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Projected college basketball rankings after UNC spoils Duke’s last home game with Coach K

By Cody Williams

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 05: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots over Paolo Banchero #5 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 05, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 05: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots over Paolo Banchero #5 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 05, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Duke was expecting a triumph at Cameron for Coach K’s final home game but rival UNC spoiled the party. College basketball rankings in the aftermath.

The stage was set for a magical night in Durham. Duke basketball had countless program legends inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night for what was legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at home in his career. Naturally, it was against their biggest rivals in the UNC Tar Heels.

Considering that the Blue Devils blasted North Carolina by 20 points in Chapel Hill earlier in the season, it seemed highly likely that Coach K would be able to end his time at Cameron with another victory.

UNC had other plans. They showed tremendous fight from the opening tip and never relented. With Duke struggling to find the same offensive rhythm they did in the first meeting, they ended up digging themselves into a late hole they were unable to climb out of, giving the Blue Devils a 94-81 loss.

Now, the college basketball rankings are going to get shaken up a bit after the upset.

College basketball rankings: Projections after UNC upsets Duke in Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium

  1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  2. Arizona Wildcats
  3. Baylor Bears
  4. Auburn Tigers
  5. Kentucky Wildcats
  6. Duke Blue Devils
  7. Wisconsin Badgers
  8. Villanova Wildcats
  9. Kansas Jayhawks
  10. Purdue Boilermakers

Though the Tar Heels have been coming on strong down the stretch, the simple truth of the matter is that the Blue Devils lost at home to an unranked team that they previously beat by 20 points. That’s going to cause them to drop in the college basketball rankings.

With that said, losses earlier in the week from Purdue, Providence and Kansas will help cushion the fall and, more importantly, ensure that Duke doesn’t drop too far down in the top 10 of the rankings.

Having said that, Coach K’s team will have work to do if they want to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With the ACC Tournament looming, a strong performance there for the Blue Devils is wholly necessary to even have a chance at ending up on the top line.

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