Duke lands in East Region as 1-seed
Blue Devils will play American or Mount St. Mary's in first round
Duke is headed to the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed for the 15th time in program history.
The Blue Devils are the No. 2 overall seed for the men’s NCAA tournament, as announced on CBS on Sunday night. Their first-round game will be against American or Mount St. Mary's on Friday in Raleigh, with a second-round game to follow on Sunday against either 8-seed Mississippi State or 9-seed Baylor.
The Blue Devils probably had a 1-seed locked up before this past week’s ACC tournament. Three games in Charlotte weren’t exactly a cakewalk for the league’s regular-season champs — made more difficult by injuries to Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown on Thursday — but the Blue Devils punched their ticket to the program’s 47th NCAA tournament by beating Louisville 73-62 on Saturday night in Charlotte.
To reiterate a point from late Saturday night: Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, "I think it's trending in a great way where Cooper will be ready to go right away in the NCAA Tournament."
Duke is tied for the second-most 1-seeds in NCAA tournament history. Kansas also has been a 1-seed 15 times; North Carolina has the record with 18 such berths.
Four of Duke’s five national championships — the last four — have come with Duke as a No. 1 seed. Duke’s first title, in 1991, was as a 2-seed.
Duke’s last No. 1 seed was in 2019 with Zion Williamson leading the way, which also came on the heels of winning the ACC championship in Charlotte. The Blue Devils lost to Michigan State in the Elite 8 to end that season.
That is the only 1-seed Duke has earned since its last national championship, in 2015. In the previous two seasons under Scheyer, Duke was a 5-seed in 2023 and a 4-seed last season.
While this team is obviously a title contender with higher hopes, it’s worth noting that in 14 previous times as a 1-seed, Duke has never failed to reach the Sweet 16.
Duke is 6-2 in its history of playing NCAA tournament games in Raleigh — but recent history brings up a painful memory. The Blue Devils’ last NCAA tournament game in Raleigh was 2014 tournament-opening loss to 14-seed Mercer. The other loss was to St. John’s in 1979. Duke’s six wins in Raleigh in NCAA tournament games were in 1964, ’66 and 2004 (two apiece).
**********
Did you enjoy this story? If so, subscribe to Devils Illustrated as a premium member to read *every* in-depth, objective, substantive story. Click here, subscribe, and stop missing out!
-
NCAA Tournament: Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida awarded top seeds in men’s bracket
The Auburn Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars and Florida Gators were selected as No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.NBC News - 4h -
March Madness: Breaking down the race for NCAA men's tournament No. 1 seeds
Auburn remains the clear-cut No. 1 overall seed and Duke seems like a lock, but the other two spots are up for grabs heading into conference tournament week.Yahoo Sports - 6d -
UCLA lands NCAA's No. 1 overall women's seed
UCLA, South Carolina and Texas, who all had a turn at No. 1 this season in the Associated Press poll, joined USC on Sunday as the top seeds in the women's NCAA basketball tournament, which will ...ESPN - 1h -
NCAA tournament bracket revealed: Auburn announced as No. 1 overall seed ahead of Duke
Johni Broome will look to lead Auburn to the program's first NCAA championship.Yahoo Sports - 5h -
Auburn, Duke top men's NCAA field; SEC gets 14
Overall top seed Auburn was joined by Duke, Houston and Florida as 1-seeds, and a record 14 teams from the SEC were selected to participate in the NCAA tournament.ESPN - 1h -
Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket: UCLA lands overall No. 1 seed
Entering Sunday’s women’s NCAA Tournament bracket reveal, there was a looming question about who would be the field’s top seed. In a season full of parity, SEC tournament champion South Carolina ...Yahoo Sports - 2h -
Where Duke basketball’s NCAA Tournament resume stands as March Madness arrives
Duke basketball will be among the top seeds in March Madness. Here’s where the Blue Devils’ 2025 NCAA Tournament resume stands on Selection Sunday.Yahoo Sports - 16h -
College basketball rankings: Duke's outlook still positive despite Cooper Flagg going down in ACC Tournament
The Blue Devils are still a lock to secure a 1-seed in the upcoming NCAA TournamentCBS Sports - 2d -
Duke women’s basketball to face Lehigh to open March Madness in 2025 NCAA Tournament
Duke women's basketball just won its first ACC tournament championship in 12 years, and now the Blue Devils head into March Madness as a No. 2 seed.Yahoo Sports - 2h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Nets rally to beat Hawks, snap 3-game skid
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets took care of business on Sunday, with complete disregard for NBA Draft lottery odds, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 122-114 at Barclays Center on the second night of a ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Texas hoping to make a move with 5-star CB Havon Finney
Havon Finney is one of the country's top players, and Texas is a school that's high on his list.Yahoo Sports - 29m -
Steelers sign veteran Patriots DT Daniel Ekuale in free agency
The Steelers seem to have found their defensive lineman, as veteran DT Daniel Ekuale signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent.Yahoo Sports - 30m -
Detroit draws 14,288 fans to watch PWHL game, setting U.S. record for pro women’s hockey game
The Professional Women’s Hockey League game broke the mark as part of its Takeover Tour of potential expansion venues at Little Caesars Arena, a year after 13,736 fans watched women on the same ...Yahoo Sports - 33m -
No. 24 WVU takes down Oklahoma State on Jace Rineart's home run
Mar. 16—MORGANTOWN — Jace Rineart's two-run home run in the seventh inning provided the winning runs. WVU relief pitcher Chase Meyer still made the biggest impact for the 24th-ranked Mountaineers, ...Yahoo Sports - 33m
More in Sports
-
March Madness 2025 bracket: NCAA Tournament picks, predictions from top-rated college basketball model
SportsLine's model has nailed 20 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds and revealed its NCAA Tournament bracket 2025CBS Sports - 13m -
Nets rally to beat Hawks, snap 3-game skid
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets took care of business on Sunday, with complete disregard for NBA Draft lottery odds, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 122-114 at Barclays Center on the second night of a ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Michigan wins the Big Ten Tournament, gets No. 5 seed. Make it make sense
The Wolverines earned more respect than the committee showed on SundayCBS Sports - 27m -
Texas hoping to make a move with 5-star CB Havon Finney
Havon Finney is one of the country's top players, and Texas is a school that's high on his list.Yahoo Sports - 29m -
Steelers sign veteran Patriots DT Daniel Ekuale in free agency
The Steelers seem to have found their defensive lineman, as veteran DT Daniel Ekuale signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent.Yahoo Sports - 30m