Duke's soft ACC schedule could be a factor in March Madness game vs. Arizona

The Blue Devils played the 60th toughest schedule in the country — easily the weakest among the Sweet 16 teams

Arizona guard Caleb Love (1) was held to eight points in the Wildcats' loss to Duke back in November. | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

By every available metric, the Atlantic Coast Conference was way down this season.

Only four ACC teams made the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament, and most college basketball experts agreed that only three teams deserved to get in. North Carolina received the most controversial at-large bid in this season's field of 68.

After the first round of March Madness, only one ACC team was left — No. 1 seed Duke.

The Blue Devils are unquestionably loaded with talent, led by All-American freshman Cooper Flagg, who will be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. But the question remains: How battle-tested is Duke?

How Duke's schedule stacks up vs. Arizona

Duke (33-3) has played in very few close games this season. Of their 36 games, only eight have been decided by eight points or less. The Blue Devils are 5-3 in those contests. And they've only played 12 Quad 1 games, by far the fewest of any remaining team in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke's opponent in the Sweet 16, No. 4 seed Arizona (24-12), just finished its first season in the BIg 12, which was the second-toughest conference in the nation behind the SEC. Seven Big 12 teams made the NCAA Tournament, and four are still playing. In the final NCAA NET Rankings, four Big 12 teams finished in the top 12, the same number as the SEC.

Arizona has played a slew of close games down the stretch and is 6-8 in games decided by eight points or less (or games that went into overtime). The Wildcats played 21 Quad 1 games, tied for the most in the country with Auburn and Kentucky.

"Obviously we've been battle tested," Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said last week. "According to KenPom — that's not the end all be all — but we played the fourth-hardest schedule in the country. So we've been tested. We've been tested from November through December through January, February, March. I mean we didn't really have an easy stretch. So this team's been tested and it knows that in order for us to win we know we have to play at our best. If we don't play at our best we're vulnerable like anybody else."

Arizona ended up with the eighth-toughest schedule in the country, and Duke played the 60th toughest schedule, according to KenPom — easily the weakest schedule of the 16 teams still playing.

Will it matter on Thursday night in Newark?