Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) directs a play as Louisville Cardinals guard J'vonne Hadley (1) guards during a conference ACC game. January 6, 2026. Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why Latest Bracketology Praises Duke

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Hugh Straine | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 1:00 PM ET

The Duke basketball program (16-1, 5-0 ACC) entered the 2025-26 college basketball season regarded as one of the best teams in the nation, and through the midway point of the campaign, has firmly established itself as a true National Championship contender.

Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer has never shied away from giving his team a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule to get the most out of them on both sides of the ball, and this year was no different. Before ACC play even began, the Blue Devils took on five ranked opponents, and have already faced two through their five league contests.

Duke went 4-1 in the non-con against ranked opponents, with its one loss coming to No. 15 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20, where the team fell 82-81. Through Duke's first 17 games of the season, it is 6-1 in games against ranked opponents, 7-1 against Quadrant 1 opponents, and 5-0 in true road games.

Scheyer’s Scheduling for Duke Paying Off

One of the reasons coaches schedule tough non-conference schedules is to allow their teams not only the opportunity to stack marquee wins, but also to make losses look a lot better. A squad going 4-3 against seven power conference opponents looks a lot better than one going 7-0 against a bunch of low-majors.

best sign in the bay pic.twitter.com/Mj9yobh88b
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 15, 2026

Duke jumped to No. 3 in the NCAA NET Rankings following its win over California (13-5, 1-4 ACC) on Wednesday night, marking the seventh Q1 victory of the season for the team. The only clubs in the nation with six Quad 1 wins are Arizona and Michigan, which rank ahead of Duke in the NET, respectively.

Duke will have 9 more Quad 1 opportunities throughout the remainder of the regular season in a vastly improved ACC. The Blue Devils will also face No. 2 Michigan on a neutral floor on Feb. 21, which will potentially be the best game of the entire college hoops season.

Duke Moves to 1-Seed Line in Latest ESPN Bracketology

In ESPN's latest Bracketology update for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Duke moved back to the 1-seed line along with Arizona, Michigan, and UConn. The Blue Devils spent most of the season as a 1-seed before their loss to the Red Raiders, dropping them to a 2-seed.

Although Duke doesn't have the statement win over a perennial top-five team in college basketball, its overall body of work is among the best in the sport. The Blue Devils will obviously take losses as the year progresses, but there won't be a shortage of opportunities for the program to continue stacking Q1 victories.

This move should go on Isaiah Evans NBA Draft highlight reelpic.twitter.com/Crn0viR1fv
— Duke Basketball In Depth (@DukeInDepth) January 15, 2026

Seven other ACC teams were included in the projected 68-team field: Clemson (5-seed), Virginia (5-seed), Louisville (6-seed), North Carolina (6-seed), SMU (7-seed), Miami (8-seed), and NC State (9-seed).

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