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Duke fans, and Duke haters alike, must feel like a bit of history is repeating.
After knocking off North Carolina for the ACC Tournament title Sunday afternoon, the NCAA selection committee threw Coach K’s kids a bone, making them the fourth No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Not only was Duke awarded a top seed, which it probably didn’t deserve, but it was also placed in the weaker regional – in my opinion – of the four regional brackets.
The Blue Devils’ path in the West Regional will cross with either Michigan or Tennessee in the third round, perhaps Arizona or Texas in the regional semis, and may very well set up a date with No. 2 San Diego State from the MWC or a dog-tired UConn squad in the regional final.
Duke was dealt a similar card in last year’s NCAA. After finishing with another ACC Tournament title, in a very shallow conference, the Blue Devils were tagged as a No.1 seed in the South Regional. Among the notables in that regional were No. 2 Villanova, No. 3 Baylor, No. 4 Purdue and No. 5 Texas A&M.
When compared to the other regionals’ top teams, the South seemed like a steal for Duke, while other top seeds like Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse were grouped among programs like Ohio State, West Virginia and Kansas State. And while the top seeds dropped liked flies throughout March, the Dukies kept rolling, eventually beating Butler in the national title game.
This season seems to be set up for a similar result. Ohio State, Kansas and Pittsburgh round out the tournament’s top seeds. The Buckeyes are in the East Regional, possibly facing the likes of Kentucky, Syracuse, Washington and North Carolina.
The Jayhawks could run into Notre Dame, which should have grabbed a No. 1 seed, Purdue, Louisville, and Vanderbilt in the Southwest. There are also some tricky teams like Texas A&M, Florida State, Georgetown and red-hot Richmond in the bracket.
The Panthers, the top seed in the Southeast, could have probable run-ins with Florida, BYU, Wisconsin, Kansas State, not to mention Michigan State or Butler – two underachieving Final Four teams from last season. Throw in a wildcard like St. John’s, who has toppled top teams all season, and Pitt has the toughest path to the Final Four.
Duke, which finished the season with a 30-4 record (19-14-0 ATS), a strength of conference schedule of 91, and notable non-con wins over Marquette, Butler, Michigan State, Kansas State, does have some RPI doozies in that side of the bracket – if you believe in that sort of witch craft.
San Diego State finished third in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) at .6672, Texas was 10th (.6352), UConn was 14th (.6305), Arizona was 19th (.6170) and Temple was 30th (.5989). However, each of those teams, the biggest threats to Duke’s second straight Final Four appearance, have glaring flaws.
The Aztecs are out of the overhyped Mountain West and picked up their best win against a team missing its second-best player.
Texas and Rick Barnes have never lived up to tourney hype and are relying heavily on a bunch of underclassmen to carry them.
Connecticut just went through the Big East gauntlet and has nothing left in the tank.
Arizona didn’t have what it took in the soft Pac-10 conference and has trouble winning away from home.
Temple crapped out in the A-10 Tournament and had a beefed up RPI due to a mish-mash non-conference sked which featured losses to Cal, Texas A&M and Villanova.
And, on top of that golden road to Houston, Duke may get all-world freshman point guard Kyrie Irving back after he missed the last four months with a foot injury. Irving, who was on pace to win Player of the Year, warmed up with the team during the ACC Tournament and told reporters he could return in the NCAA.
With Irving back at the helm and a series of cupcake contenders in the way, it looks like my prediction of another Blue Devils title is about to come true.
All I needed was a little help from the selection committee and some of that ‘ole Dukie March magic.
After knocking off North Carolina for the ACC Tournament title Sunday afternoon, the NCAA selection committee threw Coach K’s kids a bone, making them the fourth No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Not only was Duke awarded a top seed, which it probably didn’t deserve, but it was also placed in the weaker regional – in my opinion – of the four regional brackets.
The Blue Devils’ path in the West Regional will cross with either Michigan or Tennessee in the third round, perhaps Arizona or Texas in the regional semis, and may very well set up a date with No. 2 San Diego State from the MWC or a dog-tired UConn squad in the regional final.
Duke was dealt a similar card in last year’s NCAA. After finishing with another ACC Tournament title, in a very shallow conference, the Blue Devils were tagged as a No.1 seed in the South Regional. Among the notables in that regional were No. 2 Villanova, No. 3 Baylor, No. 4 Purdue and No. 5 Texas A&M.
When compared to the other regionals’ top teams, the South seemed like a steal for Duke, while other top seeds like Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse were grouped among programs like Ohio State, West Virginia and Kansas State. And while the top seeds dropped liked flies throughout March, the Dukies kept rolling, eventually beating Butler in the national title game.
This season seems to be set up for a similar result. Ohio State, Kansas and Pittsburgh round out the tournament’s top seeds. The Buckeyes are in the East Regional, possibly facing the likes of Kentucky, Syracuse, Washington and North Carolina.
The Jayhawks could run into Notre Dame, which should have grabbed a No. 1 seed, Purdue, Louisville, and Vanderbilt in the Southwest. There are also some tricky teams like Texas A&M, Florida State, Georgetown and red-hot Richmond in the bracket.
The Panthers, the top seed in the Southeast, could have probable run-ins with Florida, BYU, Wisconsin, Kansas State, not to mention Michigan State or Butler – two underachieving Final Four teams from last season. Throw in a wildcard like St. John’s, who has toppled top teams all season, and Pitt has the toughest path to the Final Four.
Duke, which finished the season with a 30-4 record (19-14-0 ATS), a strength of conference schedule of 91, and notable non-con wins over Marquette, Butler, Michigan State, Kansas State, does have some RPI doozies in that side of the bracket – if you believe in that sort of witch craft.
San Diego State finished third in the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) at .6672, Texas was 10th (.6352), UConn was 14th (.6305), Arizona was 19th (.6170) and Temple was 30th (.5989). However, each of those teams, the biggest threats to Duke’s second straight Final Four appearance, have glaring flaws.
The Aztecs are out of the overhyped Mountain West and picked up their best win against a team missing its second-best player.
Texas and Rick Barnes have never lived up to tourney hype and are relying heavily on a bunch of underclassmen to carry them.
Connecticut just went through the Big East gauntlet and has nothing left in the tank.
Arizona didn’t have what it took in the soft Pac-10 conference and has trouble winning away from home.
Temple crapped out in the A-10 Tournament and had a beefed up RPI due to a mish-mash non-conference sked which featured losses to Cal, Texas A&M and Villanova.
And, on top of that golden road to Houston, Duke may get all-world freshman point guard Kyrie Irving back after he missed the last four months with a foot injury. Irving, who was on pace to win Player of the Year, warmed up with the team during the ACC Tournament and told reporters he could return in the NCAA.
With Irving back at the helm and a series of cupcake contenders in the way, it looks like my prediction of another Blue Devils title is about to come true.
All I needed was a little help from the selection committee and some of that ‘ole Dukie March magic.
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