 Before I drop my thoughts on the Duke-Amazon deal, let’s start with the press release that landed in my inbox a week ago. This is directly from Duke Sports Information. Press release: DURHAM, N.C. — April 30, 2026 — Amazon and Duke University today announced a multiyear agreement for Prime Video to present exclusive coverage of Duke's storied men's basketball program. The agreement marks Prime Video's first college sports relationship, and starting this fall, the streamer will present three marquee Duke Blue Devils neutral-site nonconference men's basketball games per season. The series of exclusive top-tier matchups is slated to tip off in Las Vegas during the week of Thanksgiving and Black Friday on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026, when Duke faces the Connecticut Huskies in T-Mobile Arena. The action continues Monday, Dec. 21, at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, where Duke will take on the Michigan Wolverines. Prime Video's inaugural college basketball showcase culminates in early 2027 on Saturday, Feb. 20, with the Blue Devils squaring off against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Detroit's Little Caesars Arena. All games will be produced by Prime Video, with exact times and other coverage details to be announced later. That is the core of the announcement, and it sets the stage for what is really a pretty significant shift in how college basketball content is being distributed. NOW FOR MY THOUGHTS As a sports media guy for 13 years, a business owner for 20 plus years, and a business teacher for 24 years, this deal hits all the areas I love to follow: sports, business, and finance. And at first glance, it doesn’t take much more than even a paper classes degree from UNC (that’s my one shot at the rival) to see what these three games have in common: Duke and Amazon are the headline act. THE BUSINESS BEHIND IT This is a fascinating move, and honestly, it feels like another example of Duke staying ahead of the curve in college athletics. From Rachel Baker's leadership in Duke basketball's general manager role to Nina King's steady hand guiding Duke athletics into the modern era, this is another signal that Duke is not reacting to change, it is helping lead it. We are long past the cable bundle era. Streaming has taken over, and sports are the last true live content that still pulls massive real-time audiences. That’s why every major platform is fighting for it. Amazon already has the NFL on Thursday nights. Netflix has dipped into NFL Christmas games. Paramount has gone all-in on UFC. The streaming wars are no longer about scripted shows. They are about live sports rights. Now Amazon is stepping into college basketball with one of the most valuable brands in the sport: Duke. WHY DUKE? Why not Duke? Duke is one of the few programs that consistently delivers national ratings year after year. You can almost count on them appearing in multiple top-viewed games every season. From a business standpoint, that matters more than almost anything else. For Amazon, this is the perfect entry point. If you want to test how college basketball performs on a streaming-first platform, you do it with a brand that already moves the needle. For ESPN, this is also a smart play. As the press release notes, Duke’s flexibility in this Amazon series comes with future commitments to additional ESPN-controlled neutral site events in 2027-28 and 2028-29. ESPN still gets what it values most: Duke in big-stage matchups that drive ratings. So in reality, this feels like a three-way win. Amazon gets premium inventory. ESPN protects future content. Duke expands its reach and brand globally. And I imagine there will be a lot of data collected from these games that every network, conference, and athletic department will be watching closely. THE BIG TEN ANGLE Now of course, this is where things get interesting. I’ve already seen some chatter about the Big Ten not being thrilled. I’m not going to pretend to break down legal contracts here, I’ll leave that to someone with a law degree. But let’s be real, if Duke vs. Illinois from 24/25 season or other Big Ten matchups have already been in the rotation on Fox, then the idea of Duke expanding into its own streaming package isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere. And honestly, if one matchup like vs Michigan doesn’t work, there’s no shortage of programs willing to step in. Duke at Cameron North... I mean Madison Square Garden is not exactly a hard sell. At the end of the day, I think the bigger picture is what conferences are really watching: how does a blue blood like Duke perform when it is partially outside the traditional TV model? Because if this works, you can bet not just your blue bloods in college basketball... but also your football powers are paying attention too. Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, all of them. THE GAMES THEMSELVES The schedule itself is also very intentional.
And if you zoom out, Jon Scheyer is again quietly building something interesting here. That February game in Detroit also sits just over a month before the 2027 Final Four, which is in Detroit. The East Regional is also at Madison Square Garden that year. Coincidence or not, that’s a pretty solid non-conference schedule so far... FINAL THOUGHT This feels like one of those deals where everyone gets something. Duke gets even more global exposure with the Amazon deal and another step forward in modern college athletics. Amazon gets a high-profile entry into college basketball. ESPN keeps its long-term relationship and future inventory. And the rest of college sports? They’re going to be watching closely. Because this might not just be a streaming deal. It might be another step toward what college sports looks like next.
