The Duke Blue Devils secured a spot in the Elite Eight Thursday night with a 100-93 victory over the Arizona Wildcats. With only eight teams remaining in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, ESPN recently disclosed Duke’s ranking among the competition.
The Blue Devils cruised through the first two rounds, easily defeating Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers and Baylor Bears to begin their tournament run. Arizona, however, presented a much tougher challenge, but star forward Cooper Flagg led his team past them, earning high praise from head coach Jon Scheyer.
“That’s one of the best tournament performances I’ve ever been a part of or coached,” Scheyer remarked after Flagg scored 30 points, contributed seven assists, and grabbed six rebounds.
Now in the Elite Eight, Duke finds itself among the nation’s top teams. Despite this, ESPN continues to view the Blue Devils as the top team remaining in the tournament as they prepare to face the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“By now, the remaining teams might need to unite to form a super team to beat Duke, which boasts six NBA prospects, including three expected lottery picks,” ESPN’s Myron Medcalf explained while ranking Duke as the No. 1 team left in the tournament.
With their upcoming matchup, the winner will move on to the Final Four, where they will face either the Houston Cougars or the Tennessee Volunteers.
The highly anticipated game between Duke and Alabama is set to tip off at 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 29.