THE OPENING TIP
- Following a four-year hiatus, No. 13 Duke returns to the NCAA Tournament, making its 25th overall appearance when the Blue Devils square off against Iona Saturday in a first-round tilt at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
- Duke enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3-seed in the Seattle 4 Region — it marks the Blue Devils’ 19th time overall and first since 2017 as a top-three seed in the tournament.
- In their 24 previous appearances, the Blue Devils won at least one game en route to compiling a 58-24 (.707) record. They have advanced to the regional semifinal 17 times, including four trips to the Final Four (1999, 2002, ’03, ’06).
- Duke and Iona meet on the hardwood for just the second time overall, with the first matchup occurring back in 2012 — a 100-31 victory by Duke. The Blue Devils are 16-1 all-time against current members of the MAAC, including a 3-0 record in the NCAA Tournament.
- With the release of the final polls earlier this week, Duke concluded the regular season ranked No. 13 in both the Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches Poll. In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, Duke is slotted 10th (as of March 15).
- Celeste Taylor, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, earned Associated Press (AP) All-America Honorable Mention status and was recently tabbed a finalist for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
- Defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils this season as the team has won each of its games by an average of 18.8 points and held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 16 of them to 50 points or less.
- Duke has held its foes to 50.8 points per game on 34.8 percent shooting from the floor, marks that currently rank second and eighth in the NCAA, respectively, as well as first in the ACC (as of March 15).
BALLIN’ LIKE ITS MARCH MADNESS
- Following a four-year absence, No. 13 Duke returns to the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils make their 25th overall appearance Saturday night when they square off against Iona in a first-round tilt at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
- Having earned one of the top 16 overall seeds, the Blue Devils are set to host first and second-round games in Cameron for the 15th time.
- Duke enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3-seed in the Seattle 4…
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