Duke fans will have a nervous wait for Selection Sunday.
The Blue Devils are right on the edge of the line between a No. 3 and No. 4 seed after a quarterfinal loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament. ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi had Duke as the 12th overall seed after the upset, the lowest No. 3 seed in the field.
With the pressure mounting and a number of teams able to potentially jump Duke up to the 3-seed line, the Blue Devils got a favor from the Kentucky Wildcats.
Kentucky, another No. 3 seed in Lunardi’s projections, got bounced from the SEC Tournament in a 97-87 quarterfinal loss to unranked Texas A&M.
After the Wolfpack beat Virginia to move on to the ACC title game, the ESPN expert voted to keep Duke over Kentucky.
The final countdown…six teams for three spots. pic.twitter.com/gGnKqVNJs8
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 16, 2024
The Blue Devils remained the 12th overall seed while Kentucky fell down to 14th. Illinois made the jump past Duke into the 11th overall spot, now firmly in line for a No. 3 spot in the ESPN expert’s eyes.
Despite the break, however, the new 13th overall team is still a threat. Auburn plays Mississippi State in the SEC semifinals on Saturday, and a win could still kick Duke down a line.
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