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 Saturday’s Blue & White Game for the Duke Blue Devils football team inside Wallace Wade Stadium felt like more than just a spring scrimmage. It felt like a small preview of what’s coming this fall. And first things first, it was hot. Not just warm, but that early-season North Carolina heat that reminds you summer is not waiting around. That’s part of why the 10 AM kickoff made all the sense in the world. Even then, fans quickly figured it out and started packing into the upper sections of the home side just to get some shade. Cold drinks were flowing, schedule posters and roster cards were out, and everybody was doing their best to stay comfortable while still getting a first look at the 2026 Blue Devils. From a media perspective, I bounced around the stadium throughout the morning. I started down in the second-row media area, moved up into the shaded fan sections, and eventually made my way to the Devils Deck, which is still one of the best spots in Wallace Wade to just take everything in. Different views, different energy, same feeling that football is getting closer. On the field, the defense came away with a 26–17 win over the offense, thanks to a handful of turnovers and disruptive plays that swung momentum their way. The offense did show flashes. Dan Mahan connected with Jaivon Solomon for an early touchdown, and later guided a strong two-minute drive that ended with a score to Brody Keefe. But the defense set the tone in between those moments with interceptions, a fumble recovery, and steady pressure that built their lead. That said, spring games are tough to take too much from. The rules are different, rotations are constant, and everything is controlled to the point where any big conclusions just don’t make a lot of sense. So if you are looking for deep player comparisons or bold expectations coming out of this, you are not going to get that here from a scrimmage in April. What you can take away is the energy around the program. Fans showed up. They grabbed their schedule posters, found their seats, and settled in with that mix of curiosity and optimism that always comes with the first look at a new team. And credit to the Duke staff too. There was a lot going on across campus with the Blue & White Game, a home lacrosse event, and the Duke Surplus Sale all happening the same day. It was a full campus Saturday, and everything seemed to run smoothly. At the end of the day, this was a reminder that we are still in April. There are a lot of hot days ahead before we get to Labor Day weekend and the opener vs Tulane on Saturday, September 5 back at Wallace Wade. But days like this help bridge that gap. Soon I will be dropping my next piece, “Six Saturdays That Could Shape Duke’s 2026 Season,” where I will take a deeper look at the schedule and where things could really swing this year. Until then, stay cool my friends.  I’ve covered Duke games from a lot of different spots over the years. Cameron Indoor Stadium. Wake Forest. Virginia Tech. Virginia. North Carolina. Las Vegas. Chicago. NCAA Tournament games. Even that 2015 Final Four run. Usually, when I’m covering Duke at Cameron, I’m sitting across the court looking toward the Duke bench. You can still see plenty from there, obviously, but last weekend in Greenville gave me a completely different perspective, and honestly, one I won’t forget anytime soon. For Duke’s NCAA Tournament weekend in Greenville, I had my media credential spot behind the basket. But my wife also came through with a great set of seats to the right side behind the Duke bench. And let me say this right now: I owe her a thank you, because getting to take in two March Madness games from that view was a treat not just as a media guy, not just as a Duke fan, but as a sports fan. From behind the bench, you notice everything. You notice how locked in the entire operation is from start to finish. Jon Scheyer. Chris Carrawell. Emanuel Dildy. Evan Bradds. Tyler Thornton. The managers. The staffers behind the bench. The guys doing jobs most fans probably never even think about during the game. Everybody is engaged. Everybody knows their role. Everybody is working the moment. And the biggest thing that hit me was this: Duke basketball is run like a well-oiled machine. This wasn’t the first time I’ve had seats behind the bench, but it had been a while. And sitting there again reminded me just how impressive that side of it really is. There’s constant communication. Constant teaching. Constant awareness. Even during the chaotic moments, there’s purpose. No wasted motion. No panic. Just people doing their jobs at a high level. That point only got driven home more by the way Duke had to survive and advance last weekend. The opener against Siena on Thursday was anything but comfortable. Duke trailed 43-32 at the half and faced a 13-point deficit in the second half, the largest deficit the Blue Devils had faced all season. But even with the pressure rising and the bracket madness of March suddenly feeling very real, the bench never looked rattled. Duke responded with poise, defense, rebounding, and toughness, eventually closing on an 11-0 run in the final eight minutes to escape with a 71-65 win. The Blue Devils held Siena to just 22 points in the second half, outrebounded the Saints 30-13 after halftime, and showed exactly the kind of composure you need to have in March. Cameron Boozer posted 22 points and 13 rebounds, Cayden Boozer delivered a career-high 19 points with five assists and zero turnovers, and Isaiah Evans added his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. That’s what stood out to me from my angle behind the bench. Yes, the game got uncomfortable. Yes, Siena absolutely threw a punch. But nobody on that sideline looked like the moment was too big. Nobody looked shaken. The operation just kept working. And then on Saturday, Duke looked much more like Duke. The Blue Devils beat TCU, 81-58, to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16, and once again, from that vantage point behind the bench, you could see how organized and connected everything was. It wasn’t a perfect first half, with Duke leading only 38-34 at the break, but the response after halftime was exactly what you’d expect from a team that has an identity and trusts it. Cameron Boozer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and finished with his 21st double-double of the season. Isaiah Evans had 17. Dame Sarr added 14 and hit four threes. Patrick Ngongba II returned and gave Duke an emotional lift. And when the Blue Devils finally seized control, they did it with the same formula they’ve leaned on all year, defending, rebounding, and delivering a knockout run. That second-half burst against TCU was classic Duke. The Blue Devils outscored the Horned Frogs by 19 after the break, turned a tight game into a 23-point win, and advanced to the second weekend for the third straight season under Scheyer. But again, the score only tells part of the story. From behind the bench, you could see the details. The communication after dead balls. The constant instruction. The assistants tracking everything. The players staying connected. The staff behind them staying alert and working. It all matters. And when you see it from that close, you come away appreciating that this thing is bigger than just what happens when the ball goes through the hoop. That’s why I keep coming back to the same phrase: well-oiled machine. Because that’s exactly what it looked like. And in a strange way, the Siena game may have emphasized it even more than the TCU game did. When everything