a game that was less close than the final score of 77-62 illustrates, as Barnes’ team led 47-20 at halftime.
It was the general consensus that offense would be an issue for Tennessee this year after the loss of star Dalton Knecht, but North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier has filled the volume scorer role perfectly, as the fifth-year senior exploded for 25 points against the Bears while going 7-for-10 from downtown. Now, the Volunteers emerge from an early Feast Week as one of the nation’s best teams.
Staying strong
Just like the men’s team, the Duke women’s squad only took the floor once over the past week, a home tilt against Belmont. It was business as usual for head coach Kara Lawson’s squad, as it dominated the Bruins wire-to-wire 79-47 in a nice showing that moved it up to No. 9 this week.
While the starters played solid, the second unit was the highlight for the Blue Devils, especially freshman forward Toby Fournier, who had the best game of her Duke career thus far, exploding for 25 points, six rebounds and three blocks off the bench in a spectacular showing. Sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa also pitched in 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting as Lawson emptied the bench, playing a total of 11 players.
The women’s team also finds themselves in Nevada this week, as they will participate in the Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson. First up, Duke will face No. 9 Kansas State in a major non-conference bout Monday, one that could allow Lawson’s group to stake its claim as a contender. On Wednesday, the Blue Devils will either face Oklahoma or DePaul depending on the results of both games Monday.
New top dog
For the first time in over two years, South Carolina lost a regular season game. The Gamecocks came into Sunday on a 43-game win streak, one that came to an abrupt end at the hands of UCLA. The Bruins were phenomenal, not just beating South Carolina but dominating them in a 15-point victory. Dawn Staley’s team was held to 36.4% percent from the field despite going 8-for-12 from three in one of the most surprising box scores of the season.
UCLA has now notched two ranked wins in the early going, beating the Gamecocks and then-No. 17 Louisville, and it deservedly moved up to the No. 1 spot this week. South Carolina falls to No. 4 in an unfamiliar scenario for Gamecock fans, leaving a power vortex at the top of the rankings for the first time in quite a while.
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