Among the goals for top-ranked Duke was to learn as much as possible from a restructured lineup during the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Then the Blue Devils learned Sunday that they’ll have a challenging route to negotiate through the NCAA Tournament.
Duke is the overall No. 1 seed and occupies the top line in the East Region.
“We felt we could be really good,” coach Jon Scheyer said. “The character and the connectivity, and that’s been the most exciting part for me to watch develop.”
The Blue Devils (32-2) will meet Siena (23-11), champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, on Thursday in Greenville, S.C.
Duke survived a number of tests during the ACC tournament that involved a one-point escape against Florida State, an endurance challenge against Clemson and a back-and-forth final in Saturday night’s 74-70 victory against 10th-ranked Virginia in Charlotte.
The Blue Devils did all this without center Patrick Ngongba II and guard Caleb Foster, whose injuries from the final week of the regular season threatened to disrupt the team’s flow.
Instead, Duke found the necessary answers for three victories in Charlotte. The next quest could include as many as six more triumphs, culminating in the Final Four at Indianapolis.
“I think we’re going to learn so much from this,” Scheyer said of assessing the fallout from the conference tournament.
Among the emerging storylines was the play of guard Cayden Boozer, twin brother of ACC Player of the Year Cameron Boozer. Cayden Boozer was called upon to largely fill in for Foster and he produced in big ways in the semifinal and final, posting consecutive 16-point games which were the highest scoring of his freshman season.
“We’re going to need that from him the rest of the year,” Cameron Boozer said.
While the sample size was small for that heightened role, Cayden Boozer didn’t shy away from it.
“I think it just shows the competitive spirit that we all have,” he said. “Even when we’re dealing with adversity, still find a way to win the game.”
The offense had shaky moments, shooting a combined 41.2% in the last two games.
“We can trust our defense even when our offense isn’t maybe the smoothest,” Scheyer said.
Duke’s NCAA Tournament path could be cluttered with potholes, with a victory against Siena bringing on a matchup with either Ohio State or TCU and then likely followed by either fourth-seeded Kansas or fifth-seeded St. John’s, the Big East Conference champion.
The other half of the East Region bracket includes No. 2 seed Connecticut plus two teams – third-seeded Michigan State and sixth-seeded Louisville – the Blue Devils have defeated.
Duke’s resume is so solid in part because the Blue Devils defeated two No. 1 seeds (Florida, Michigan) this season. But in many ways, it’s a clean slate moving forward, especially if the Blue Devils aren’t at full health.
Indianapolis is the site for the Final Four, a fitting potential landing spot for the Blue Devils. Duke has won three of its five national championships, including its most recent two in 2010 and 2015, in Indianapolis.
Duke’s trek begins in Greenville, where the Blue Devils launched their 2022 Final Four run. Though not in their home state, it’s normally not comfortable for the Blue Devils to be in the same building as North Carolina – now holding a spot in the other bracket at that site – in that region given the general distaste for Duke among rabid Tar Heels fans.
If the Blue Devils advance from the first weekend, the path goes through Washington D.C., where they won a showdown with Michigan last month, in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds.
Foot injuries have sidelined Ngongba (10.7 points per game) and Foster (8.5 ppg).
Foster had surgery following the regular season and the likelihood of him playing in the NCAA Tournament seems cloudy at best. On the other hand, there are signs suggesting Ngongba could be back on the court for the opening round.
“I can tell you he’s improving,” Scheyer said. “I feel very positive about it, but I can’t say what that means as far as later in the week in terms of timing or readiness, because we have to take it step by step.”