is rolling and the margin is growing, of course a team looks sharp. But when things get tight? When the pressure ramps up? When a No. 1 seed is getting pushed way harder than anybody expected? That’s when you really learn what an operation is made of. What I saw from that seat was a Duke program that stayed in the moment and kept working. Scheyer stayed composed. The assistants stayed active. The bench stayed engaged. The managers and support staff kept doing the little things. There was no drift. No unraveling. Just a group doing everything it could to give the Blue Devils the best chance to win. That’s not accidental. That’s culture. That’s preparation. That’s habit. And now Duke heads to Washington, D.C., for a Sweet 16 showdown with St. John’s on Friday at Capital One Arena. There’s another interesting layer here too: Scheyer’s scheduling has once again put Duke in position to be comfortable before the moment arrives. The Blue Devils already played in Capital One Arena on February 21 and beat Michigan, 68-63, in that building. So while the stage gets bigger, the setting won’t feel brand new. That matters this time of year, and it’s another example of how this staff seems to think through everything. That doesn’t guarantee anything against a hungry St. John’s team, of course. March never works that way. But if there’s one thing Greenville reinforced for me, it’s this: Duke has talent. Duke has star power. Duke has versatility. But Duke also has structure. And sitting behind the bench last weekend gave me a fresh reminder that structure is one of this team’s greatest strengths. So yes, I’ll remember the comeback against Siena. I’ll remember the second-half surge against TCU. I’ll remember the Greenville atmosphere, the tournament buzz, and the chance to watch Duke survive and advance in person. But I’ll also remember the view. Because from behind that bench, you could see exactly why this team has a chance to keep dancing. You could see the machine working.    It's that time of year when hardcore college basketball fans as well as casual fans come together for the NCAA Tournament. March Madness is one of the most popular sporting events and unique in its own way. Unlike college football, that had a four team playoff for years to now a 12 team playoff for these last two seasons, to possibly a 14 team or more playoff in the future, college basketball has arguably the most pure and fair form of a tournament in all of sports. The NCAA selection committee picks the top 68 teams to go dancing. There is talk out there of expanding the tourney.. but hopefully the powers that be don't ruin what is arguably the best tournament to exist. Also unlike college football - if you win your conference tournament in basketball, you go to the NCAA Tournament. It doesn't get much fairer and to the point than that. Even if you don't win your tourney, if you play a tough schedule and pull off a lot of wins, you still go dancing. There is no perfect process to pick teams, but the NCAA tournament is as close as you can get. Now that the bracket has been released, you will see people from all walks of life, gathering at the office water cooler, or at a sports bar, or maybe even meeting in a group Zoom meeting to discuss strategies on picking their bracket. You will have the person who spends hours and hours analyzing data such as college basketball conference standings, KenPom rankings, strength of schedules, as well as other data and statistics only to see his/her bracket get busted when a Cinderella pulls off an upset. You will also have that one person who makes picks based on team colors or mascots end up winning the office pool. March Madness has a unique way of bringing together the hardcore and casual fan. Once Thursday gets here, you will have fans watching games from everywhere and anywhere possible. Many will take off work the first two days of the NCAA Tourney (Thursday and Friday - not the play in games) to watch games at home, a local bar or chain restaurant like Buffalo Wild Wings that display multiple TVs. At certain times in the NCAA Tourney, you can have four games going at once. You will also have many employees who don't take off work but instead watch the games at work by streaming through devices like their laptop, tablet, or iphone using the company wi-fi. This is why I have long argued that the first two days (not the First Four in Dayton) of the NCAA Tournament (but Thursday and Friday) should be an optional holiday. You don't see events like the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff, World Series, and NBA Playoffs being played during normal working hours. Employees spending time at work streaming games can have an economic impact on the workplace. A 2021 analysis report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggested " that between 23 million and 34.5 million workers would fill out brackets" for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The report also suggested the 2021 tournament could have possibly cost employers over $13 billion from their workforce. According to the report.. "that would mean 72,114,720 workers are participating in March Madness activities while at work. Using this figure multiplied by the average hourly wage, the games could cost employers $2.16 billion per hour." To see the full 2021 analysis report from Challenger, Gray, & Christmas click on the link below. Challenger, Gray, & Christmas 2021 March Madness Report The above was from a 2021 analysis. Now fast forward to 2023 NCAA Tournament... According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas the 2023 NCAA Tournament cost employers $17.3 billion dollars. That's $1 billion more than last year. Another stat - $2.55 billion dollars - Lost wages resulting from the possibility of 48% of all workers, or 76,951,200 people, spending at least one hour of one workday on March Madness activities. You can find more information and stats from their report at the link below. https://www.challengergray.com/blog/the-2023-tournament-will-cost-employers-17-3b-1b-more-than-last-year/ One would think that for this upcoming 2026 NCAA Tourney, that all those numbers and statistics will go up. March Madness attracts several viewers to the NCAA Tournament games. Several years back, the NCAA and CBS Sports teamed up to offer the March Madness on Demand web streaming service. With the app, you now can watch games from your iPhone, and tablet to go along with watching games on your laptop and TV. With just owning a few basic technology items, one could turn their living room into a mini Buffalo Wild Wings, streaming all the games being played at the same time. Check out the pics below from my 2024 and 2025 March Madness Parties to get an idea.  2024 MARCH MADNESS SETUP  2025 MARCH MADNESS SETUP In 2006, the gurus at CBS Sports took it to a new level with the famous "BOSS" button. The BOSS button allows viewers to watch games at work but quickly be able to bring up a fake email, spreadsheet, flow chart, etc.. if somebody walks by their computer. CBS Sports reported years back there were 2.77 million clicks on the BOSS button. Now that has been 20 years ago since the creation of the "BOSS" button. Times and technology have changed since then. Click on the link below to see a 2019 article from USA Today on the history of the BOSS button. History of the BOSS button To see a discrete history of the "BOSS" button click on the link below from NCAA.com www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-03-19/march-madness-boss-button-discrete-history  As you can see, March Madness has continued to embrace the use of technology.
