Tuesday was unofficially Bracketology Day in the men’s college basketball world, and Kevin Sweeney got in on the projected fun for Sports Illustrated with his full-field projection.
The Blue Devils ended up as the No. 3 seed in Sweeney’s South region with a first-round battle against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. They shared a region with Houston and Marquette as the top two seeds in the South, and a familiar ACC face appeared later in the bracket as well.
The Clemson Tigers slotted in as the fifth-ranked team in the region with a first-round battle against South Florida. The Tigers wouldn’t be set to battle Duke until the Elite Eight if they both get there in the projections, but a small chance exists for an ACC battle down the line.
The North Carolina Tar Heels remain the top-seeded ACC team despite the gap closing between them and Duke, and Sweeney had the Tar Heels as the 2-seed in the West.
Virginia, the last team in the conference to make the field, finished as the 10-seed in the East. Wake Forest and Pittsburgh are both among the top eight teams on the outside looking in.