Tag: ESPN bracketology

Duke basketball stays a No. 1 seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology projection

The Duke Blue Devils, now riding a 14-game win streak, are still a top seed in the latest Bracketology projection from Joe Lunardi.

The Duke Blue Devils found a way against the NC State Wolfpack on Monday, their second consecutive second-half sweat against an in-state rival. With an 18-2 record after 14 victories in a row, the team from Durham still looks like an inevitable No. 1 seed in the upcoming postseason bracket.

In a Tuesday update from ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi, the Blue Devils occupied the top spot in his East region. The Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Iowa State Cyclones occupied the other three No. 1 spots with Auburn listed as the top overall seed.

Lunardi pitted Duke against the Marist Red Foxes in the opening round. The hypothetical East region Lunardi put together could result in some fascinating matchups. The two-time defending national champion Connecticut Huskies could await the Blue Devils in the second game as the No. 8 seed, and the Michigan Wolverines could reignite some old rivalries as the No. 5 seed.

The Florida Gators, Michigan State Spartans, and Mississippi State Bulldogs took the top four seeds in the region.

Four other ACC teams found a spot in Lunardi’s bracket: the Louisville Cardinals (No. 6 in the West), Clemson Tigers (No. 7 in the South), Pittsburgh Panthers (No. 10 in the East), North Carolina Tar Heels (First Four)

Duke basketball remains a firm No. 1 seed in updated ESPN Bracketology projection

See where Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils are in the latest NCAA men’s basketball tournament projections from ESPN.

After yet another 20-point blowout over the weekend, this time over Boston College in its own arena, the Duke Blue Devils predictably stayed as one of Joe Lunardi’s top four seeds in ESPN’s latest men’s basketball tournament projections.

In the longtime bracket expert’s latest 68-team projection, [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and the Blue Devils ended up in the East region ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers, Michigan State Spartans, and Mississippi State Bulldogs as the top four seeds. The Michigan Wolverines (5 seed) and two-time defending national champion Connecticut Huskies (6 seed) also slotted into Duke’s corner of the bracket.

Duke would face off against 16-seed Quinnipiac in the opening round with Maryland or Baylor awaiting in the second game.

The Auburn Tigers, Iowa State Cyclones, and Alabama Crimson Tide took the other three No. 1 seeds. Four other ACC teams made Lunardi’s bracket, including the Louisville Cardinals (No. 6 in the Midwest), Clemson Tigers (No. 7 in the East), North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 10 in the South), and Pittsburgh Panthers (First Four).

What is Duke basketball’s latest draw in the updated ESPN Bracketology projection?

See who sits in Duke’s path to the Final Four in ESPN’s updated NCAA Tournament projections on Friday.

The Duke Blue Devils still have more than a month of the college basketball regular season left to play, but as of January 17, they look like a lock for one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Thanks to 18-year-old phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and two other five-star freshman starters, the Blue Devils have won 11 straight games to reach 15-2 on the year. In a weaker ACC field, the questions sound less like ‘Will Duke win the conference?’ and more like ‘Will Duke go 20-0?’.

So who might await the Blue Devils in March? The latest ESPN Bracketology projections might give the Cameron Crazies an idea.

Joe Lunardi shared his updated postseason field on Friday, and he kept the Blue Devils atop the East region as the No. 1 seed. Duke drew the Bryant Bulldogs in the opening round with either Maryland or San Diego State waiting in the hypothetical second game.

The Florida Gators nabbed the second seed in the region ahead of the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans, No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies, and No. 5 Connecticut Huskies. UConn, of course, has won the past two national championships, and the other three have combined to lose just seven games this season.

The Auburn Tigers, Iowa State Cyclones, and Tennessee Volunteers took the other three No. 1 spots.

Where are the Duke Blue Devils in ESPN’s latest men’s basketball Bracketology?

See where the Duke Blue Devils ended up in the latest ESPN Bracketology projections from Joe Lunardi.

The Duke men’s basketball team, unsurprisingly, kept itself as one of Joe Lunardi’s four No. 1 seeds in the updated ESPN Bracketology on Tuesday, but the Blue Devils found a familiar face in their projected region.

The North Carolina Tar Heels, now 11-6 thanks to three straight victories, slotted in as the No. 10 in Lunardi’s East region…the same region led by [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and the Blue Devils.

Even if Lunardi’s hypothetical bracket came to pass, a lot would need to go right for another Duke-UNC tournament game. The Blue Devils wouldn’t run into the Tar Heels until the Elite Eight, and their rivals would need to outlast the 2-seed Tennessee Volunteers and 3-seed Houston Cougars on the way there, but the point is that it’s possible.

Duke would face Morehead State in the opening round before taking on either Maryland or Texas Tech in the second. The Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Iowa State Cyclones took the other three No. 1 spots.

In a relatively weak season for the ACC, only three other members of the conference made Lunardi’s bracket: the Louisville Cardinals (No. 8, Midwest), Pittsburgh Panthers (No. 8, West), and Clemson Tigers (No. 9, South).

Duke holds on to No. 1 seed as UNC battles for tournament berth in ESPN Bracketology

Duke basketball kept itself as one of Joe Lunardi’s No. 1 seeds, but in an even sweeter twist, UNC is barely clinging to a tournament berth.

The Duke Blue Devils (13-2, 5-0) appear to have a straight shot at a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, but according to the latest ESPN Bracketology field from Joe Lunardi, the Cameron Crazies might have another thing to root for down the line.

