Duke was awarded the No. 1 seed in the West Region for the NCAA Tournament during the Selection Sunday show. The Blue Devils are coming off another ACC Championship but were slotted as the fourth-rated No. 1 seed in the tournament; should they advance to the Final Four, they’ll play Ohio State, which locked up the No. 1 seed in the East Region and the top overall spot in the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Bracket 2011 Preview: Duke Seeded First In West Region
Duke will face Hampton, the No. 16 seed, in the first round of the tournament in Charlotte, N.C. The No. 2 seed in the region is a team that got strong No. 1 seed consideration: San Diego State, which will play Northern Colorado in the first round in Tuscon.
Duke topped North Carolina to earn its spot on the NCAA 2011 Bracket with in the championship game of the ACC tournament on Sunday; the Blue Devils led comfortably throughout on the way to a 75-58 win.
The story line to watch this week with the Blue Devils is whether or not top freshman Kyrie Irving will return this week as Duke heads west. Some thought he might suit up for the ACC title game, but he didn't, though he has been cleared for all basketball activities. Duke certainly didn't miss him on Sunday.
Here are the 16 teams playing in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, starting with Duke and ending with Hampton.
1. Duke Blue Devils
2. San Diego State
3. Connecticut Huskies
4. Texas Longhorns
5. Arizona Wildcats
6. Cincinnati Bearcats
7. Temple Owls
8. Michigan Wolverines
9. Tennessee Volunteers
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
11. Missouri Tigers
12. Memphis Tigers
13. Oakland
14. Bucknell
15. Northern Colorado
16. Hampton Pirates
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