The Duke Blue Devils were one of the best teams in college basketball all season long, and because of that, they were rewarded with the No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. Given their high placement, expectations were for Duke to seriously compete for if not win the National Championship. It's fair to say that their journey has gotten off to a good start so far.
Duke won their Round of 64 matchup by nearly 50 points against No. 16 Mount St. Mary's, and just two days later, knocked off No. 9 Baylor in the Round of 32. With that, they advanced to the NCAA Tournament's second weekend, and inched ever so closer to the Final Four.
While the Blue Devils have had a great year and absolutely have a chance to win a National Championship, this isn't unfamiliar territory for the program. Duke has as rich of a history of college basketball success as any Division I program in the country.
When's the last time Duke won a National Championship?
The Blue Devils have been a constant in March Madness, but it's been a while since they won a National Championship. You'd have to go back to 2014-15 to find the last time Duke cut down the nets on the National Championship stage. For most programs, a decade is not very long, but for Duke fans in the 2000s, that feels like an eternity.
That 2014-15 National Championship win came against the Wisconsin Badgers in Indianapolis. The final score was 68-63. The game was close throughout, but Duke, thanks in large part to contributions from future NBA players Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen, and Justice Winslow, was able to seal the deal.
Full list of Blue Devils championships
Year | Seed | Region | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|
1990-91 | 2 | Midwest | 72-65 vs. Kansas |
1991-92 | 1 | East | 71-51 vs. Michigan |
2000-01 | 1 | East | 82-72 vs. Arizona |
2009-10 | 1 | South | 61-59 vs. Butler |
2014-15 | 1 | South | 68-63 vs. Wisconsin |
The Blue Devils have had a good amount of success in the same position that they're in now. They have two National Championships under their belt when they've been a No. 1 seed in the East Region. In fact, their Sweet 16 matchup against Arizona is going to be a rematch from the 2000-01 National Championship Game.
The most memorable game of this group came in 2009-10, when the Blue Devils were an inch or two away from losing a heartbreaker against Butler. Gordon Hayward narrowly missed what would've been perhaps the greatest shot in college basketball history. It would've won the game.
The Blue Devils have the makings of a roster capable of adding another title to this list. Cooper Flagg is the best player in this tournament, both Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach are going to be lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, and Tyrese Proctor has led the team in scoring in both of Duke's tournament games thus far. They have the star power and the depth to pull this off, it's just a matter of getting it done.