Office pools are another popular event that goes along with March Madness. Billions of dollars will exchange hands the next few weeks as people from all walks of life will participate in office pools across the country. Filling out the bracket the Monday after Selection Sunday has become a pastime for many fans. According to a 2018 USA Today article, the American Gaming Association estimated the following… The amount that will be wagered on this (2018) year’s tournament, only $300 million of which will be done legally at sports books in Las Vegas, according to the American Gaming Association. With sports betting now legal in more than 30+ states ( I believe currently 39 states and Washington,D.C.), one would think the amount of sports betting (legal with sports books as well as office pools) on the NCAA Tournament will surely increase. CBS, Yahoo, ESPN and other sites offer up cash and/or prizes for a perfect bracket. In 2014, Warren Buffett upped the ante by offering one billion dollars to the person who had a perfect bracket. Warren Buffett is no fool when it comes to investing money. His challenge brought even more attention to Yahoo Fantasy sports, as Yahoo and Quicken Loans partnered together to launch the billion dollar bracket challenge. The challenge opened to the first 15 million qualified entrants. By late Friday of the first round of games, out of the fifteen million brackets, none were left perfect. It didn’t help that Mercer upset Duke and Dayton beat Ohio State in the first round to shatter millions of brackets. As you can see, Warren Buffett placed a safe bet that ended up bringing a lot of hype to the bracket challenge and he didn’t have to give out a dollar. Over the years Warren Buffet has then offered a bracket challenge to his employees in which they would receive one million every year for life to the employee that could pick a perfect Sweet 16. None of his employees have been able to do that. However, in 2017, one employee came very close correctly picking 31 out of the 32 games. He didn't win the one million a year for life, but did win $100,000 prize for having the best bracket. Who has scored the best March Madness bracket ever? According to an Investopedia.com article (link below) - " With 49 games accurately predicted in a row, Gregg Nigl of Columbus, Ohio, scored the best March Madness bracket ever recorded. In 2019, the neuropsychologist was the first person to reach the Sweet 16, eventually breaking the streak in its second game when two-seed Tennessee lost to three-seed Purdue. " https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/082714/what-are-odds-getting-perfect-bracket-warren-buffetts-1-billion-march-madness-bracket-challenge.asp Still trying to achieve the perfect bracket is always a challenge many fans dream of. Every year, I myself think, "yeah this is my year to finally produce the perfect bracket." Well, a quick Google search will give you the statistics of having a perfect bracket. Here are the odds from a recent NCAA article: “Jeffrey Bergen, a professor of mathematics at DePaul University, has been crunching numbers on the topic for years. And they don’t look good. Bergen says that the chances of someone filling out a perfect bracket is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. That’s one in more than nine quintillion. To put how large that number is into proper perspective, Bergen reports that if you were to begin filling out random brackets now and stacked each of the 9 quintillion pieces of paper on top of each other, the stack would reach all the way to the sun and back…over 3,000 times by the time you finished.” You would have a better chance at winning the lottery than producing a perfect bracket. As USA Today stated, “You’d have a better chance of hitting four holes-in-one in a single round of golf.” Even with the odds NOT in your favor, fans across the country will come together at the water cooler starting Monday to discuss their strategies and why they think their bracket is going to be perfect this year. The next 3 weeks, the March Madness Effect will be everywhere. Whether it be fans attending the games at different locations across the country, co-workers discussing the games over a lunch break, friends getting together at the local sports bar to cheer on their team, or living rooms being turned into temporary sports bars to display all the games, March Madness is truly a unique sporting event that all can enjoy.   It’s that time of year again when friends and coworkers across the country are getting together to fill out brackets for March Madness. I am one of those guys who watches the selections shows, surfs different sports websites for their advice, and still buys two different newspapers... (wait... do they still make newspapers?...) to read before filling out my bracket. A couple days later, I find I can’t get through the first round undefeated. But then again, very few get through Thursday and Friday with a perfect bracket. The thing I love about March Madness is that it brings people from different walks of life together. You have your diehard sports fans filling out brackets, as well as people who don’t follow sports but love to fill out a bracket. I have had friends who don’t follow sports who make their picks based on the mascot or even team colors. Several years ago, I joined a unique March Madness office pool at work created by my buddy whose nickname is “The Flo” and have been hooked ever since. What I like about this office pool is that it is something different than your normal “fill out a bracket” office pool. It is a pool for hard-core college basketball fans as well as people who have never watched a game. You need 16 people to do the pool. After the teams are announced on Selection Sunday you take the 64 teams (the teams in the play in games are both grouped in one team slot) and split them into 4 groups. The groups below are the following: #13 - #16 seeds = High #9 - #12 seeds = Mid-High #5 - #8 seeds = Mid-Low #1 - #4 seeds = Low Look at the image below (it is from a previous March Madness year) to get an idea of how the teams are divided in groups.  Each of the 16 people in your pool each get a team out of the 4 groups listed above. You could put the teams in 4 hats and do a random draw or you could use a computer to generate the pics. It is a fair pool, since everybody ends up with a low, mid-low, mid-high, and high seed. If one of your 4 teams is the winner of the NCAA Tourney, you win the pool. For this pool, I used the old school method of cutting out the 64 teams and grouping them in the 4 seed groups. Some years I have used my 2010 Duke national championship cups :) to shake up the pieces of paper and draw out each person's picks at random. See pic below.  We here at Duke Report have created the pool with myself @Skeelow22 and 15 Twitter friends/followers who responded to a request to join. Below are the results of the random selections for the 2026 Duke Report - Next Level Pick 'Em Pool.  The last 2 years I even added a snake draft style to mix it up as I randomly chose teams from the cups.
