Following a week in which the Duke Blue Devils suffered an overtime loss to Syracuse and a close victory over then-No. 2 Virginia, the Blue Devils dropped one spot from No. 1 to No. 2 in Monday’s AP Top 25.
The Blue Devils will be traveling to Pittsburgh without the services of freshman point guard Tre Jones, head coach Mike Krzyzewski said during the ACC teleconference on Monday. Jones hasn’t played since Duke’s Jan. 14 loss to Syracuse, when he separated his shoulder, but has resumed practicing.
“He’s not going to play unless something miraculous happens,” Krzyzewski said.
Jones, one of Duke’s four elite freshmen along with R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson, has averaged 29.3 minutes, 8.1 points per game and a team-high 5.7 assists per game as the Blue Devils’ primary point guard so far this season. He’s also one of Duke’s best outside defenders and averages 2.1 steals per game.
Tennessee moved up to the No. 1 spot, while the Cavaliers fells to No. 3, joining the Blue Devils and No. 9 Virginia Tech as three ACC members in the Top 10. North Carolina and NC State remain ranked, while Louisville joined the rankings for the first time this season, checking in at No. 23.
Florida State, which had been ranked No. 11, fell all the way out of the poll after an early-week loss at Pitt and followed that up with a loss to Boston College.
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