Ahead of NCAA tournament, here’s everything you need to know about Duke and West Region
The team Duke would eventually play in the NCAA tournament, if the seeds hold true, is one the Blue Devils have already defeated this season.
Duke, though, would have a lot of work to do before it would match up with Gonzaga once again.
Gonzaga and Duke are the top two seeds in an NCAA tournament West Region that’s loaded with programs armed with rich tradition led by top coaches.
The Blue Devils beat the Zags, 84-81, when they played earlier this season, on Nov. 26, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite that, Gonzaga was (26-3) was awarded the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed while Duke was No. 8, making the Blue Devils the lowest No. 2 seed.
Thus, the two teams could meet again with a Final Four berth on the line in two weeks.
In addition to Gonzaga and Duke, three other teams in the region have made Final Fours in the last 10 years in No. 3 seed Texas Tech, No. 5 seed Connecticut and No. 7 seed Michigan State.
Two others, No. 4 seed Arkansas and No. 8 seed Memphis, have Final Four appearances further back in their histories.
No. 10 seed Davidson has never made it that far but is led by a veteran coach in Bob McKillop, who has won 634 games at the school since taking over the Wildcats’ program in 1989.
So that’s a solid group of schools.
Here’s more information about the region, where Duke begins play on Friday at Greenville, South Carolina.
Blue Devils’ first foe
Up first for No. 2 seed Duke (28-6) will be California State-Fullerton, the Big West tournament champion. The Titans earned an automatic bid by defeating Long Beach State, 72-71, in the league championship game.
Unlike Duke’s freshman-loaded lineup, Cal State Fullerton is an experienced team. Senior E.J. Anosike, a 6-7 forward from New Jersey, leads the Titans in scoring (16.5 points per game) and rebounding (8.3). Fullerton’s backcourt features all senior guards in Jalen Harris, Tray Maddox and Damari Milstead.
Who could be next?
Either Michigan State or Davidson will meet the Duke-Fullerton winner in Sunday’s second round.
As the No. 2 seed in the region, Duke would line up with No. 3 seed Texas Tech if the teams advance to the Sweet 16.
The region’s semifinal and final round games will be played at San Francisco’s Chase Center, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
Speaking of the West…
The West has not been where tournament games have been won for Duke in Krzyzewski’s 42 seasons leading the program. Since he arrived in 1980, he’s led Duke to 12 Final Fours, nine NCAA championship game appearances and five national titles.
But his teams have been placed in the West Regional six times and never reached the Final Four in any of those tournaments.
Region’s top players
Gonzaga has two of the nation’s top players in junior Drew Timme, a 6-10 forward, and 7-0 freshman center Chet Holmgren. Duke’s Paolo Banchero and Holmgren are both projected to be top five picks in this summer’s NBA Draft.
Texas Tech’s lineup is loaded with junior and seniors, led by graduate transfer Bryson Williams (13.7 points per game), a 6-8 forward.
One of the big reasons Arkansas earned a No. 4 seed was the play of senior guard J.D. Notae, who averages 18.4 points per game.
No. 6 seed Alabama is led by junior guard Jaden Shackelford (16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds).
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 5:10 AM.