Duke Is Sliding In NCAA Tournament Bracket Projections
NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 01: Associate head coach Jon Scheyer of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during their practice session ahead of the 2022 Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four at Caesars Superdome on April 1, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Duke men's basketball has had an up-and-down last few weeks, splitting six ACC games. The Blue Devils are currently 13-5 on the season and 4-3 in league play.
As a result of Saturday's loss at Clemson, Duke dropped out of the AP top 25 poll. That isn't the only place the Blue Devils lost ground either.
In CBS Sports' latest Bracketology update from Jerry Palm, Duke has fallen to a No. 7 seed. The Blue Devils are also a seven seed in Dave Ommen's updated "Bracketville" projection.
Additionally, Duke also dropped a seed line--from 5 to 6--in Joe Lunardi's newest bracket for ESPN, as well as in Brad Wachtel's "Facts and Bracks" update.
Now, despite their recent struggles, the Blue Devils still have neutral court wins over Iowa and Xavier and beat Ohio State and Pitt at home. They are solidly in the NCAA Tournament field as of now.
However, the upcoming schedule is challenging, with two games against No. 17 Miami, a trip to No. 10 Virginia and home games against UNC and Wake Forest all in the next four weeks.
Duke's biggest issues have included a lack of consistency from its crop of freshmen and a team-wide inability to shoot the ball from the perimeter.
Perhaps having an entire week to prepare for Saturday afternoon's home game against Miami will help them make strides in those areas.
