Top-Seeded Duke Opens NCAA Tournament Friday Night

THE GAME
No. 1 Duke vs North Dakota State
When: Mar. 22 \| 7:10 PM (ET)
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch Live: CBS
Listen Live: Blue Devil IMG Sports Network
Radio Affiliates
Live Stats

Leading Off

Champions of the ACC for the 21st time, Duke holds the overall No. 1-seed and opens play in the program's 43rd NCAA Tournament on Friday night in Columbia, S.C.
Duke will face either North Dakota State or its Durham neighbor, NC Central, in Friday's first round.
The Blue Devils are in the NCAA Tournament for the 24th consecutive season, which is topped by only Kansas' current streak of 30 consecutive tournaments.
Duke is 111-37 (.750) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, which is No. 1 all-time in winning percentage and third in wins.
Duke is a No. 1-seed for the 14th time, and is 51-9 as a top seed with titles in 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has led Duke to the NCAA Tournament for the 35th time, a record number of bids by a coach. Coach K's 94 tournament wins are also the most.
Freshmen Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett -- each first-team All-Americans -- are looking to become the first freshman teammates in NCAA history to each average 20+ points.
Williamson is the first freshman in ACC history to be named both Player of the Year and Tournament MVP, and is just the sixth freshman all-time to earn Tournament MVP honors.
Barrett holds the ACC single-season freshman scoring record with 779 points and leads the ACC in scoring at 22.9 points. He is the only major conference player to score 13+ points in every game this season.
Each of Duke's eight appearances as the final AP No. 1 have come under Coach K, breaking a tie with UCLA coach John Wooden for the most in history.

NCAA Tournament Supremacy
Duke will play in its 43rd NCAA Tournament, which are the fifth-most appearances in NCAA history…With five national titles and 111 wins in tournament play, Duke is among the most successful programs in the history of the NCAA Tournament…Duke's complete NCAA Tournament Record Book can be found on pages 14-21.

Duke in the East Region
This will be the 18th time that Duke has been placed in the East Region, and the Blue Devils are 55-15 (.786) when playing out of the East Region…Two of Duke's National Championships came when placed in the East Region -- 1992 and 2001 -- both culminating in Minneapolis.

Duke as a No. 1 Seed
Duke is playing as a No. 1-seed for the 14th time -- the third-most No. 1-seeds in NCAA history…The Blue Devils are a top seed for the first time since the 2015 National Championship season. Four of Duke's five titles have come with a No. 1 seed (1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)…Duke has been a No. 1 or No. 2-seed in 19 of the past 23 seasons and 13 of the past 16…The Blue Devils own a 51-9 record when playing as the No. 1-seed, and are 13-0 in games against the No. 16-seed.

Hoops Hotbed in North Carolina
The city of Durham, home to Duke and NC Central, is one of only two cities with multiple teams in this year's NCAA Tournament, along with Philadelphia (Villanova/Temple)…It is the fourth time, and third straight, that the Bull City has seen both Duke and NC Central in the Dance (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019). North Carolina is represented with the second most teams.

Tournament Success Under Coach K
Duke has a high level of success in tournaments under Coach K, winning 19 in-season, 15 ACC and five NCAA Tournaments for a total of 39 championships in his tenure…The Blue Devils claimed the PK80 Motion Bracket title last season, the program's 19th in-season crown, and this season won the ACC Tournament for the 15th time.

Duke No. 1 in Final AP Poll; Extends NCAA Record at No. 1
Including this week's final AP poll of the season, Duke has been ranked No. 1 for 141 weeks in the poll era (since 1949-50) -- the most weeks ranked No. 1 all-time…Duke has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll 86 times since the start of the 1997-98 season, far and away the most in the nation (Kansas is second with 48). ..Duke's 270 games (234-36) at No. 1 are the most all-time…Under Mike Krzyzewski, Duke has played 242 of those games -- also the most in NCAA history for one coach. The Blue Devils are 211-31 under Coach K at No. 1…This season, Coach K surpassed John Wooden for the most weeks ranked No. 1 by a head coach.

Duke Weathers Tough Road
Duke finished as the AP No. 1 team, and earned the tournament's overall No. 1 seed after weathering one of the nation's most grueling schedules…Duke has played seven games head-to-head against NCAA No. 1 or 2 seeds -- no other team played more than five -- and Duke's four wins were also the most…Duke has played an NCAA-leading 13 games versus Top 25 teams (9-4), and its five wins (5-3) over top 10 teams and four wins (4-2) over top five teams are also NCAA highs…Of Duke's 9-4 record versus the Top 25, eight wins have come away from Cameron Indoor Stadium…Duke was 5-1 against teams that either won their conference tournament or played in the title game.

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