Michigan Basketball Falls in USA TODAY Coaches Poll After Loss to Duke

The No. 1 ranking was short lived for Michigan. After a dominant victory over Purdue this week, along with a close loss to No. 3 Duke at a neutral site, the Wolverines tumbled in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Michigan moved to No. 3 in the county. The Blue Devils moved up to No. 1 and Arizona climbed to No. 2 after upsetting Houston on Saturday. The Wolverines didn't receive any first-place votes.

Latest Coaches Poll top 25

Duke
Arizona
Michigan
Houston
Iowa State
UConn
Florida
Purdue
Gonzaga
Nebraksa
Illinois
Virginia
Michigan State
Kansas
St. John's
Texas Tech
Arkansas
Alabama
North Carolina
Louisville
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
BYU
Saint Louis
Miami (OH)

Is the No. 3 ranking justified?

Following the loss to Duke, we've been seeing people talking about how far Michigan should drop. Obviously, the Blue Devils were going to pass the Wolverines with both teams having the same record and Duke now having the head-to-head win.

But what about Arizona? The Wildcats' win over Houston was impressive. Arizona was without star freshman Koa Peat and the 'Cats won on the road against the Cougars.

Michigan does, however, have the better resume compared to both Duke and Arizona. The Wolverines have the No. 2 Strength of Schedule, per ESPN, and Duke has the No. 22 and the Wildcats have the No. 35 SOS.

But at the end of the day, all three programs are 25-2 and Michigan is the only team that suffered a loss on Saturday. Duke beat the Wolverines and Arizona upset Houston on the road. No. 3 feels justified and with big games coming up against Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan State, the Wolverines have a chance to make a major case for the No. 1 ranking in the next two weeks.

What's next for Michigan

The Wolverines have a chance to clinch a share of the Big Ten with a win over Minnesota on Tuesday. Then on Friday, Michigan heads to Illinois, which the Wolverines are 2.5 games ahead of the Illini. If Michigan can beat both Minnesota and Illinois, the Wolverines could win the Big Ten regular season outright.

The Gophers are toward the bottom of the Big Ten, having a 13-14 (6-10) record, but Michigan can't overlook Minnesota, either. We've already seen the Wolverines appear to take Northwestern lightly, the 'Cats took Michigan to the buzzer.

Then on Friday, it's a big one when Michigan travels to Illinois. There are plenty of implications on the line for that game and it will be a must-watch game.