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College basketball rankings: Duke tops USA TODAY Sports coaches poll ahead of March Madness
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- College basketball rankings: Duke tops USA TODAY Sports coaches poll ahead of March Madness
With all the conference tournaments in the books, the voters in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball coaches poll weighed in one last time before the nation turns its attention to March Madness .
Duke will enter the NCAA tournament as the top-ranked team, retaining the No. 1 spot it has held for the last three weeks after winning the ACC tournament short-handed . The Blue Devils received 26 of 31 first-place votes, but Big 12 champion Arizona nudged a bit closer. The Wildcats stay in the No. 2 spot overall with the remaining five No.-1 nods.
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Michigan, still a likely top regional seed despite coming up short against Purdue in the Big Ten title game , holds at No. 3. Florida, likewise, stays put at No. 4 after falling in the SEC tournament semifinals. The Big 12 holds down the next two spots as Houston stays at No. 5 and Iowa State moves up a notch to No. 6 swapping spots with No. 7 Connecticut.
TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
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ACC runner-up Virginia moves up three places to No. 8, Big East champ St. John's Vaults four spots to No. 9, and West Coast champ Gonzaga climbs two positions to round out the top 10.
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The later tournament results produced only slight movement in the poll. Purdue makes the most significant leap after its run to the Big Ten final, a five-position gain to No. 13. SEC champ Arkansas moves up only a couple of places to No. 15. Tennessee sneaks back into the poll at No. 25, replacing no longer unbeaten Miami (Ohio).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball rankings: Duke leads poll ahead of March Madness
