With the new calendar year upon us, the Duke Blue Devils seem to unquestionably be one of the four best men’s college basketball teams in the nation.
[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and his teammates slotted in at No. 4 in the updated AP Poll and the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll this week, and as of Friday, the Blue Devils still occupy one of Joe Lunardi’s No. 1 seeds in the latest ESPN Bracketology.
Riding the wave of seven straight wins to reach 11-2, Duke perched atop the West region in Lunardi’s updated field. The Blue Devils would play Central Connecticut in the opening round of his hypothetical bracket with either the Ole Miss Rebels and St. John’s Red Storm awaiting in the second round. The undefeated Florida Gators, UCLA Bruins, and Gonzaga Bulldogs rounded out the top four seeds in the West.
The Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and Iowa State Cyclones occupied the other three No. 1 spots in Lunardi’s bracket.
Four other ACC teams made the projected field: the Pittsburgh Panthers (No. 6 in the South), Clemson Tigers (No. 7 in the Midwest), SMU Mustangs (First Four), and North Carolina Tar Heels (First Four).