Duke is at the top of college basketball once again. In the ESPN Bracket Challenge, 25.7% of users picked the Blue Devils as the favorites to win it all.
Teams picked the most to win the National Championship, per ESPN Bracket Challenge
1. Duke — 25.7%
2. Florida — 20.0%
3. Auburn — 11.3%
4. Houston — 8.4%
5. St. John’s — 5.2%
6. Michigan St. — 4.5%
7. Tennessee — 4.2%
8. Alabama — 3.8%
9. Kentucky — 1.8%
10. Michigan — 1.1% pic.twitter.com/iy5qXzBkGr— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 17, 2025
Florida came in second with 20% of the vote, followed by Auburn with 11.3%, Houston with 8.4%, and St. Johns with 5.4%. The Blue Devils will begin the tournament with a 31-3 record, an 11-game win streak, and winning the ACC conference title after a second-half comeback win against Louisville.
The Duke basketball program is seeking to win their sixth national championship in program history and their first since 2015. A title will be the first for coach Jon Scheyer.
Will Duke star Cooper Flagg be ready for March Madness basketball?
The Blue Devils top player Cooper Flagg was injured against Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament. He sprained in his right ankle and was seen in a wheelchair for the remainder of the game. There was uncertainty about whether he would play considering missed the rest of the ACC tournament.
However, coach Jon Scheyer told ESPN on Selection Sunday his star freshman forward is ready to play this Friday as the No. 1 seeded Blue Devils will play either American University or Mount St. Mary’s in the East Region.
Duke men’s basketball head coach Jon Scheyer says it’s “full steam ahead” for Cooper Flagg and the goal is to have him play in the tournament on Friday
pic.twitter.com/vIRGFzljRy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 17, 2025
“From my perspective, it’s full steam ahead,” he said. “I want to get Coop back as quickly as we can, and he wants to do the same. We’re hoping he can start to progress starting tomorrow with doing some on-court work and then build up to where he can practice later in the week. Our goal is for Friday. No question about it. I know that’s his goal as well. We’re just gonna progress in the right way and still be smart about not doing too much in the beginning of the week.”
On Monday, Flagg’s mother Kelly echoed those sentiments in an interview with Front Office Sports when asked if her son will play by saying “I will expect to see him–yes–very soon.”
Flagg is averaging 18.9 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and is shooting 48% from the field. He is in the running for the Wooden Award as national player of the year. He is expected to declare for the NBA draft in June.
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