3 Duke Blue Devils on Thin Ice After Embarrassing Loss to NC State

The No. 2 Duke Blue Devils suffered a disastrous loss to the No. 10 NC State Wolfpack in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals, falling 74-69 to lose for the second straight game and third time in their last six.

Losing to North Carolina in the final game of the regular season was one thing. The Tar Heels are legitimate title contenders, while NC State went 9-11 in the conference and likely needs to win the conference tournament to even make it to March Madness.

Duke just beat this team 11 days ago by 15 points, so the Blue Devils are trending in the wrong direction. They now sit at +3000 to win the championship and need to get right quickly if they're going to make a run. With that in mind, let's look at three Blue Devils on thin ice following the ugly performance.

3 Duke Blue Devils on Thin Ice After NC State Loss

1. Jeremy Roach

Roach has been fantastic this season, shooting just under 44% from beyond the arc while averaging 14 points per game. Unfortunately, this was likely his worst performance of the season and he's trapped in a slump.

After shooting 3-of-12 in the loss to North Carolina, Roach went 1-of-6 against NC State for five points with three turnovers and three fouls. DJ Horne repeatedly torched him on defense en route to 18 points and now Roach needs to find his rhythm if Duke has any chance at making the Final Four.

A senior leader on the team, Roach told reporters after the game that the Blue Devils would have a team meeting to discuss the problems. He was on a tear through the middle of the year but seems to have lost his shooting stroke, shooting 33% or less from the field in three of Duke's last four games.

Turnovers have been a consistent issue for most of the year and he has five in the previous two losses. Given the Blue Devils' relative lack of depth, particularly at guard, Duke can't survive extended slumps from Roach.

He's been a star for this team all year long, but the Blue Devils will be in for a swift exit in the NCAA Tournament if he doesn't turn things around.

Roach isn't the only guard on thin ice as you'll see on the next page, though first, make sure you've claimed FanDuel Sportsbook's $250 bonus to celebrate legal sports betting in North Carolina! Click here to sign up then bet $5 or more (with a $10 deposit) on any game today and you'll automatically receive $250 in bonus bets win or lose. The offer expires soon, so click here and sign up for FanDuel now!