There's no better ambassador for college basketball than legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale. What's more, he has long been a vocal proponent of Duke basketball. Now, the college hoops legend thinks that the Blue Devils will win this year's NCAA Tournament.
Monday on X, Vitale posted a video where he revealed his Final Four picks as well as his National Champion. And he thinks the Blue Devils will prevail in San Antonio.
Vitale picks Michigan State to win the South Region. He likes Florida to win the West Region. In the Midwest, he sees Houston prevailing. Then, he takes Duke to emerge from the East Region.
Playing for the National Championship. Vitale likes Florida and Duke. And in that matchup, he thinks the Blue Devils will take home the ultimate prize.
My VBDI (Vitale bald dome index)my Final 4 baby @MSU_Basketball @gatorhoops @DukeMBB @UHCougarMBK they are ALL #awesomebaby pic.twitter.com/nZ6z72ujh2
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 17, 2025
Now, the critics will be quick to point out that Vitale has long been a Duke fan. Since the time the Blue Devils emerged as a national power in the 1990s, he's been quick to sing the program's praises. That's drawn criticism from those who are jealous of the Blue Devil's success and prominence in the sport.
What's more, Vitale isn't the type of college basketball analyst to go out on much of a limb when making predictions. For instance, this year he's picking three No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed to reach San Antonio.
That likely won't happen. Last year, No. 11 seed NC State got to the Final Four. The year prior, No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic did the same. 2022 saw No. 8 seed North Carolina get to the National Championship Game (though we won't talk much about that), and in 2021, No. 11 seed UCLA got to the Final Four.
In fact, to find that last time that all four Final Four participants were a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, we must go all the way back to 2008. That year, all four No. 1 seeds (Kanas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA) won their region with Kansas winning it all.
Of course, Vitale is going to go with the chalk in his bracket. That's what he does almost every year. And what's more, his love for Duke is always going to sway his opinion. Thus, some might be inclined to take this prediction with a grain of salt.
However, the Blue Devils do enter this year's tournament as the No. 1 team in the A.P. poll and they will have the best roster in the field (at least on paper). So maybe this will be the year that Vitale is right and the Blue Devils will finally win it all again.