Duke drops out of AP Top 25 basketball rankings for the first time since 2007

Duke had a great run in the Associated Press’ top 25 men’s college basketball rankings.

And now, after 167 straight weeks, it’s over.

For the first time since the preseason poll of 2007-08, the Blue Devils are nowhere to be found in the weekly ranking of the nation’s best teams.

Duke started the season at No. 5, a ranking it held for two weeks. The defending national champs dipped a bit after a Nov. 17 loss to Kentucky but remained in the top 10 until an overtime loss to Utah on Dec. 19.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s team recovered to climb as high as No. 9 this year, but then the bottom dropped out. Losing four of their last five games, the 15-6 Blue Devils have disappeared from the poll a week after hanging on at No. 24.

UCLA still has the all-time record for most consecutive weeks in the ranking, putting together 221 straight from 1966-80. Kansas has the longest current run, at 136 straight weeks.

Oklahoma ranks at No. 1 for the third straight week.