The Blue Devils maintained their grip on one of the four No. 1 seeds in Lunardi’s Friday projections, but the North Carolina Tar Heels (10-6, 3-1) barely held on as one of the Last Four Byes in the field.

The Tar Heels entered the year as Duke’s presumed ACC challenger but lost six of their first 14 games. Even for a team that lost three starters this offseason, the drop caught the basketball world by surprise. UNC won three of its first four conference games, but those wins included a one-point road win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and a three-point home win over Georgia Tech.

The Blue Devils, on the other hand, have won their last nine games thanks to [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag]’s offensive strides. The first-year superstar has scored at least 19 points in six of the team’s last eight games, and Duke has won six contests in a row by more than 20 points.

The Blue Devils perched atop Lunardi’s East region in the projection with a first-round matchup against the Southern Jaguars. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Illinois Fighting Illini, and Houston Cougars filled out the top four seeds in the region, a pretty loaded draw with three of KenPom’s top eight teams.

Duke basketball maintains grip on No. 1 seed in updated ESPN Bracketology

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi kept the Duke Blue Devils as one of his four No. 1 seeds in an updated bracket projection on Friday.

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).

Texas A&M rises in latest ESPN bracketology update ahead of SEC play

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi is still very high on the Aggies ahead of SEC play

No. 13 Texas A&M (11-2) will host rival Texas (11-2) on Saturday night inside what should be a packed Reed Arena. Coach Mike Elko and his veteran team will need to continue playing elite defense and outrebounding nearly every opponent to keep pace in a stacked SEC.

On Friday, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi released his latest update, revealing a slight rise for Texas A&M. Now listed as a 3-seed in the South (Atlanta) bracket, it plays 14-seed High Point.

The Aggies haven’t moved much in any recent update, but Lunardi clearly believes Texas A&M is a contender despite the SEC looking like the most competitive conference in the country. More than half of the 16 teams are ranked in the Top 25.

However, the Aggies can get off to a hot start by avoiding Auburn and Tennessee in the first month, including home games against Texas, Alabama, LSU, and Oklahoma.

Texas A&M will host Texas on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 7:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on the SEC Network.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

Duke basketball rejoins No. 1 seeds in latest ESPN Bracketology projection

The Duke Blue Devils are once again one of the top four teams in the country, according to Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projection.

The Duke Blue Devils needed six straight wins and some upsets around them to get back there, but as of Tuesday morning, they’ve reclaimed one of the four No. 1 seeds in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology projections from ESPN.

Lunardi positioned [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and his teammates atop the West region, joining the Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and Iowa State Cyclones on the top line.

Flagg and the Blue Devils lost two of their first six games in 2024-25, but those defeats came to the Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks, both currently No. 3 seeds in Lunardi’s bracket. Once fans consider Duke’s current six-game winning streak, including a home triumph over Auburn to give the Tigers their only loss of the year, it’s easy to see why the team from Durham’s resume is among the best in the nation.

The Blue Devils would face Marist in the opening round of Lunardi’s projected bracket with a second-round matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels or Texas Tech Red Raiders after that. The Florida Gators slid into the second spot in the West with Kentucky third and the UCLA Bruins at the No. 4 seed.

Only four other ACC teams made Lunardi’s tournament field: the Pittsburgh Panthers (No. 6 in the East), Clemson Tigers (No. 8 in the South), North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 10 in the South), and SMU Mustangs (First Four).

Duke basketball moves up to No. 1 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest ESPN projections

ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi shared an updated look at his top 16 teams on Saturday, and Duke is in line for a No. 1 seed once again.

The Duke Blue Devils haven’t lost in more than a month, and ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi thinks it’s time to treat them like one of the four best teams in basketball once again.

Lunardi shared an updated look at his top 16 overall teams on Saturday, and the Blue Devils moved up to his top line as the third overall seed in the field. Duke joined the Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and Iowa State Cyclones as his four current No. 1 seeds.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and the Blue Devils handed Auburn their only loss of the season at the start of the month, an 84-78 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium powered by 22 points and 11 rebounds from the freshman phenom. Duke’s two losses came within the first six games to the Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks, two teams within the top 10 overall seeds on Lunardi’s current board.

The win over Auburn gives Duke a great inside track for its own region in March. No other ACC team currently sits within the top 24 of the KenPom rankings, so the Blue Devils look like strong favorites in the conference with a chance at 17 or 18 ACC wins.

Meanwhile, Auburn and Tennessee must survive in an SEC that includes six of KenPom’s top 20 teams, including an undefeated Florida Gators squad and reigning Final Four participant Alabama Crimson Tide.

Texas A&M basketball rises in the latest ESPN bracketology update

Here is where the Aggies sit in the latest bracketology update, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi

Texas A&M’s 10-2 record is impressive on its face, but the rest of the SEC is loaded from top to bottom. Every team except for South Carolina (9-3) has at least 10 wins in nonconference play.

With the SEC shaping up to be one of the fiercest conferences in the country, the Aggies will need to continue relying on an elite defense while improving on offense if coach Buzz Williams wants to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season.

With one nonconference game against Abilene Christian left on the docket, an 11-2 record heading into SEC play with is essential for the Aggies before they host Texas on Saturday, Jan. 4.

On Tuesday, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi released his updated NCAA Tournament bracket. The Aggies dropped one spot from last week’s version and are a 4-seed in the South (Atlanta) facing 13-seed High Point.

While this is all speculation, if the Aggies finish above .500 in SEC play, I have no doubt Williams’ squad will earn a top-five seed based on A&M’s nonconference wins.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.