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Former Duke superstar and number 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Paolo Banchero, came out with his March Madness bracket that has his alma mater taking home the NCAA Division I Tournament Championship.
Admitting to his bias, the Orlando Magic superstar did offer some explanation for his choice via Twitter when the NCAA March Madness' official page showed off his tournament bracket.
"thoughts? haven't been watching a lot of college basketball outside of Duke, but i locked in during conference championship week. call me bias if u want, but i think we got a run in us"
The Orlando Magic have been a pleasant surprise story in the NBA, going from a 34-win team last season to firmly in the playoff race this year. The biggest reason for that switch has been the continued growth of sophomore Paolo Banchero, who earned his first All-Star game selection this season.
For Duke, Banchero was sensational in his lone season, earning ACC Rookie of the Year, while finishing on the First-team All-ACC before making the jump to the NBA.
During his season with Duke, under then-head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the team made it to the Final Four as a second seed, after leading them to their first outright Conference regular season title in over 15 years.
How does Duke stack up across the nation?
Landing as the number 4 seed in the South Region, the Duke Blue Devils finished the season with a 24-8 record, along with going 15-5 in Conference games. Their record was good for second in the ACC with an upset loss to 10th-seeded NC State ending their ACC Tournament hopes.
A permanent fixture on the AP Top 25, Duke finished the year ranked 13th. Their average score margin places them around the same number, with an 11th-placed finish in that statistic.
With a name like Kyle Filipowski (averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds, nearly 3 assists, and over 1.5 blocks a game) at the helm, the team has a solid foundation, with pieces like Tyrese Proctor, Jeremy Roach, and Jared McCain fitting into their roles perfectly.
In his second season, Jon Scheyer is starting to find his footing and identity at Duke as well. His test at the NCAA Tournament begins with a first-round matchup against #13th-seeded Vermont.
Can he take the team to the heights that Mike Krzyzewski used to? Let us know in the comments.