As you can see, this is a unique office pool. I myself take a sharpie and scratch out the teams as they are eliminated from the tournament. There is no better feeling as a Duke fan than marking out North Carolina from the pool as they get eliminated. With Selection Sunday already completed, this is another pool you can do along with filling out the brackets. Winner of the Duke Report - March Madness Pick 'Em Pool will receive a small Duke prize. Enjoy March Madness and Go Duke! Want to know how to throw an exciting March Madness party? Read below for the details. It's that time of year when the brackets are out and millions of people will be filling them out in hopes of winning their local office pool. Many people will take the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament off work to watch games at home or even their favorite sports bar. I have long argued those two days should be holidays. Employees spending time at work streaming games can have an economic impact on the workplace. A 2021 analysis report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggested " that between 23 million and 34.5 million workers would fill out brackets" for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The report also suggested the 2021 tournament could have possibly cost employers over $13 billion from their workforce. Now fast forward to 2023 NCAA Tournament... According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas the 2023 NCAA Tournament cost employers $17.3 billion dollars. That's $1 billion more than last year. Another stat - $2.55 billion dollars - Lost wages resulting from the possibility of 48% of all workers, or 76,951,200 people, spending at least one hour of one workday on March Madness activities. You can find more information and stats from their report at the link below. https://www.challengergray.com/blog/the-2023-tournament-will-cost-employers-17-3b-1b-more-than-last-year/ A lot of people will have friends over to watch the games. It’s not that difficult or expensive to throw an exciting March Madness party. I’ve lost count of how many years I have thrown a March Madness party. Every year, we seem to up the ante and do something unique. Below are some ideas to help you throw a party your friends won’t forget. The first thing is your setup. Most households own at least 2 TVs and multiple electronic devices. CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV will be showing the games of the NCAA tourney. At some points, you can have 4 games airing at once. My basic setup consist of 3 or 4 TVs displaying games from YouTube TV and 1 or 2 laptops either streaming the other games or displaying the bracket. Over the years, we have changed the lineup. Some years I have used my iPad to display the bracket. One year, I had an iPod (remember iPods?) in the guest bathroom streaming games so that even when nature calls, you wouldn’t miss the game. As you can see, with the basic electronic items that many people own, you can set your house up to rival a Buffalo Wild Wings. The second item on the agenda is the food. Pizza, wings, and buffalo chicken dip seem to be the go-to for my party every year. Pick the food, snacks, and beverages you would like to have at your event. Some years, I have had a friend decorate a Duke themed March Madness cake for my party. As you can see, get as creative as you want with food selections.  The third item on the agenda is the extras. This includes things such as decorations, activities, or even souvenirs. Years back I have bought a 2x3 feet size bracket off Ebay to hang up in the mancave as we watch the games. We update the bracket after each game. Two years ago I up my game and I splurged and finally got the Fathead March Madness bracket. I bought the giant size bracket... and let me say... this bracket is huge! I also set up my Duke corn hole boards outside as an extra activity. One year I even had custom-made koozies for my March Madness party.  Last, but not least is to fill out the bracket and enter a March Madness bracket challenge. There are several sites such as ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS that offer a bracket competition and some offer prizes. I enter online bracket challenges as well as a few local bracket challenges and even help lead one that gives out the coveted FC LAKE2LAKE March Madness Bracketology trophy to the winner. Hosting a party with your friends all in the same bracket challenge just adds to the excitement of March Madness as you all compete to become the winner of Bracketology.  All it takes is a little creativity and you can throw an exciting March Madness party! The next 3 weeks, March Madness will be talked about everywhere. Whether it’s coworkers discussing the games over a lunch break, friends getting together at the local sports bar to cheer on their team, or living rooms being turned into temporary sports bars to display all the games, March Madness is truly a unique sporting event that all can enjoy.   from Duke Sports Information Duke captured five of the Atlantic Coast Conference's six top honors and placed multiple players on the league's postseason teams, the ACC announced Monday.
