This time last year, Duke's scorching hot run to end the regular season and runaway ACC title culminated in a No. 5-seed for the NCAA tournament, one big first-round win and a crushing second-round punking by Tennessee. Later this week, the Blue Devils will begin their journey to avenge and move past that loss.
In Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, the Blue Devils — ranked 11th nationally following in the final regular-season AP poll — slotted in as a No. 4-seed in the tournament's South region, poising them to play No. 13-seed Vermont in the first round in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Should Duke's opener against the Catamounts be straightforward, it stares down the barrel of a loaded bracket featuring No. 1-seed Houston, No. 2-seed Marquette and No. 3-seed Kentucky. Other potential foes ahead of the Final Four are No. 6-seed Texas Tech, who Duke beat in its run to the national semifinals in 2022, No. 5-seed Wisconsin, who Duke beat in the 2015 national title game, and No. 7-seed Florida, fresh off an appearance in the SEC championship game.
The Blue Devils, tabbed as the country's preseason No. 2 overall team, endured an up-and-down but overall successful season. Head coach Jon Scheyer directed his group to a 24-7 record and 15-5 mark in the ACC, good for second behind the archrival Tar Heels. Duke's trip to Washington, D.C., for the conference tournament ended on a sour note, however, with eventual champions N.C. State triumphing against it in the quarterfinals. The Wolfpack, who earned an automatic bid with their tournament win, slotted in as a No. 11-seed in the South region alongside the Blue Devils, while fellow ACC schools North Carolina (No. 1-seed), Clemson (No. 6-seed) and Virginia (No. 10-seed) round out the conference's attendees.
As for the nonconference foes Duke played during the regular season, Michigan State earned a No. 9-seed, Baylor a No. 3-seed and Arizona a No. 2-seed, all in the West region.
Duke tips off against Vermont — a team which makes its third-consecutive appearance in the Big Dance — at 7:10 p.m. Friday in the Barclays Center. Should they advance, a Sunday date with one of the Badgers or James Madison awaits.
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Andrew Long is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.