Duke Basketball Champ Secures NCAA Tournament Invite

Former four-year Duke basketball star Nolan Smith has his Tennessee State Tigers heading to the Big Dance.

Mar 17, 2011; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guards Kyrie Irving (1) and Nolan Smith (2) at practice the day before the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Nolan Smith enjoyed a whirlwind of good times last week. First, in the Duke basketball alum's debut season at the helm of the Tennessee Tigers, his squad captured the Ohio Valley Conference regular season crown for the first time since 1995. A few days later, he landed the honor of OVC Coach of Year.

And over the weekend, the 37-year-old Smith and his Tigers (23-9, 15-5 OVC), whose 21 regular season wins marked the program's most in over 60 years, backed up their No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament by cutting down the nets at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., following their commanding 93-67 championship bout victory over the Morehead State Eagles on Saturday night.

Duke Basketball Great on Tennessee State's Historic Achievements

With the win on Saturday night, Tennessee State's sixth in a row, the Tigers earned an automatic bid to March Madness for the first time since 1994.

Smith, a co-star in the backcourt alongside now-Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer for the 2009-10 Blue Devil national champions and a former assistant on now-retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski's staff in Durham, reflected on the title during a chat with Mid-Major Madness reporter Isaac Bourne.

NOLAN SMITH is an OVC CHAMPION is his FIRST YEAR as a head coach for Tennessee State.

“They weren’t scared of the moment. They were absolutely 100% ready for this.”

No flinching. No nerves. Just winning. pic.twitter.com/8jxLW3Huj3

— Isaac Bourne (@IsaacBourne_) March 8, 2026

"I'm just extremely proud of [my players]," Smith said with his son by his side and while sporting his 2010 Blue Devil national championship ring. "To come out here in this game, to play the way they played defensively, offensively, they weren't scared of the moment. They were absolutely 100 percent ready for the moment, and they captured it."

The latest Bracketology courtesy of ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects Smith's Tennessee State squad as a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Interestingly, although the likelihood of a matchup between the Tigers and the projected No. 1 overall seed Blue Devils would seem slim in this scenario, Lunardi places both Duke and Tennessee State in the East Region.

S/O Coach @NdotSmitty! 🪩 https://t.co/cKWMbwdMSl

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 8, 2026

As a Duke basketball senior in 2010-11, Nolan Smith became the ACC Player of the Year before hearing his name No. 21 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers at the 2011 NBA Draft. He played two seasons in the league.

Before being named the Tennessee State head coach back in July, Smith had stints as an assistant with the Duke Blue Devils (2016-22), Louisville Cardinals (2022-24), and Memphis Tigers (2024-25).

Mar. 28, 2010; Houston, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski with guard (2) Nolan Smith against the Baylor Bears during the finals of the south regional in the 2010 NCAA mens basketball tournament at Reliant Stadium. Duke defeated Baylor 78-71. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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