I'll be inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for a rare meeting between the teams ranked No. 1 in the AP poll (Duke) and No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches Poll (Virginia). It'll be great, I'm certain. But it'll also be less than it otherwise would've been because Duke point guard Tre Jones suffered an AC joint separation in Monday's 95-91 loss to Syracuse and is officially listed as "out indefinitely."
It's a big blow to the Blue Devils.
Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett get most of the attention. But talk to anybody on the Duke staff and they'll tell you Jones' ability to pressure the ball and run their team is as important as anything else anybody does for the Blue Devils. His presumed absence this weekend could be the thing that causes a Duke team that's mostly been overwhelming to be on a two-game losing streak heading into next week's game at Pitt -- which, by the way, has beaten Louisville and Florida State in the past six days.
Duke is No. 7 in Tuesday morning's updated Top 25 And 1 -- and now the only school in the top 15 with a loss at home to a sub-30 KenPom team. If you're looking for good news, though, consider that Duke has five straight games against sub-50 KenPom teams after it plays Virginia this weekend. So the schedule will soon lighten up, relatively speaking, at an obviously good time.
Biggest Movers
8
Nebraska
5
Duke
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Vols' body of work features a single-digit victory over Gonzaga and 13 double-digit wins. The lone loss on the resume is an overtime loss to Kansas. | -- | 27-9 |
| 2 |  | The Cavaliers' 15-0 record features 11 double-digit wins -- among them, Saturday's 20-point victory at Clemson. Only two teams (Maryland, Marshall) have cracked the 60-point barrier against Virginia. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 3 |  | Michigan's perfect start includes double-digit wins over North Carolina, Indiana, Villanova and Purdue. Only two teams have stayed within single-digits of the Wolverines. | 1 | 8-24 |
| 4 |  | The Zags have won seven straight games since losing at North Carolina. Their resume includes five victories over top-50 KenPom teams -- most notably a neutral-court win over Duke in the Maui Invitational. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 5 |  | The Jayhawks' body of work features eight wins over top-50 KenPom teams - among them victories over Tennessee, Michigan State and Marquette. Lagerald Vick scored a game-high 21 points in Monday's win over Texas. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 6 |  | The Spartans have won nine straight games since losing in overtime at Louisville. Michigan State's resume features eight wins over top-75 KenPom teams - among them victories over Purdue, Ohio State, Florida, Texas and Iowa. | 1 | 20-15 |
| 7 |  | The Blue Devils lost at home to Syracuse on Monday after Tre Jones suffered an AC joint separation. The freshman point guard is officially listed as "out indefinitely." | 5 | 27-9 |
| 8 |  | Texas Tech's resume features seven wins over top-100 KenPom teams -- among them are victories over Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas. The Red Raiders' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Duke. | -- | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | The Hokies have won nine consecutive games since losing by a point at Penn State. Virginia Tech's resume includes wins over Purdue, Washington and Notre Dame. | -- | 19-15 |
| 10 |  | The Wolf Pack's 16-1 record features seven wins over top-100 KenPom teams -- among them Saturday's double-digit win at Fresno State. Half of Nevada's victories have come away from home. | -- | 26-8 |
| 11 |  | NC State's resume features five wins over top-100 KenPom teams and zero sub-15 losses. Torin Dorn is averaging 14.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game. | -- | 26-15 |
| 12 |  | The Sooners' resume features four wins over top-50 KenPom teams -- among them Saturday's victory over TCU -- and zero sub-15 losses. Christian James is averaging 16.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in 33.2 minutes per game. | 1 | 20-12 |
| 13 |  | The Rebels' 10-game winning streak includes victories over Auburn and Mississippi State. Both of Ole Miss' losses have come on the road to top-40 KenPom teams. | 1 | 20-12 |
| 14 |  | The Tigers' body of work features six wins over top-100 KenPom teams -- among them are victories over Washington and Arizona -- and zero sub-30 losses. Bryce Brown is averaging 15.8 points and 2.3 assists in 31.0 minutes per game. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 15 |  | The Tar Heels have one of the weirdest resumes in the nation. They've beaten Gonzaga at home and NC State on the road, but lost to Texas on a neutral court and been blown out at home by Louisville. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 16 |  | The Terrapins' six-game winning streak includes victories over Nebraska, Indiana and Wisconsin. Next up is Friday's game at Ohio State. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 17 |  | Marquette's body of work features six wins over top-55 KenPom teams -- among them are victories over Buffalo and Louisville -- and zero sub-50 losses. The Golden Eagles will take a three-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Georgetown. | 2 | 27-10 |
| 18 |  | The Bulls' body of work features four wins over top-70 KenPom teams -- among them are wins at Syracuse and West Virginia -- and a lone loss at Marquette. Buffalo will take a four-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Western Michigan. | 2 | 4-27 |
| 19 |  | Isaac Copeland finished with 14 points in Monday's win at Indiana. The Huskers' resume features four wins over top-50 KenPom teams and zero sub-55 losses. | NR | 23-11 |
| 20 |  | The Cougars rallied from a halftime deficit Saturday to beat Wichita State and avoid a two-game losing streak. Houston's resume features seven wins over top-100 KenPom teams -- among them are victories over LSU and Utah State. | 1 | 32-5 |
| 21 |  | Kentucky's resume features four wins over top-100 KenPom teams -- most notably victories over North Carolina and Louisville. UK's losses are to Duke, Seton Hall and Alabama. | 1 | 23-10 |
| 22 |  | The Bulldogs have gone from 12-1 to 12-3 by losing back-to-back games to South Carolina on the road and Ole Miss at home. Mississippi State is 6-3 against top-115 KenPom teams. | 1 | 21-14 |
| 23 |  | Villanova's five-game winning streak has allowed Jay Wright's team to start 4-0 in the Big East for the first time since 2016. The Wildcats are the only Big East school still without a league loss. | 1 | 18-16 |
| 24 |  | Louisville, as a double-digit underdog, won by 21 points Saturday at North Carolina. Four of the Cardinals' five losses are to teams also ranked in the Top 25 And 1. | 1 | 8-24 |
| 25 |  | Purdue's body of work features six wins over top-100 KenPom teams - among them victories over Maryland, Iowa and Wisconsin. Four of the Boilermakers' six losses are to teams also ranked in the Top 25 And 1. | 1 | 34-5 |
| 26 |  | The Hawkeyes' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins - most notably victories over Nebraska and Ohio State - and zero sub-20 losses. Iowa is 8-1 in its past nine games. | NR | 19-15 |
