Duke basketball earns a No. 1 seed in Andy Katz’s first bracket projection

College basketball analyst Andy Katz released his first bracket projection on Tuesday, including Duke as one of his No. 1 seeds.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz released his first bracket projection for the upcoming NCAA Tournament on Tuesday, and the Duke Blue Devils snagged one of his four top seeds.

The Blue Devils have won 10 straight games dating back to November 29, including a home win over the Auburn Tigers last month, as [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] becomes more of an awards favorite. The 18-year-old forward scored 42 points against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, setting a new ACC freshman record, and he’s tallied at least 19 in seven of Duke’s last nine games.

Katz put Duke third in his weekly power rankings on Monday, so their placement in his bracket isn’t a surprise. He put the Blue Devils atop the East region alongside the Florida Gators, Memphis Tigers, and Michigan Wolverines.

Auburn, the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Iowa State Cyclones claimed the top spot in the other three regions.

Four other ACC teams made Katz’s field, but none of them climbed any higher than a No. 8 seed. The North Carolina Tar Heels ended up as the No. 8 in the West region, setting up a potential Alabama rematch in the second round.