Duke slips down in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll before March Madness

The Blue Devils dropped in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after last week’s loss to NC State, but how far did they fall?

Duke basketball suffered in the eyes of coaches after the NC State upset loss in the ACC Tournament.

The Blue Devils dropped three spots down to 14th in the poll released on Sunday after the quarterfinal loss to the Wolfpack, even though the in-state foes went on to win the conference crown.

Duke now sits 24-8 on the year after back-to-back losses against UNC (who dropped one spot to fifth in the rankings) and NC State.

The Blue Devils dropped below Auburn, Illinois, and Baylor.

Connecticut, the defending national champion, retook the top spot in the rankings just as they did in the AP Poll released on Monday. The Huskies received all 32 first-place votes.

Houston, Purdue, and Iowa State took the next three spots in the ranking.

No other ACC teams appeared in the top 25, but NC State and Pittsburgh both received votes. The Panthers were one of the committee’s First Four Out.