The Blue Devils will begin their NCAA tournament journey close to home before facing a treacherous road to the Final Four.
Duke (26-8, 13-5 in the ACC) earned the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region of this year's 68-team field. The Blue Devils will take on 14th-seeded Mercer in a second-round matchup at PNC Arena in Raleigh Friday at 12:15 p.m. This year's Midwest Regional semifinal and final will be held in Indianapolis, where the Blue Devils captured the 2010 national championship.
The Midwest Region could be the toughest in this year's tournament, headlined by No. 1 seed Wichita State—which enters the Big Dance boasting a perfect 34-0 record. Duke could face a potential Sweet 16 matchup with No. 2 seed Michigan, which the Blue Devils defeated at Cameron Indoor Stadium Dec. 3. The region's No. 4 seed is defending national champion Louisville, which knocked the Blue Devils out in the Elite Eight of last year's tournament.
The ACC was represented with six teams in this year's NCAA tournament field. Virginia, which beat Duke Sunday in the championship game of the ACC tournament, earned the No. 1 seed in the East Region, which is based in New York. Syracuse and Pittsburgh are both playing in the South Region, with the Orange earning a No. 3 seed and the Panthers seeded ninth. N.C. State was one of the last four teams to make it into this year's field, earning a No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region.
Arizona and Florida also earned No. 1 seeds in the West and South Regions, respectively.
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