When college basketball fans think of a prototypical college basketball school, the Duke Blue Devils often come to mind first, and it isn't hard to know why. Arguably the greatest coach in college basketball history, Mike Krzyzewski, spent 42 seasons as Duke's head coach. Some of the greatest players in college basketball history played at Duke. A slew of NBA superstars did as well.
Given their pedigree, Duke is a team that is expected to win the National Championship each and every year, and the 2024-25 campaign is no exception. Duke has the best player in the country, Cooper Flagg, and the Blue Devils have been one of the best teams in the country all season long, thanks in large part to his presence.
The Blue Devils hope to add another memorable title run to the several they already have in their history.
When did Duke University last win the NCAA Tournament?
While it's National Championship or bust virtually every year for the Blue Devils, Duke has not won the NCAA Tournament in a decade. That's right, their last title came in the 2014-15 season.
The Blue Devils to a victory over the Wisconsin Badgers by a final score of 68-63 to secure the National Championship. Tyus Jones was Duke's leading scorer, tallying 23 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the victory. Duke also got double-digit scoring outputs from future NBA lottery picks Justice Winslow and Jahlil Okafor while also getting 16 points off the bench from Grayson Allen in just 21 minutes of action.
Okafor was selected the highest of any of these Duke stars in the NBA Draft, but for the most part, no-showed in the National Championship based on his lofty expectations. To his credit, though, he hit a pair of shots late in the second half, giving Duke the breathing room it needed to close out the victory.
Full list of Blue Devils NCAA Championships
Year | Seed | Region | Final Result |
|---|---|---|---|
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 cut down the nets five times, with all five coming within the last 25 years with Mike Krzyzewski running the show - pretty, pretty good.
Easily the most memorable National Title game of the bunch came back in 2009-10 when they were the heavy favorites on paper against the Butler Bulldogs - a No. 5 seed. Duke got 19 points from Kyle Singler in that game and another 15 from current head coach Jon Scheyer, but were extremely close to losing the game. Gordon Hayward came within an inch of hitting what would've been perhaps the greatest shot in college basketball history. Fortunately for Blue Devils fans, it did not go down.
THIS CLOSE TO WINNING IT ALL 💔
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2024
On this day in 2010, Gordon Hayward's heave vs. Duke came SO CLOSE to a #NationalChampionship for Butler 😅#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GnBh3ETf4r
Four out of Duke's five National Title wins have come in years in which they were a No. 1 seed and got to play either in the South or East Region. Based on how they've played this season, they will likely be a No. 1 seed in the South or East Region, giving history a good chance to repeat itself.
How Duke has performed since its last title
While the Blue Devils have been an NCAA Tournament staple since winning their last title, they have not been to a single Final Four in that span. Duke has made three Elite Eight appearances since their last National Championship, including an Elite Eight appearance in the 2023-24 campaign.
The Blue Devils seemingly had a golden opportunity in front of them to get to the Final Four at the very least last season when they knocked off the No. 1-seeded Houston Cougars in their region, but wound up getting outscored by 18 points against the No. 11-seeded NC State Wolfpack in the second half, blowing what was a six-point lead at the end of the first half in the process. The Wolfpack deserve credit for how they played in that second half, but it's hard not to feel like losing to a No. 11 seed in the Elite Eight wasn't a missed opportunity for Duke.
Duke has performed admirably since their last title and is often seeded highly, but they have been unable to get over their Elite Eight hump. All they can hope is that this year is their year to change that.
Can Duke win another NCAA Championship soon?
The simple answer to this question is a resounding yes - Duke can absolutely win another NCAA Championship soon. In fact, they have a legitimate shot of getting that done this year.
The Blue Devils are 26-3 overall and 17-1 in conference play. They have the best player in the country, Cooper Flagg. Jon Scheyer has proven to be among the best head coaches in college basketball since taking the reins from Coach K. Duke's supporting cast consisting of players like Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, and Khaman Maluach rivals any supporting cast in the country. The Blue Devils are tied for 14th in the country in scoring offense (83.2 ppg) and are seventh in scoring defense (61.1 ppg). They are the only team in the country to rank in the top 15 in both categories.
Even if Duke falls short this time around, their blue blood status gives them a chance to win each and every year, due to the recruits they can bring to their program. If they can't get it done this year, it would not be surprising to see Duke cut down the nets sometime in the very near future.