Duke is the pre-tournament favorite for a second straight year and the 10th time overall, tying North Carolina for the most tournaments as the favorite since 1979, according to ESPN Research. The pre-tournament favorite has won eight of the last 20 tournaments.
Duke is the top overall seed for this year's men's NCAA tournament, bringing an 11-game winning streak, a 32-2 record and player-of-the-year favorite Cameron Boozer into the three-week hoops free-for-all known as March Madness.
They looked every bit like the nation's best defensive team, keeping the Wolverines off the offensive glass and out of transition. And while the Blue Devils don't look as explosive on the offensive end as some of the other top teams, they sandwiched that Michigan win with two games against Syracuse and Notre Dame in which they scored 201 total points.
Mike Krzyzewski stated, '[Grant Hill] is the best player to ever play at Duke,' and '[Christian Laettner] is the most accomplished.' He also praised Cooper Flagg as 'definitely the best freshman that has ever played.'
