Duke just climbed to No. 1 in the college basketball rankings but got knocked off on the road by Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils pulled off a mammoth win at the end of last week as they upended the much-touted Gonzaga Bulldogs in Las Vegas. That victory pushed the Blue Devils into the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Top 25 college basketball rankings with the Zags falling from that spot.
But then came Tuesday night with the Blue Devils going on the road to face the Ohio State Buckeyes as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
While Duke appeared to be in firm control of the game, taking a sizable lead into halftime, things started to slip away from them in the final 20 minutes. Battling foul trouble and some obvious trials of youth from even the great Paolo Banchero, the Buckeyes chipped away at the lead, taking control in the final minutes and ultimately notching a seismic upset, 71-66.
Now, the college basketball rankings are sure to get shaken up with the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils falling.
Projected college basketball rankings after Duke upset by Ohio State
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Baylor Bears
- Duke Blue Devils
- UCLA Bruins
- Villanova Wildcats
- Texas Longhorns
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Arkansas Razorbacks
Considering that Purdue had a legitimate chance to be the No. 1-ranked team in the latest rankings over Duke and then the Boilermakers beat the snot out of Florida State, they’re the easy choice to move up to the top spot in the rankings.
As for Duke, while they do have a head-to-head win over Gonzaga, losing to an unranked team should penalize them a bit, hence the drop to No. 4 behind the Bulldogs. With that said, they won’t be hit too hard as I expect Ohio State to get more respect, which will make the loss sting a bit less — especially in a true road game.
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