Blue Devils jump Syracuse, get No. 1 seed in South region

After winning the ACC Tournament championship Sunday, the Blue Devils were granted a No. 1 seed in the South region of the NCAA Tournament.

Duke is the third overall seed in the postseason, and the selection committee tabbed it for a top seed ahead of teams like Syracuse, West Virginia and Ohio State. The Orange were ranked No. 1 in the country heading into their final game of the season, but dropped their regular-season finale and fell in their first round of the Big East Tournament. The Mountaineers and the Buckeyes also figured to be in contention for top seeds after winning their respective conference tournaments.

The Blue Devils will face the winner of the play-in game between Winthrop and Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Jacksonville, Fla. Friday in the first round.

With a win, Duke would advance to the Round of 32 to  face ninth seed Louisville or No. 8 California. The Cardinals upset Syracuse twice this season and are coached by Hall of Famer Rick Pitino, while the Golden Bears won the regular season title in the Pac-10, the weakest of the big six conferences. Jamal Boykin, a former Duke forward who transferred to California after a single season as a Blue Devil, has become an effective player for the Golden Bears.

Also in the Blue Devils’ half of the regional are Texas A&M, Siena, Utah State and Purdue. The Boilermakers were in the discussion for a No. 1 seed but lost star Robbie Hummel to an ACL injury for the season several weeks ago and have struggled since. In the team’s most recent game, Purdue put up a meager 11 points in the first half against Minnesota.

If Duke gets to the Elite Eight, it could face two powerful Big East teams: Notre Dame and Villanova—the team that knocked the Blue Devils out of the Tournament in 2009. The Wildcats faded down the stretch, but their athleticism posed a significant challenge to Duke last season and this year’s Villanova squad is equally quick on the perimeter.

The other three No. 1 seeds in the Tournament are Syracuse, Kentucky and Kansas—the top overall seed.