BREAKING: ACC Shares Duke Basketball Update Before NCAA Tournament
The Duke Blue Devils had one of the best college basketball seasons in 2024-25, finishing with a 31-3 record and winning the ACC Tournament. Their strong performance earned them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. While Auburn was awarded the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, Duke secured the top spot in the final AP Top 25 poll.
The top five teams in the final rankings were:
- Duke
- Houston
- Florida
- Auburn
- St. John’s
The ACC highlighted Duke’s No. 1 ranking in a social media post, also noting that Louisville finished at No. 10 and Clemson at No. 12.
3 ACC teams make the Top 15 + Duke secures the No. 1 spot in the final AP Poll ahead of @MarchMadnessMBB 📈 pic.twitter.com/t1cAFUSkoz
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 17, 2025
As the top seed in the East Region, Duke will face the winner of the First Four matchup between Mount St. Mary’s and American in the opening round. The Blue Devils suffered a setback when star freshman and National Player of the Year frontrunner Cooper Flagg injured his ankle during their ACC Tournament quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech. However, Flagg is expected to return for the postseason.
“We’re pushing full steam ahead. Coop is eager to get back, and we’re aiming for Friday,” head coach Jon Scheyer said on Sunday. Flagg is expected to begin on-court work soon and could practice later in the week. Duke’s first-round NCAA Tournament game is set for Friday at 2:50 p.m. EST.