Duke basketball forward Kyle Filipowski (Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports)
Duke Basketball: No-Identity Blue Devils Overrated by Voters
Jon Scheyer's second Duke basketball squad lost both its games last week: at unranked Arkansas, 80-75, on Wednesday night and at unranked Georgia Tech, 72-68, on Saturday. As a result, many figured the then-No. 7 Blue Devils (5-3, 0-1 ACC) would drop out of the AP Top 25 Poll this week.
After all, Duke has neither established an identity nor defeated any currently ranked foes. A month into the 2023-24 campaign, despite an abundance of former five-star preps and four 2022-23 starters on the roster, these Blue Devils present a dull product to watch.
And Scheyer sounds like a guy desperately searching for answers, as his Blue Devils, who started the season ranked No. 2 in the country, are now one loss away from becoming the program's first in 41 years to tally four losses before Christmas.
Nevertheless, Duke fell only 15 spots to No. 22 in the eyes of the AP voters on Monday afternoon.
Three other ACC teams appear in this week's top 25: UNC at No. 9, Miami at No. 15, and Clemson at No. 24.
Duke basketball now has several days to try to figure things out in practice before hosting unranked Charlotte (4-3, 0-0 AAC) on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. ET (The CW) and welcoming unranked Hofstra to Cameron Indoor Stadium three days later.
Then, on Dec. 20, the Blue Devils face No. 6 Baylor in New York City's Madison Square Garden.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball news.
