Duke back atop AP men's poll thanks to U-M win

What’s Happening

Here’s the thing: Duke’s win against Michigan has propelled the Blue Devils to a familiar perch: No.

1 in the AP men’s college basketball poll. 1 in AP men’s basketball poll thanks to Michigan win play Duke holds on to take down Michigan (1:30) No. (and honestly, same)

3 Duke defeats Michigan 70-63 to get its 11th win all time over an AP No.

The Details

(1:30) Associated Press Multiple Authors Feb 23, 2026, 01:07 PM ET Email Print Open Extended Reactions Duke’ s win against Michigan has propelled the Blue Devils to a familiar perch: No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

The Blue Devils climbed two spots to top Monday’s poll, marking the 148th appearance at No. 1 to add to what was already the record for any program.

Why This Matters

Duke (25-2) claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant Michigan (25-2) after Saturday’s 68-63 win against the Wolverines in Washington. Editor’s Picks Men’s AP Top 25 poll reaction: Duke is No. 1 after big Saturday shakeup ESPN Inside college basketball’s biggest question: What’s going on with Darryn Peterson?

Sports fans across the globe are reacting to this news.

Key Takeaways

• The Blue Devils enter this week with a national-best 12 Quadrant 1 wins, along with nine wins against AP Top 25 teams.
• And now the latest such win has pushed the Blue Devils back to a No.
• 1 ranking for the second straight season under fourth-year coach Jon Scheyer.

The Bottom Line

1 since January 2013 turned into a one-week stay, followed by a pair of Big 12 teams in Iowa State and Houston. The top tier UConn fell one spot to No.

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