Auburn hops Duke for last No. 3 seed in Lunardi’s projections

While Duke fans anxiously await Selection Sunday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi dropped the Blue Devils down to a No. 4 seed in his Bracketology.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi thinks Duke fans might get some disappointing news on Selection Sunday.

The longtime bracket expert dropped the Blue Devils down to a No. 4 seed, his 13th overall team, in a Saturday afternoon update on social media. The slide comes in the wake of Duke’s quarterfinal loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament.

Duke dropped after Auburn, one of KenPom’s top 10 teams in the country, defeated Mississippi State to advance to the SEC Tournament final. The Tigers jumped up to Lunardi’s 12th-ranked team in the nation, the last No. 3 seed.

The move comes after Illinois jumped into Lunardi’s top 12 with a win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday evening. The Illini play Nebraska on Saturday afternoon, but a loss to the Cornhuskers likely wouldn’t be enough to drop Illinois back down.

The Blue Devils will know where they officially stand on Sunday evening when the full bracket is revealed.