Auburn’s loss opens the door for Duke basketball to take the No. 1 spot

The Duke Blue Devils couldn’t wrestle the No. 1 spot from the Auburn Tigers in either this week’s USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll or the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll, but thanks to the Texas A&M Aggies, that could change next Monday.

The Aggies stunned the Auburn in their own building on Tuesday night, an 83-72 triumph that knocked the Tigers down to 27-3 for the season.

The loss, Auburn’s first since February 8 and second in its last 22 games, came at an inopportune time if the SEC regular-season champions want to hold onto the top overall spot. Duke has won seven games straight by at least 18 points (and four of its last five by at least 33), and the Blue Devils are 23-1 since November 29.

The second game of that run, if the Cameron Crazies remember, was an 84-78 victory over Auburn in Durham, a potentially critical tiebreaker now that the two teams have the same record.

Tuesday’s stunning loss doesn’t guarantee that the Blue Devils will replace Auburn atop the rankings. The Tigers still have 16 Quad 1 victories to Duke’s six according to the NET rankings, and Auburn snagged 91 out of a possible 92 first-place votes between the coaches poll and the AP Poll.

Even with the strength of schedule difference, however, that head-to-head victory combined with Duke’s recent form might be enough to sway the voters.