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Duke earned the No. 2 seed in the West Region of the 2008 NCAA Tournament and will meet Belmont in the nation’s capital on Thursday (7:10 PM, CBS). The winner will face the winner of the West Virginia/Arizona matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Duke/Belmont Storylines
*Belmont ranks 4th nationally in 3′s/game (Duke is 12th)
*The teams have never met before
*Duke is 12-1 against the Atlantic Sun under Coach K
*Matchup of NCAA’s two longest-tenured coaching staffs (8 years each)
Earning the No. 2 Seed
*Maui Invitational champions
*Nation’s third-ranked scoring offense (84.1 PPG)
*Leader among major conferences in 3′s/game (9.3)
*13 regular-season wins in RPI’s top-rated conference
*Only ACC team with five players scoring 11+ PPG
*Wins over 5 of the top 25 teams in the final AP Poll
*8 wins over NCAA Tourney teams (only TN has more)
*15-1 record at home
*5 wins against eventual conference champions
*3 All-ACC picks (DeMarcus, Kyle, Greg)
*ACC Defensive Player of the Year (DeMarcus)
*ACC Rookie of the Year (Kyle)
Sister Schools in the Big Dance Head East
Mike Brey’s Notre Dame team is the #5 seed in the East while Jeff Capel’s Oklahoma Sooners earned the #6 seed. The Irish, boasting Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody, will take on George Mason. The Sooners, led by rising coaching star Jeff Capel, will face Saint Joseph’s.
Planting a Seed
Duke has earned a #1 or #2 seed in 16 of the 24 NCAA Tournaments in the modern, 64-team era (dating back to 1985). The Blue Devils have claimed a top seed in eight of the past 11 Big Dances. Under Coach K, Duke has been a #2 seed six times, advancing to the Final Four in four of those tournaments. Coach K is the NCAA Tournament’s all-time leader in wins (68) and #1 seeds (10).
Top 10 in the Final AP Poll
The final AP Poll is annually released prior to the NCAA Tournament. For the 19th time since 1985, Duke finished the year ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams (#9 this year). Duke was one of 10 teams that was ranked all year in the AP Poll.
Most Final Top 10 Rankings Since 1985 (AP Poll)
1. Duke: 19
2. UNC: 16
3. Kentucky: 15
4. Arizona: 12
4. Kansas: 12
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Blue Devils Earn #2 Seed in the West
March 17, 2008
Posted by Dave Bradley under Center of the Universe
