Duke was named the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Sunday, leading a group of top seeds that also includes Arizona, Michigan and Florida. The Blue Devils were placed atop the East Region, while Arizona earned the top line in the West, Michigan landed in the Midwest and defending national champion Florida took the South.
The selection gives Duke the clearest path into the tournament as the committee’s top choice entering March Madness. The Blue Devils take a 32-2 record and an 11-game winning streak into the field, along with player of the year favorite Cameron Boozer. Those factors helped separate Duke from the rest of the bracket and positioned the program as the team the committee viewed most favorably on Selection Sunday.
Arizona, Michigan and Florida completed the top line of the bracket, each earning a No. 1 seed after strong regular-season and conference tournament runs. Florida’s place among the four top seeds is particularly notable because the Gators enter the tournament as the defending national champions, giving them a chance to defend the title from a position of strength rather than having to make a lower-seeded run through the bracket.
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The final at-large decision also drew attention as well. Miami (Ohio) secured the last at-large bid despite seeing its undefeated season end Thursday in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals against UMass. The RedHawks will now head to the First Four, where they are set to face SMU for a place in the main 64-team bracket.
That last-bid decision closed one of the final debates of Selection Sunday and officially completed the men’s tournament field. For Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida, the focus now shifts from selection to survival, with each program entering the event expected to carry the weight that comes with a No. 1 seed. Duke, in particular, opens the tournament with the designation every team wants but only one can get: the committee’s top overall spot.
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