College Basketball Showdowns: Duke and Iowa State Claim Landmark Road Wins
Duke and Iowa State achieve substantial victories during away games, challenging the common perception of home-court advantage.
Regular listeners of the CBS Sports Eye On College Basketball Podcast might recognize the term “building-truster” I coined to satirically advocate for always favoring home teams. This past weekend proved to be an unfavorable one for the building-truster mindset, particularly within the Big Ten.
Key Outcomes:
- Final score: Duke 66, Michigan State 60
- Final score: Iowa State 81, Purdue 58
The Blue Devils and Cyclones succeeded in two challenging venues against top-tier opponents, guided by elite coaching, notching significant victories. Iowa State stood out by beating Purdue—a top-ranked team—by a remarkable 23 points.
“We played our absolute best,” stated Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger. “Facing an elite team like this requires everything you’ve got, and we managed to deliver.”
Thanks to Duke’s undefeated status and their recent away victory, they have propelled themselves to No. 3 in the CBS Sports rankings. Iowa State follows closely at No. 4. Arizona maintains the top spot for the 18th consecutive day, while Michigan comes in at No. 2.
The Top 25 rankings reflect the teams currently above a 30 net rating—a surging trend suggesting one of these might clinch the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
