Devil In Details: Duke Fites Demons & Covid 4 NCAA Bid

I admire heralded Duke Basketball’s amazing record of success, but the unranked 13-11 team this year is on the verge of embarrassing itself if it gets invited to the NCAA March Madness Tourney and “accepts.” There are a number of reasons for this take, not the least of which is an unwritten rule (or tradition) in which near .500 teams usually going to the coveted post-season event gracefully bow out to let a lesser wanna-be get onto the dance card for once.

But, consider, too, an invited Duke would play a top seed right off the bat, meaning, they’d likely get shellacked in the first (or second) round game. Also recall the Blue Devils withdrew from the ACC tourney after winning the first two games, but suffered a positive COVID-19 test somewhere in the program & their semi-final was cancelled; AD Kevin White then said that forfeit “will end our 2020-21 season.” Yet, rival & No. 16 Virginia also had its next ACC game cancelled, thereby knocking it out of the conference tourney; still, THEY were very much looking forward to the NCAA invite. Presto, ESPN citing an unnamed source posted an article claiming Duke’s NCAA hopes were still alive. What a shock, once a shocked Duke alumni, used to the school’s 24 straight NCAA tourney appearances, got a hold of the school’s leaders.

The word had been that Duke was going to need to win the ACC tourney to get an NCAA bid. So, thank the Fates for COVID-19’s intervention pre-empting the need to run the ACC table? We’ll see Sunday nite after the NCAA selection committee sends out its invites. But, if Duke gets one, will it be to dance or to be laid out?

Davd Soul