Photo by Michael Naclerio/The Chronicle
Finally, Duke is moving on up again.
After slipping in the polls for three straight weeks, the Blue Devils jumped from No. 9 to No. 7 Monday after a two-win week that included a 101-91 victory over then-No. 8 Wake Forest Sunday. Duke was ranked No. 1 Jan. 26, but fell to No. 4 the next week, then to No. 7, then teetered on the edge of the top 10 last week.
Pittsburgh took over the top spot in the rankings for the second time this year after it beat then-No. 1 Connecticut last Monday. UConn fell to No. 2, with Oklahoma coming in at No. 3. North Carolina, which lost to Maryland Saturday, fell from No. 3 to No. 4.
Clemson moved up to No. 12, while the Demon Deacons fell to No. 13. Florida State, the ACC's fifth team in the poll, finally cracked the top 25. The Seminoles sit at No. 23.
- Two writers, the Orlando Sentinel's Iliana Limon and The Olean Times-Herald's J.P. Butler, had Duke at No. 5.
- Ten voters placed Duke at No. 6.
- Eighteen ranked Duke No. 7. On this list: The Herald-Sun's Bryan Strickland, ESPN's Dick Vitale and Chronicle alumnus (and two-time sports editor!) John Feinstein.
- Seven had Duke at No. 8.
- Six voted Duke No. 9.
- Seven writers, including The Winston-Salem Journal's Bill Cole, seeded Duke No. 10.
- Twenty more had Duke outside the top 10. Notable voters: Dick Weiss (No. 11), Seth Davis (No. 12) and Will Vandervort (No. 19).
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