The Duke Blue Devils stood above the ACC in the regular season and conference tournament. The same has occurred in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. They are the only ACC team on the men’s side to advance to the Round of 32. They did so by defeating the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers 93-49 earlier today. This is the only time in the past 50 years the ACC has had one team or fewer in the Round of 32.
The ACC, which was weaker than usual this season, had four teams qualify for this year’s tournament. The other three teams had short stints in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. UNC fared the best of the bunch with a First Four victory against San Diego State before losing in the Round of 64 to Ole Miss. Clemson lost a heartbreaker to McNeese State on Thursday and Louisville lost by 14 to Creighton on Thursday. Will the Duke Blue Devils be able to represent the ACC well with a deep tournament run?
Duke Blue Devils Dominate In Round Of 64
Duke is the only men’s ACC team to move on to the Round of 32 😳
This is the only time in the past 50 years the league has had one or fewer teams in this round 😯 pic.twitter.com/n3RYou8jqP
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 21, 2025
The Blue Devils earned the No.1 seed in the East Region and dominated Mount St. Mary’s. Cooper Flagg, coming off an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament, fared well scoring 14 points in limited work. He eased his way into the NCAA Tournament. That will bode well for him and the Blue Devils as the competition continues to stiffen.
Guard Tyrese Proctor also played well. He scored 19 points on 6-0f-9 shooting from the field. The defense of the Duke Blue Devils was also extraordinary on Friday. They stifled Mount St. Mary’s all game. Duke held their opponent to 30.2% shooting from the field and 18.5% from three-point range. A performance like they had in the opening round bodes well for the team’s National Championship aspirations.
Final Thoughts
Duke returns to the court Sunday against the No. 9 seed Baylor Bears. The winner will punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. The Duke Blue Devils have been one of the best teams in the country this season. Duke will have hopes of the ACC on their shoulders for the remainder of the tournament. They will do everything in their power to represent the historic conference well.
