Duke is No. 1 seed
Duke earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA tournament after winning the ACC — the full 68‑team bracket was released as the First Four kicked off March 17–18 (sports.yahoo.com) (ncaa.com).
Duke closed the season 32‑2 and captured the ACC tournament title with a 74–70 victory over Virginia in the championship game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. (goduke.com) Isaiah Evans led Duke with 20 points in the final, and Cameron Boozer iced the win with two free throws in the closing seconds while earning tournament MVP honors. (theacc.com) The ACC crown marked head coach Jon Scheyer’s third conference‑tournament title in four seasons and stretched Duke’s winning streak to 11 games entering the NCAA field. (theacc.com) Duke’s first‑round assignment in the bracket pairs the Blue Devils with No. 16 Siena in the East Region, with that regional’s games slated for Greenville, S.C. (the team was placed on the East line in the committee’s bracket). (sports.yahoo.com) The other No. 1 seeds on the top lines of the bracket landed at Arizona (West), Michigan (Midwest) and Florida (South). (cbsnews.com) The NCAA’s First Four opened March 17–18 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, and served as the tournament’s four play‑in matchups to finalize the round of 64. (sportingnews.com) On Tuesday night Texas edged NC State 68–66 in one First Four game, while Howard knocked off UMBC 86–83 to advance into the main bracket, and analysts immediately noted Duke’s draw as one of the tougher title paths in the field. (espn.com)