Freshman forward Cameron Boozer was voted the ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while senior forward Maliq Brown earned both Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year awards. Head coach Jon Scheyer was named ACC Coach of the Year after guiding the Blue Devils to a 29-2 overall record, the league's regular-season championship and the No. 1 ranking in the top-25 polls. Boozer was also selected to the All-ACC First Team and the All-Rookie Team. Sophomore guard/forward Isaiah Evans earned All-ACC Third Team recognition, while sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II was named All-ACC Honorable Mention. Freshman guard/forward Dame Sarr garnered All-Defensive Team honors. Boozer Earns Player and Rookie of the Year Awards Boozer becomes the fifth player in ACC history to capture the league's Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season, joining former Duke standouts Cooper Flagg (2025), Zion Williamson (2019), Marvin Bagley III (2018) and Jahlil Okafor (2015). Boozer is the 20th Blue Devil to be saluted as the ACC Player of the Year and 16th to be declared ACC Rookie of the Year. Duke's 20 Player of the Year awards, 16 Rookie of the Year recipients, 162 All-ACC selections, 42 All-Rookie Team picks and 36 All-Defensive Team merits are the most in conference history in each category. In addition, the Blue Devils have had an All-ACC First Team honoree in 18 of the last 19 seasons. Boozer is the highest rated player in the history of the KenPom Player of the Year Standings (since 2011) with a rating of 3.253, eclipsing Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin in 2015 (2.794). He is also the top-rated player by EvanMiya with a combined offensive and defensive performance rating of 15.09. The Miami native led the ACC in both scoring (705 points/22.7 points per game) and rebounding (315 rebounds/10.2 rebounds per game), while also averaging 4.1 assists and shooting 58.3% from the field. The freshman forward earned ACC Player of the Week honors five times and Rookie of the Week recognition 10 times this season. His historic campaign includes becoming the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to record at least 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists while shooting better than 50 percent from the field in a single regular season. Boozer's consistent production is demonstrated by recording at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 31 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. Brown Named Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year Brown anchored the nation's top-rated defense and was named both ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year. The senior leads Duke and ranks third in the conference with 60 steals and owns the ACC's top steal percentage (5.61%), which ranks second nationally according to KenPom. Brown has also compiled 168 deflections this season, more than 31 percent of the team's total, while helping the Blue Devils post the nation's No. 1 defensive efficiency rating. According to BartTorvik metrics, Brown's 9.1 defensive box plus-minus is the highest mark in the platform's history. Offensively, he is shooting 60.5 percent from the field, while averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Scheyer Named ACC Coach of the Year Scheyer collected 51 votes to earn ACC Coach of the Year honors after leading Duke to a 29-2 overall record and a 17-1 mark in conference play. The Blue Devils finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls and sit atop the NCAA NET rankings with 15 Quad 1 victories, tied for the most in the country. Duke leads the nation in scoring margin (+20.5) and owns the top-rated defense nationally, according to KenPom. The Blue Devils are also among the nation's elite on both ends of the floor, ranking first in defensive efficiency and fifth in offensive efficiency. Despite losing all five starters to the NBA Draft and returning just 20 percent of its offensive production from last season, Duke captured the outright ACC regular-season title for the second consecutive year and became the first team in the history of the ACC to win at least 11 regular-season games against ranked opponents. Scheyer's success has also been historic. He owns a 118-24 career record and has recorded the most victories by a Division I head coach in their first four seasons. Additional Duke Honors Evans earned All-ACC Third Team recognition after averaging 14.5 points per game, while ranking among the ACC leaders in three-point shooting and free-throw percentage. The Fayetteville, North Carolina, native has connected on 81 three-pointers this season and ranks fifth in the conference with an .868 free-throw percentage. Ngongba received All-ACC Honorable Mention after a breakout sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-11 center is averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 60.2 percent from the field. Hailing from Manassas, Virginia, he more than doubled his production from last season in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots. Sarr was selected to the All-Defensive Team after earning the reputation as a lockdown defender. The Italian freshman ranks third on the team with 30 steals, while averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. No. 1 Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC), the ACC regular-season champions, will compete in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m., facing the winner of Wednesday's Florida State versus California game.  And then the Blue Devils went down the road to Raleigh… and handled business.
What was supposed to be a hostile, desperate environment at the Lenovo Center turned into another statement. NC State came out swinging early, fed off the crowd, and tried to make it uncomfortable for the No. 1 team in the country. But once Duke settled in, the Blue Devils took complete control and rolled to a 93–64 win to secure the outright ACC regular-season championship, their second straight. That’s not easy to do in this league..especially on the road when everyone is taking their best shot at you. Cameron Boozer led the way with 26 points and nine rebounds, continuing one of the most consistent freshman seasons we’ve seen in Durham. Dame Sarr gave Duke a big lift early with 14 first-half points and three triples, and the ball movement was once again sharp with 21 assists on 32 made shots. Defensively, Duke smothered a Wolfpack team that came in shooting nearly 39% from three, holding them to just 24% from deep. In a building that was supposed to be rocking, the Blue Devils turned the second half into a quiet business trip and walked out as outright ACC champions. And then came Saturday night in Cameron… rivalry edition. No. 1 Duke closed the regular season the way you’re supposed to close it by beating North Carolina. The Blue Devils pulled away in the second half for a 76–61 win, finishing the year undefeated at home and extending the Cameron Indoor Stadium winning streak to 32 games. In a rivalry that always brings the emotion, Duke stayed composed early before taking full control after halftime with a defensive stretch that saw North Carolina go nearly 11 minutes with just one made basket in the half court. Cameron Boozer once