Latest Bracketology Has Lofty Projection for Blue Devils

The No. 5-ranked Duke Blue Devils (18-1, 7-0 ACC) have established themselves as one of the premier teams in college basketball this season and a perennial national title contender. Across the first two months of the 2025-26 campaign, the Blue Devils have put together arguably the best résumé in the nation.

Head coach Jon Scheyer has never shied away from giving his teams brutal non-con slates, and that hasn't been different this season. The Blue Devils currently own a 6-1 record against ranked opponents and are still slated to match up against No. 3 Michigan on Feb. 21 in at Capital One Arena.

With the elite body of work that the Blue Devils are putting together, they're becoming an increasingly difficult team to argue against earning a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Very few squads have the résumé that Duke possesses, and as long as it doesn't slip up and add a Quadrant 2 or worse loss on the record, it will be in a very good spot.

The Blue Devils have another opportunity to stack a Quadrant 1 victory on Monday night, as Duke will host No. 23 Louisville (14-5, 4-3 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7:00 pm ET.

Jan 24, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) shoots a three-pointer in front of Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Tre'Von Spillers (25) during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Duke on 1-Seed Line in Latest ESPN Bracketology

In ESPN's latest Bracketology update for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Duke is slotted as a 1-seed along with Michigan, UConn, and Arizona.

The Blue Devils currently rank No. 3 in the NCAA NET Rankings, trailing only Arizona and Michigan, in that order. Duke currently owns an 8-1 record in Quad 1, an 11-1 record across the first two Quadrants, and a 6-0 record in true road games.

those Showtime 3's hit different pic.twitter.com/hL549YFjdK
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 25, 2026

Only Arizona boasts at least eight Quad 1 victories on the résumé, and only UConn sits with at least six true road wins with no losses.

ACC Well Represented in Latest Bracketology Update

The ACC is in the midst of a massive bounce-back season after a few straight years of mediocrity. In the latest update, the conference has a projected nine teams in the field, the second-most of any conference.

The Big Ten leads with 10 projected teams in the big dance, followed by the ACC and SEC, both sitting with nine.

FOUR BLUE DEVILS 👀👀👀👀👿 pic.twitter.com/InjkPF1p50
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 25, 2026

The other ACC squads in the field include: Virginia (4-seed), Louisville (6-seed), North Carolina (6-seed), Clemson (6-seed), SMU (7-seed), Miami (10-seed), NC State (10-seed), and Virginia Tech (Last Four In).

Duke looks to improve to 8-0 to begin league play against the Cardinals on Monday night.

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