DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — After having the best regular season record in the Atlantic Coast Conference and winning the tournament title, the Duke Blue Devils (28-3) earned a No. 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Duke is the top seed in the East region and will face the winner of the play-in round game between American and Mount St. Mary’s. The Blue Devils will play their first round game close to home at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Friday.
Duke finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll. But they had to play most of the conference tournament without ACC Player and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, who exited in the first half of the quarterfinal round game Thursday with an ankle injury. According to the program, Flagg will be available to play in the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils, with their group of star freshman that includes Flagg, ACC Tournament MVP Kon Knueppel and center Khaman Maluach, have been dominant all season, losing just once — at Clemson on Feb. 8 — since the start of 2025. They were undefeated at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season, notching a 17-0 record in Durham.
According to the NCAA Selection Committee, Duke is the tournament’s No. 2 overall seed, just behind Auburn. The Tigers, one of a record 14 teams from the Southeastern Conference, boast Johni Broome, one of the top contenders for national player of the year along with Flagg.