Duke fans and college softball fans alike sounded irate when the Blue Devils, who won 47 games and the ACC Tournament title, were awarded the 10th seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The USA TODAY Sports / NFCA Coaches Poll, released on Tuesday, seemed to agree that Duke got heavily undervalued. The newest ranking put the Blue Devils fourth behind just Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
The Longhorns, Sooners, and Blue Devils remain the only teams in the rankings with fewer than 10 losses. Duke players also won ACC Player of the Year (Claire Davidson), ACC Pitcher of the Year (Jala Wright), and ACC Defensive Player of the Year (Aminah Vega).
Duke will host South Carolina, Utah, and Morgan State during the start of the postseason. The winner of the four-team, double-elimination bracket will play the winner of the Columbia Regional hosted by Missouri.
The Tigers, despite being three spots higher than the Blue Devils in the postseason bracket, came in 10th in the Coaches Poll, six spots below the Blue Devils.