It speaks to how far Virginia has fallen that Duke can win inside John Paul Jones Arena by 18 points on a Monday night and barely improve its resume. But unfortunately for the Cavaliers, not to mention the ACC, that's where we're at and why the school's next hire is crucial -- because it would be a shame to watch the program that won the 2019 NCAA Tournament slip further into irrelevancy than it already has; Virginia currently sits in 12th place of an ACC that might only get three teams into the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
That was impossible to imagine recently. Now, it's Virginia's reality.
Final score: Duke 80, Virginia 62.
I'll get to Duke in a second, but it's wild to think that the program that went 31-3 in 2018 and won the NCAA Tournament in 2019 is now 13-13 overall, 6-9 in the ACC and down to 100th at BartTorvik.com. That school deserves better, and the ACC needs it to be. Hopefully everything gets fixed soon.
As for Duke, the Blue Devils are now 23-3 overall, 15-1 in the ACC, ranked fourth in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings and headed toward the first conference championship of Jon Scheyer's coaching career. Despite starting three freshmen in an era when many believe that's not ideal, Duke has a two-game lead in the win column of the league standings and figures to be a favorite in every remaining game before Selection Sunday. In other words, barring too many upsets, the Blue Devils should be a No. 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament -- and thus set up to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2019.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Johni Broome finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 94-85 win at Alabama. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Arkansas. | -- | 29-5 |
| 2 |  | Mark Sears was 4-of-17 from the field in Saturday's 94-85 loss to Auburn. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at Missouri. | -- | 25-8 |
| 3 |  | Denzel Aberdeen finished with 22 points and three assists in Saturday's 88-67 win over South Carolina. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against Oklahoma. | -- | 30-4 |
| 4 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds in Monday's 80-62 win at Virginia. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 31-3 |
| 5 |  | Milos Uzan finished with 19 points and five assists in Saturday's 62-58 win at Arizona. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday at Arizona State. | -- | 31-4 |
| 6 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 22 points and eight assists in Saturday's 81-76 win over Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 28-7 |
| 7 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 18 points and nine assists in Saturday's 69-61 win over Arkansas. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday at Mississippi State. | -- | 23-10 |
| 8 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 81-70 win over Cincinnati. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday against Colorado. | -- | 24-9 |
| 9 |  | John Tonje finished with 32 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 94-84 win at Purdue. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday against Illinois. | -- | 27-9 |
| 10 |  | Braden Smith was 2-of-10 from the field in Saturday's 94-84 loss to Wisconsin. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday at Michigan State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 11 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds in Sunday's 79-73 win over Creighton. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday at DePaul. | -- | 31-4 |
| 12 |  | Kam Jones finished with 19 points and four assists in Tuesday's 68-58 win over DePaul. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday against Seton Hall. | -- | 23-10 |
| 13 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 86-83 win at Ohio State. The Wolverines' next game is Friday against Michigan State. | -- | 26-9 |
| 14 |  | JT Toppin finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 93-55 win at Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday at TCU. | -- | 26-8 |
| 15 |  | Jaxon Kohler finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 79-65 win at Illinois. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Purdue. | -- | 27-6 |
| 16 |  | Koby Brea was 0-of-6 from the field in Saturday's 82-78 loss at Texas. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Vanderbilt. | -- | 22-11 |
| 17 |  | RJ Melendez finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 81-71 win at Ole Miss. The Bulldogs' next game is Tuesday against Texas A&M. | -- | 21-12 |
| 18 |  | Sean Pedulla was 4-of-14 from the field in Saturday's 81-71 loss to Mississippi State. The Rebels' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 22-11 |
| 19 |  | Tobe Awaka finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Monday's 74-67 win at Baylor. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 22-12 |
| 20 |  | Tyler Bilodeau finished with 12 points and five rebounds in Friday's 72-68 win at Indiana. The Bruins' next game is Tuesday against Minnesota. | -- | 23-10 |
| 21 |  | Caleb Grill finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 87-74 win at Georgia. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Alabama. | -- | 22-12 |
| 22 |  | Isaac Traudt was 1-of-5 from the field in Sunday's 79-73 loss at St. John's. The Bluejays' next game is Sunday against Georgetown. | -- | 25-10 |
| 23 |  | Chucky Hepburn finished with 16 points and six assists in Sunday's 75-60 win at Notre Dame. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Florida State. | -- | 27-8 |
| 24 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 26 points and seven assists in Sunday's 101-75 win over Iowa. The Terrapins' next game is Thursday against USC. | -- | 25-8 |
| 25 |  | PJ Haggerty was 4-of-18 from the field in Sunday's 84-79 OT loss at Wichita State. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Florida Atlantic. | -- | 29-5 |
| 26 |  | Dillon Hunter finished with 17 points and four assists in Saturday's 72-46 win at Florida State. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at SMU. | -- | 27-7 |
