Duke March Madness Hub: Schedule, Seed, Opponent, and Path To Final Four

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is officially underway, and the Duke Blue Devils are gearing up to hunt their sixth National Championship in program history and first under head coach Jon Scheyer. Duke is entering the NCAA Tournament on an 11-game win streak, winning the ACC regular season and Tournament Championships.

Since Duke took down Michigan 68-63 in Washington, D.C. in late February, it remained in control of its own destiny in terms of earning the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness. The Blue Devils took care of business and now will enter the big dance as the team to beat.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer cuts down the net after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers in the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke Earns Top Overall Seed

As expected, Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Duke is currently the No. 1 team in the NCAA NET Rankings, the AP Poll, and at KenPom. The Blue Devils also ended the regular season with an 11-2 record against AP Top 25 teams, the most of any club in college basketball this season and tied for the most in a season in the AP Poll era.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) cuts down the net after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers in the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Scheyer's squad currently sits at 16-2 in Quadrant 1 games and 22-2 across the first two quadrants, owning more Quad 1 wins than any other team in the nation.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) celebrates after a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

NCAA Tournament First Round Schedule

The Round of 64 will take place from March 19-21. Duke will face its Round of 64 opponent on March 19 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. Tip-off is slated for 2:50 pm ET.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) goes up for a dunk against the Virginia Cavaliers during the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Duke's First Round Opponent

In the Round of 64, 1-seed Duke will face 16-seed Siena. The Saints defeated Merrimack 64-54 in the MAAC Championship game to earn an automatic bid to the big dance.

Siena enters the NCAA Tournament with a 23-11 overall record and a 13-7 record in league play. This is the trip to March Madness for the Saints since 2010.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks to a referee against the Virginia Cavaliers during the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Top Five Seeds in East Region

1-seed: Duke

2-seed: UConn

Got the 1️⃣ in the East‼️🕺🕺🕺 pic.twitter.com/pu1K9U8XLs
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 15, 2026

3-seed: Michigan State

4-seed: Kansas

📍 3/15/26 🪩🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺👿 pic.twitter.com/1DtnOzKcBE
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 15, 2026

5-seed: St. John's

Mar 13, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke's Path to the Final Four

Interestingly enough, the Blue Devils have faced two of the top five seeds in their region, Michigan State and Kansas, and beat both of them. Additionally, Louisville is the 6-seed in the East Region, which Duke has also taken down twice.

The East Region is led by defense, as all top five seeds rank highly in defensive rating. Duke is the No. 2 team in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. However, each of the other fop five seeds in the region ranks inside the top 15 nationally in that same metric.

Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) celebrates after a play against the Virginia Cavaliers during the men's ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Although, none of the other top five seeds in the Blue Devils' region rank inside the top 20 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Duke is clearly the most complete team in its region, ranked No. 4 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, and will have a target on its back from the Round of 64.