"Duke (27-2) has been dominant defensively since losing to rival North Carolina on Feb. 7, holding its last six opponents to an average of 57 points per game. The Blue Devils opened the week by handing Notre Dame its worst home loss since 1898 with a 100-56 win. Duke then turned its showdown with Virginia into another rout, crushing the Cavaliers 77-51 on Saturday to clinch the top seed for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament."
"The Blue Devils received 55 of 59 first-place votes in Monday's poll following lopsided wins over Notre Dame and then-No. 11 Virginia last week. No. 2 Arizona received four first-place votes after clinching a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with Saturday's 84-61 win over No. 14 Kansas. Michigan, UConn and Florida rounded out the top five."
"The NET, which the NCAA uses to help select its tournament field, had Michigan at No. 2, one ahead of Arizona, with Florida at No. 4. Illinois is No. 11 in the AP poll, but is all the way up to No. 5 in the NET. No. 12 Gonzaga is seven spots better in the NET and No. 4 UConn is four places lower at No. 8."
Duke holds the No. 1 position in the AP men's college basketball poll for the second straight week, earning 55 of 59 first-place votes. The Blue Devils achieved this ranking following dominant victories over Notre Dame and then-No. 11 Virginia. Duke has demonstrated exceptional defensive performance since losing to North Carolina on February 7, limiting its last six opponents to an average of 57 points per game. Arizona ranks second with four first-place votes after clinching a share of the Big 12 regular-season title. Michigan, UConn, and Florida complete the top five. The NET rankings largely align with the AP Top 25, though some variations exist in the middle positions, with Illinois and Gonzaga showing significant differences between the two ranking systems.
#college-basketball-rankings #duke-blue-devils #ap-poll #ncaa-tournament-selection #defensive-performance
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