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Projected college basketball rankings after Duke loss to Louisville

By Cody Williams

Jan 10, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) looks on from the court during the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) looks on from the court during the first half against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
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Projecting the top 10 in the college basketball rankings following the Duke Blue Devils losing to the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday

The No. 7 ranked Duke Blue Devils suffered a loss in Tallahassee to the Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday to start their week in a less-than-ideal fashion. However, they had a chance for redemption this weekend. Going on the road again, they faced another ranked ACC opponent in the Louisville Cardinals. Unfortunately for Duke, the result was similar to that against FSU.

With the Blue Devils’ high-powered offensive attack stifled by the Cardinals’ suffocating defense, they couldn’t find a rhythm all day long. Then, Louisville was able to take advantage of Duke missing big man Amile Jefferson. The home team relentlessly crashed the boards and created second chances all day. In the end that was enough for them to pull away for the victory, 78-69.

After two losses—even to ranked in-conference opponents—Duke surely is set to drop out of the top-10 in the college basketball rankings. And with other big losses from top-10 teams this week, there are going to be more shakeups. Subsequently, let’s take a stab at projected what the next batch of rankings will look like.

Here’s the projected top 10 in the college basketball rankings following Duke’s second loss of the week:

1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Villanova Wildcats
3. UCLA Bruins
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs
5. Baylor Bears
6. Kentucky Wildcats
7. Florida State Seminoles (Playing North Carolina on Saturday)
8. Creighton Blue Jays
9. West Virginia Mountaineers
10. North Carolina Tar Heels (Playing Florida State on Saturday)

Plenty could still change in regards to these projections given the top-10 teams in action on Saturday. However, this is where things stand after the Duke loss.

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Between the Grayson Allen controversy (which may be reignited once again after Saturday) and the leave of absence for head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils look discombobulated right now. If they want to realize their title hopes, something is going to have to turn around in a big way through the heart of ACC play.