The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are complete, and even in a chalk-heavy year, with every No. 1 and No. 2 seed escaping the opening weekend, the tournament always feels a little upside-down as teams underachieve and overachieve.
ESPN staff writer Myron Medcalf took on the task of re-seeding the last 16 teams left in the field based on their current form on Monday.
Despite being a No. 4 seed in the bracket, Medcalf has the Blue Devils as a ‘No. 3 seed’ and the ninth overall squad listed in his ranking.
“Duke had never quite reached its ceiling before the NCAA tournament,” Medcalf wrote. “But…always had the potential to put together the display we witnessed in the first two rounds.”
The Blue Devils safely got by Vermont in the opening round before pounding James Madison for a 93-55 win on Sunday. Freshman Jared McCain finished with 30 points and eight 3-pointers, the latter setting a new program tournament record. Medcalf pointed out that the Blue Devils are 6-2 when McCain scores 20 points.
The Blue Devils play Houston, who remained one of Medcalf’s No. 1 seeds, in the next round on Friday. In fact, all of Medcalf’s top seeds remained unchanged, with Connecticut, Purdue, and North Carolina all holding on to their top spots too.