CBS Sports college basketball writer David Cobb released his first 2026 bracketology update for the NCAA Tournament, and Duke basketball is listed as the top-seeded squad out of the ACC. Duke is slotted as a 2-seed in the recent update, the highest seed of any ACC program.
Louisville is next in line, listed as a 3-seed. Only five ACC programs are among the 68 teams in this bracketology, with only the Blue Devils and Cardinals as top-three seeds or better. North Carolina is in the mix as a 7-seed, followed by NC State as a 9-seed, and rounded out by SMU as an 11-seed.
The ACC as a whole has been fairly mediocre over the last couple of seasons, and experts don't seem to be high on the conference heading into 2025-26.
However, some teams could make some noise out of the ACC next season that aren't listed in the field, such as Virginia or Miami.
Jon Scheyer and his club will have plenty of opportunities to boost their at-large resume, as Duke has potentially the hardest non-conference slate in college hoops next season. The Blue Devils will face off against five teams ranked in ESPN's way-too-early top 25, with three of those teams being ranked in the top ten.
Most of those contests will be played on neutral courts, but Duke will have a prime opportunity for a huge win at home in December when the Blue Devils host Florida at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Todd Golden's Gators come in at No. 2 in ESPN's preseason top 25 rankings.
Duke rookie Cameron Boozer recently told ESPN that he thinks the Blue Devils are being "very overlooked" as a true contender ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. With so many marquee matchups on the schedule right away, Boozer and the rest of the squad will have several chances to prove they belong in conversations right alongside the best teams in the nation.
Now, a great deal will change from now until next March, but the Blue Devils are still viewed as a championship contender by some experts early on, with a 2-seed projection.