again looked like the best player on the floor, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season. Maliq Brown delivered a huge Senior Night performance with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals, while Isaiah Evans knocked down three triples as Duke’s offense continued to stretch defenses. But the real difference was the defense and the glass. Duke dominated the boards 42–29 and held the Tar Heels nearly 20 points below their season average. Rivalry game. Senior Night. No. 1 team in the country. And Duke reminded everyone exactly why they are the No 1 team in the country. Duke Report – Final Bracketology – March 9 Yes… you’re reading that correctly. This is my final Duke Report Bracketology before Selection Sunday. And honestly? Once again, the only thing I needed to change on my graphic this week was the date. From the very first time I posted this Bracketology weeks ago, I have never moved Duke from its projected path. And for this final version, I’m keeping the Blue Devils exactly where they’ve been the entire time: 🏀 Greenville ➡️ Washington, D.C. ➡️ Indianapolis Look, at this point I’m not moving Duke from the Greenville pod or the D.C. regional path no matter what happens this week in Charlotte at the ACC Tournament. The season speaks for itself. Wins over teams currently ranked #3 Michigan, #5 Florida, #8 Michigan State, #13 Virginia, #14 Kansas, #17 North Carolina, #20 Arkansas, and #23 Tennessee (preseason). That’s a gauntlet of a schedule and a resume that stacks up with anyone in the country. Because of that, I think Duke should remain the No. 1 seed in the East Region regardless of what happens in the ACC Tournament. I had originally thought about doing one more Bracketology after the ACC Tournament, but this spectacular regular season run has me comfortable calling this my final projection a full week before Selection Sunday. And if I’m wrong? I’ll give you your money back. Of course… this Bracketology has always been for fun, and the content is free anyway. Here’s My Take on the Path 📍 Greenville Pod Again, Duke just keeps winning. Even if an early loss happened Thursday in the ACC Tournament (Duke is already the No. 1 seed with a double bye), I would still have them locked into Greenville. The regular season resume is elite. 🏟️ Washington, D.C. Duke beat the then-No. 1 team in the country, Michigan, on February 21 on a neutral floor in Washington, D.C. Since then? The Blue Devils have done nothing but reinforce their case. Wins over No. 13 Virginia, a dominant road performance at NC State to clinch the outright ACC regular-season title, and a rivalry win over No. 17 North Carolina at Cameron to close the regular season. Now Duke sits at 29–2 and still the No. 1 team in the country heading into the ACC Tournament. Right now, Duke doesn’t just “own” the East… they’ve created separation. Eleven ranked wins. The outright ACC regular-season championship. And the No. 1 seed locked up in the ACC Tournament. If the committee values elite wins, consistency, and performance against top competition, Duke’s resume stacks up with anyone in America. This path has felt real for a while, and Duke just keeps winning. And now? It feels even more real as this is my final bracketology. The Competition for #1 Seeds Here’s how I see the top lines shaping up right now: Midwest (Chicago): Michigan Even with the loss to Duke, Michigan’s overall body of work keeps them firmly on the top line, especially after recent wins over No. 10 Illinois and No. 8 Michigan State this past Saturday. West (San Jose): Arizona That road win over Houston carries serious weight, and Arizona added more big wins recently with victories over No. 14 Kansas and No. 6 Iowa State. Right now they feel well positioned to stay out West. South (Houston): Well... now I have Florida here This is where the real debate has been living. I had UConn here last week, but that loss to a 12–19 Marquette team definitely hurts. Houston was right there in the rearview mirror as well… but those three losses in a row from February 16 through February 23 didn’t help their case either. But Florida? My goodness. They are creeping onto that No. 1 seed line in a big way. That 111–77 demolition of Arkansas on February 28 definitely turned heads across the country. And Florida just added another big win by beating Kentucky this past Saturday. Yeah… this No. 1 seed could absolutely continue to flip as the conference tournaments get underway. East (Washington, D.C.): Duke With 11 ranked wins, the outright ACC regular season championship, and the No. 1 ranking in the country, this feels like Duke’s region to lose. Here’s the deal. Duke is 29 - 2, and one of those wins is over 25 - 6 Florida. So I don’t see Florida jumping Duke for the East Region. Florida already has 6 losses. UConn is another team I thought could push for the East, but at 27 - 4, even if Duke dropped a game in the ACC Tournament they would likely still have the stronger overall resume. That’s why, in my mind, Duke owns the East. Possible Teams in Greenville So who else could land in the Greenville pod? First, I have to start by admitting I was wrong in last week’s blog when I mentioned Florida possibly landing here. I completely forgot about the Tampa pod, which makes far more sense geographically. Florida should land there. North Carolina or Virginia could absolutely end up in Greenville, especially if either team makes a solid run in the ACC Tournament. And hey… we know the NCAA selection committee loves a good storyline. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a Tennessee State team led by Nolan Smith ended up as a No. 16 seed facing Jon Scheyer’s No. 1 seed Duke team. But right now? I’ve got Duke firmly locked into the Greenville pod. Final Thoughts The regular season is now in the books, and Duke finished it exactly the way you want heading into March. The Blue Devils took care of business on the road in Raleigh to clinch the outright ACC regular season championship, then returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium and closed things out with a rivalry win over North Carolina while completing another undefeated season at home. Now the focus shifts to the ACC Tournament, where Duke enters as the No. 1 seed. This is my final Bracketology for Blue Devils Blog. Enjoy the ACC Tournament… and hopefully I’ll see some of y’all in Greenville. Let the madness begin.  No drama. No letdown. No looking ahead. Just a full-on statement. No. 1 Duke walked into a sold-out Purcell Pavilion last Tuesday and absolutely blitzed Notre Dame 100–56. This was the program’s first 100-point regulation ACC road game since 1999 and the largest home loss in Notre Dame history. From the opening media timeout when Duke led 16–4, it felt over early. Cameron Boozer set the tone with 24 points and 13 rebounds for his 16th double-double, attacking the paint and living at the free throw line. Five other Blue Devils hit double figures, which tells you everything about how locked in this group was. The ball moved. The defense swarmed. Duke assisted on 20 of 27 made shots, hit 12 threes, went 34-of-38 from the line, and dominated the glass by 22. After the emotional win over No. 1 Michigan, this easily could have been a flat spot. Instead, Duke delivered a 44-point reminder of why they are sitting on the top line right now. Business like. Focused. And still building. And then came Saturday. If anyone thought there might be a letdown after the Michigan win or the road demolition at Notre Dame, Duke answered that quickly too. A top-15 Virginia team walked into Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the Blue Devils put together another grown-man performance in a 77–51 win that clinched at least a share of the ACC regular-season title and locked up the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Isaiah Evans set the tone early, drilling three triples before the first media timeout and finishing with 19 points. Cameron Boozer added 18 and nine boards, continuing one of the most consistent freshman seasons we’ve ever seen in Durham. But the real story? Defense. Virginia came in averaging over 82 points per game. Duke held them to 51 on 29% shooting. That’s not just good, that’s suffocating. Ten ranked wins in the regular season. That’s not a hot streak. That’s a team built for March. Duke Report – Bracketology – March 2
