Latest Bracketology Update Leaves Duke on Lofty Line

Nov 23, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Nikolas Khamenia (14) is fouled by Howard Bison forward Stefan Isailovic (1) as he drives to the basket during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Latest Bracketology Update Leaves Duke on Lofty Line

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Hugh Straine | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 12:00 PM ET

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The Duke basketball program (20-1, 9-0 ACC) is clearly one of the top teams in college basketball and should be considered one of the favorites to cut down the nets in early April. The Blue Devils moved to No. 1 in the NCAA NET Rankings after earning their ninth Quadrant 1 win over Virginia Tech (16-7, 5-5 ACC) on Saturday.

Duke is now 9-1 in Quadrant 1 games, 13-1 across the first two quadrants, 10-0 at home, and 7-0 in true road games. Jon Scheyer's club is also 7-1 against AP Top 25 opponents, with its one loss being on a neutral floor to Texas Tech by one point.

Whether looking at rankings, computer numbers, or whichever other metric, Duke is arguably the best team in college basketball right now with potentially the best resume as well. The Blue Devils have long been inked on the 1-seed line in NCAA Tournament projections, and it doesn't look like they'll be going anywhere soon.

Duke has seemingly flown under the radar in terms of true national title favorite conversations, but the wins just keep stacking up. The Blue Devils have won six of their last seven games by double digits and have dealt with minimal issues through conference play thus far.

Duke Remains on 1-Seed Line in Latest ESPN Bracketology Update

Unsurprisingly, the Blue Devils are still a projected 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN's latest Bracketology update. All four 1-seeds remained the same, with Arizona, UConn, and Michigan joining Duke.

With how consistent Duke has been mixed with how few issues it's dealt with through league play, it's becoming more difficult to see any team in the ACC giving the Blue Devils a run for the conference regular season and tournament championships.

20th addition to the win wall pic.twitter.com/5a6yz27glf
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 1, 2026

The ACC boasts several solid teams and will definitely earn more bids this season to the big dance compared to its four in 2025, but there's clearly no other squad on the same level as the Blue Devils.

Eight ACC Teams Projected in Latest Tournament Field

The latest ESPN update included seven other ACC schools along with Duke: Virginia (5-seed), Louisville (6-seed), Clemson (6-seed), North Carolina (6-seed), SMU (7-seed), NC State (8-seed), and Miami (10-seed).

Virginia Tech dropped to the projected first team out following its home loss to Duke over the weekend.

our guy Cayden on the rise pic.twitter.com/TCnxncCUra
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 1, 2026

Despite the Blue Devils being the only top-four seed projected in the field, the ACC is in a much better place than it was a season ago.

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