INDIANAPOLIS — I've had Kentucky No. 1 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 since the Wildcats added Reid Travis and Ashton Hagans back in June. I almost switched to Kansas, at one point, like most others. But I ultimately decided to stick with UK. And, either way, I never seriously considered Duke for the top spot because I just didn't trust a team that returned so little and would start four freshmen.
What in the world was I thinking?
"I'm really proud of my freshmen," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said late Tuesday after his freshmen looked like anything but during a 118-84 destruction of Kentucky here at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
RJ Barrett finished with 33 points, six assists and four rebounds. Zion Williamson got 22 points and seven rebounds. Cam Reddish added 22 points and four steals. And Tre Jones pitched in with six points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Absolutely incredible.
I feel dumb for ever doubting Duke. But I'm not doubting them now. The Blue Devils are No. 1 Wednesday morning's Top 25 And One. Kentucky dropped to No. 9.
Biggest Movers
2
Duke
8
Kentucky
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | RJ Barrett got 33 points, six assists and four rebounds in the Blue Devils' season-opening blowout of Kentucky. Zion Williamson added 28 points and seven rebounds. | 2 | 3-1 |
| 2 |  | Memphis-transfer Dedric Lawson finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in KU's season-opening win over Michigan State. Freshman Quintin Grimes made six 3-pointers and scored 21 points. | -- | 5-0 |
| 3 |  | Reigning SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams got 13 points and seven rebounds in UT's season-opening victory over Lenoir-Rhyne. The Vols shot 56.7 percent from the field. | 1 | 5-0 |
| 4 |  | Rui Hachimura got 33 points and four rebounds in the Zags' season-opening win over Idaho State. Zach Norvell added 23 points and seven rebounds. | 1 | 5-0 |
| 5 |  | Jordan Caroline finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds in Nevada's season-opening win over BYU. Caleb Martin added 21 points on 13 shots. | 1 | 4-1 |
| 6 |  | Ty Jerome got 20 points and four assists in Virginia's season-opening win over Towson. The Cavaliers made 10-of-26 3-point attempts. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 7 |  | Preseason All-American Luke Maye finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in UNC's season-opening win at Wofford. Freshman Nassir Little added seven points and three assists. | 1 | 2-1 |
| 8 |  | Eric Paschall and Phil Booth combined for 43 points in Villanova's season-opening win over Morgan State. The Wildcats have now won 12 straight games dating back to last season. | 1 | 3-3 |
| 9 |  | The Wildcats allowed Duke to score 118 points in their 34-point season-opening loss to the Blue Devils. It was the most lopsided loss of John Calipari's career. | 8 | 4-0 |
| 10 |  | Chuma Okeke finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Auburn's season-opening win over South Alabama. Jared Harper had 20 points, 13 assists and five rebounds. | -- | 4-0 |
| 11 |  | The Spartans made 12 3-pointers against Kansas but still lost their season-opener in the Champions Classic. Josh Langford scored a team-high 18 points. | -- | 4-1 |
| 12 |  | The Wildcats open their season Friday night against Kennesaw State. They return every relevant player from last season's team that made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. | -- | 3-1 |
| 13 |  | The Hokies open their season Friday night against Gardner Webb. They'll be playing without Chris Clarke, who is indefinitely suspended. | -- | 3-2 |
| 14 |  | P.J. Savoy made five 3-pointers in FSU's season-opening win over Florida. Terance Mann added nine points and nine rebounds. | -- | 4-1 |
| 15 |  | The Bulldogs open their season Friday night against Austin Peay. They return the top six scorers from a 25-win team. | -- | 4-0 |
| 16 |  | The Mountaineers open their season Friday night against Buffalo. They've made four straight NCAA Tournaments. | -- | 3-1 |
| 17 |  | Payton Pritchard scored 22 points in Oregon's season-opening win over Portland State. Freshman Bol Bol added 12 points and 12 rebounds in 23 minutes. | -- | 5-0 |
| 18 |  | Freshman Moses Brown finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds in UCLA's season-opening win over Fort Wayne. Kris Wilkes got a career-high 27 points. | -- | 4-1 |
| 19 |  | Four LSU freshmen reached double-figures in points in the Tigers' season-opening win over Southeastern Louisiana. Emmitt Williams had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. | -- | 4-1 |
| 20 |  | The Horned Frogs open their season Wednesday night against Cal State Bakersfield. They lost to Syracuse in the Round of 64 of last season's NCAA Tournament. | -- | 4-1 |
| 21 |  | Jon Teske got 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in Michigan's season-opening win over Norfolk State. It doubled as the 800th career win of John Beilein's career. | -- | 4-1 |
| 22 |  | Oshae Brissett finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Syracuse's season-opening win over Eastern Washington. The Orange scored 33 points off of Eastern Washington's 19 turnovers. | -- | 3-1 |
| 23 |  | Freshman Jalen Smith got 19 points and 13 rebounds in Maryland's season-opening win over Delaware. Bruno Fernando and Anthony Cowan each added 15 points. | -- | 4-1 |
| 24 |  | Marcquise Reed got 20 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals in Clemson's season-opening win over The Citadel. Elijah Thomas added 15 points and nine rebounds. | -- | 4-1 |
| 25 |  | Freshman Romeo Langford, Indiana's reigning Mr. Basketball, scored 19 points in the Hoosiers' season-opening win over Chicago State. Seventeen of the 19 came in the opening 20 minutes. | -- | 4-0 |
| 26 |  | The Bearcats open their season Wednesday night against Ohio State. They've made eight straight NCAA Tournaments. | -- | 4-0 |
