College basketball rankings: Duke to put No. 1 ranking on the line vs. Ohio State in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Duke moved to No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings after Friday night’s 84-81 upset of Gonzaga in part because the Blue Devils are currently undefeated with two wins better than any other school’s best two wins — specifically neutral-court victories over Gonzaga and Kentucky. Simply put, Mike Krzyzewski’s team both looks the part and has the resume to support the ranking. But holding on to it through Wednesday morning will require Duke to win as an underdog for the second straight game, at least according to KenPom.

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is this week.

There are lots of fun matchups — among them Iowa at Virginia, Indiana at Syracuse, Florida State at Purdue and Louisville at Michigan State. But the most interesting contest is the one that’ll feature Duke playing a non-conference road game for the first time in nearly two years. The Blue Devils will be at Ohio State on Tuesday night. KenPom.com lists them as a 1-point underdog.

It’s worth noting that Ohio State is off to an uneven 4-2 start featuring a win over Seton Hall and single-digit losses to Xavier and Florida — and that the Buckeyes are operating without Justice Sueing, last season’s third-leading scorer who is out with an abdominal injury. So it’s possible Duke will actually close as a favorite in the betting markets. As always, we’ll see. But, either way, favorite or underdog, what’s on tap will be another real test for the Blue Devils. They’ll either add a third top-shelf win to their resume or lose and open the door for Purdue to move to No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1. The Boilermakers are No. 3 in Monday morning’s updated rankings. But if Duke loses at Ohio State, and Purdue beats Florida State on Tuesday night, Matt Painter’s team will be No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 come Wednesday morning.

Top 25 And 1 rankings