Duke Has Seven Players on ESPN Greatest Ever Bracket
Duke landed seven former players in ESPN’s College Basketball Greatest of All Time bracket, which was unveiled on Thursday night. Fan votes will determine the winner in the tournament, which includes both men’s and women’s players.
Shane Battier is the 12-seed in the East region and will face 7-seed Len Bias of Maryland in the first round.
ESPN’s commentary for Battier said, “Though known more for his defense, Battier earned perhaps the ultimate trifecta of honor in 2001. That was the year he was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, the Naismith Player of the Year and the Wooden Award recipient.”
JJ Redick received an 11-seed in the same region and opens with 6-seed Sheryl Swoopes of the Texas Tech women. ESPN’s comment:
“The leading scorer in Duke history, Redick won two ACC Player of the Year awards and averaged 27 points on his way to earning Naismith and Wooden honors in 2006.”
Grant Hill is the 7-seed in the Duke-heavy East Region. He’ll face 10-seed Rebecca Lobo of UConn women in the first round. Lobo was an ESPN commentator on the bracket reveal, which could help boost her in the voting. ESPN’s comment:
“Forever remembered for the pass thrown the length of the court that enabled Christian Laettner's game-winning shot against Kentucky in the 1992 Elite Eight, Hill played in three Final Fours and won two national titles during his career at Duke.”
Bobby Hurley is the 8-seed in the region, facing 9-seed Allen Iverson in the first round. ESPN’s comment on him reads:
“Hurley is the D-I men's leader in career assists with 1,076. Despite teammate Christian Laettner's heroics in the 1992 Elite Eight against Kentucky, it was Hurley who earned Most Outstanding Player honors at that year's Final Four.”
Christian Laettner is the top seed in the South Region and will face BYU’s Jimmer Fredette.
“He did more than just make ‘The Shot’ against Kentucky in the 1992 Elite Eight. … Laettner's senior year still ranks as one of the greatest blends of pure scoring (21 points per game) and efficiency (shooting 58% on 2s and 56% on 3s) ever recorded,” ESPN wrote
Zion Williamson received the 9-seed in the South and will face 8-seed Danny Manning in the first round.
“In the seven postseason games Duke played in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, Williamson set a program record by averaging 26 points,” ESPN wrote in its commentary.
Jason Williams received the 6-seed in the Midwest and will face David Robinson in the first round in a Duke player vs Duke parent matchup. The Admiral is the father of 2020 senior Justin Robinson and has been a frequent guest at Cameron for the last four years.
“In each of Williams' three seasons at Duke, the Blue Devils ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll,” ESPN said.
Duke’s seven selections are more than any other team. Here are the 11 who received more than one bid to the tournament
Duke 7
UConn women 5
LSU men and Tennessee women 3
Georgetown, Houston, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, UCLA men and USC women 2
