Duke almost a No. 2 seed in Lunardi’s top 16 ahead of Saturday’s game

With a few hours before Duke’s Saturday tipoff against Virginia, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi shared his top 16 overall teams and the Blue Devils are on the verge of a No. 2 seed.

Duke basketball could be a projected No. 2 seed as soon as Sunday morning.

Longtime ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi revealed his updated top 16 overall teams amid Saturday’s games, about two hours before Duke was scheduled to play Virginia.

The Blue Devils, currently ranked 10th in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, crept up to Lunardi’s ninth overall seed, the highest-ranked No. 3 in the bracket.

The 2-seeds, in order, were Tennessee, North Carolina, Marquette, and Iowa State, all of whom also play on Saturday.

Lunardi also had Virginia as one of the Last Four Byes, meaning a Saturday loss could demote them to the First Four games or even out of the tournament if the chips fall the wrong way.

Should any of the 2-seeds lose, or should Duke beat Virginia badly enough on their home court on Saturday evening, the Blue Devils would be next in line to take one of Lunardi’s top two seeds.

Lunardi’s projections aren’t the end-all, be-all for the NCAA Tournament, but with Duke 10th in the Coaches Poll and eighth in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric, it sounds like the Blue Devils could easily be in the discussion for a No. 2 spot with a strong final week.