1-seed Duke basketball will face off against 4-seed Arizona tomorrow night for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight, which would be the second straight Elite Eight appearance for the Blue Devils.
So, let's take a look at how the Blue Devils have done in the Sweet Sixteen throughout the program's history in the NCAA Tournament.
Duke basketball all-time Sweet Sixteen appearances: 34
The Blue Devils have reached the Sweet Sixteen 34 times throughout the program's history, which is the fourth-most of any program in the country. The only schools with more Sweet Sixteen appearances than Duke are Kentucky with 45, North Carolina with 36, and UCLA with 35. Since 2015 when Duke won its fifth national championship, the Blue Devils have made the Sweet Sixteen six times (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), excluding 2020 when there was no NCAA Tournament due to COVID. Additionally, this is the Blue Devils' second straight run to the Sweet Sixteen. Last season as a 4-seed, the Blue Devils made it to the Elite Eight after taking down 1-seed Houston, before falling to 11-seed North Carolina State. Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer has now made the Sweet Sixteen twice in his first three seasons as head coach, and is looking to take a program he leads to the Final Four for the first time in his tenure as Duke head coach.
Duke basketball Sweet Sixteen record since 1985: 18-9
Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 teams in 1985, Duke basketball is 18-9 in the Sweet Sixteen, making this appearance the 28th for the Blue Devils since NCAA Tournament expansion, the most of any program in the nation in that span. Duke has also won its last four appearances in the Sweet Sixteen in 2024 (Elite Eight), 2022 (Final Four), 2019 (Elite Eight), and 2018 (Elite Eight). The last time the Blue Devils lost in the Sweet Sixteen was 2016 when Duke was a 4-seed and fell to 1-seed Oregon. The Duke basketball program has had great success as of late in the Sweet Sixteen round alone, and looks to continue that versus 4-seed Arizona tomorrow night. As a 1-seed since 1985, Duke is 3-1 against 4-seeds in the Sweet Sixteen.
The Blue Devils will face a tough Arizona squad led by Duke villain Caleb Love tomorrow night in what will probably be one of the best games of the tournament.