The Path (Still the Same) As you can tell from the graphic, I didn’t change Duke’s path from last week. This is now three weeks running where the only thing changed on the graphic is the date. I still have Duke landing as the No. 1 seed in the East Region, with a potential path of: 🏀 Greenville ➡️ Washington, D.C. ➡️ Indianapolis With March officially here, this projection only feels stronger every week. Here’s My Take on the Path 📍 Greenville Pod Duke just keeps winning. In my opinion, it would take multiple losses at least 2 or more like 3+) before I even consider moving them out of Greenville. Right now, it feels like a lock. The resume is strong. The momentum is real. The positioning is there. 🏟️ Washington, D.C. Duke beat the then No. 1 team in the country, Michigan, on February 21 on a neutral floor in Washington, D.C. Since then? The Blue Devils have backed it up... including a 26-point win over No. 11 Virginia at Cameron. Duke sits as the No. 1 team in the country. Right now, Duke doesn’t just “own” the East… they’ve created separation. Ten ranked wins. A share of the ACC title secured. The No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament already locked in. If the committee values elite wins, consistency, and performance against top competition, Duke’s profile stacks up with anyone in America. This path has felt real for a while. And today? It feels even more real. The Competition for #1 Seeds Here’s how I see the top lines shaping up: Midwest (Chicago): Michigan Even with the loss to Duke, their overall body of work keeps them on the top line especially with the recent win over #10 Illinois. West (San Jose): Arizona That road win over Houston was massive as well as the win over #14 Kansas this past Saturday. They feel positioned out West for now. South (Houston): UCONN And this is where the real debate lives right now. I have UConn here today, but Houston is right there in the rearview mirror. And don’t look now... but Florida is creeping onto that No. 1 seed line as well. That 111–77 beatdown of Arkansas this past weekend definitely turned heads. So yeah… this 1-seed could absolutely flip week to week depending on who blinks first. East (D.C.): Duke With 10 ranked wins and control of the ACC race, this is Duke’s region to lose right now. Possible Teams in Greenville Who else could land in the Greenville pod? Teams like Florida, a healthy North Carolina, or a tough Virginia squad if they rebound after this Duke loss could absolutely be in the mix of teams for Greenville. But right now, I’ve got Duke locked into the Greenville pod. And yes… I already have my hotel and tickets. Greenville is one of the cooler spots to spend an extended weekend watching games. Final Thoughts Duke now heads just down the road to Raleigh for a Monday night matchup against a hungry NC State team looking for a statement win in a season their fans probably thought would look better than this. Make no mistake... the Lenovo Center will be rocking. When this Duke team comes to town tonight, that building may feel like the Carolina Hurricanes are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’ll be loud. It’ll be hostile. Exactly what you want in March. Then it’s back to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for the rivalry. Duke will be looking to get revenge for the earlier loss to North Carolina. You already know that one won’t need any extra motivation. And yeah… the ACC Tournament is next week, where Duke has already locked up the No. 1 seed. But right now? Duke isn’t just stacking wins... they’re stacking statements. Two recent dominant performances over ranked teams. A defense that’s suffocating opponents. Balance across the roster. Poise at No. 1. And a team that looks more connected each time out. That’s not just regular-season success. That’s March DNA. Check back weekly for updated Duke Report Bracketology leading all the way up to Selection Sunday. Let the madness begin.  If that felt like March… it’s because it basically was. Inside Capital One Arena, No. 3 Duke took down No. 1 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball 68-63 in a game that had Final Four energy from the opening tip. The crowd was split, loud, nervous, and completely locked in. Every possession mattered. You could feel it through the TV. I can only imagine what it was like in the building. And Duke responded like a team built for that moment. The Blue Devils didn’t win this one with flash. They won it with toughness. Defense. Rebounding. Composure. Michigan came in averaging over 90 points per game. Duke held them to 63 their lowest total of the season and just eight made field goals in the final 20 minutes. That’s not just good defense. That’s statement defense. When the game tightened late, it was Cameron Boozer time. The freshman finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists nearly a triple-double and scored seven of Duke’s final nine points. But what made it even more impressive? He battled foul trouble late and had to sit for key stretches. There was a moment where you wondered if that would swing the game. It didn’t. Jon Scheyer trusted his bench. The group stayed composed. They defended. They rebounded. They didn’t panic. And when Boozer came back in, he closed it. After the game, Scheyer said: "Well, that was a game that didn't feel like that it was played in February, that felt like a March or April game. Obviously, we have a ton of respect for Michigan, their staff, how good they are. I thought it was just a big-time game where our guys were ready to compete at a high level." That’s exactly what it looked like. Both teams came in ranked top-seven nationally in offensive and defensive efficiency. But down the stretch, Duke’s defense and rebounding separated them. The Blue Devils won the glass 41-28 and became the first team all season to post a double-digit rebounding margin against Michigan. It didn’t just feel like a huge win. It felt like a glimpse of what this team can be in March.  Duke Report – Bracketology – February 23
As you can tell from the graphic, I didn’t change Duke’s path from last week. I still have Duke landing as the No. 1 seed in the East Region, with a potential path of: 🏀 Greenville ➡️ Washington, D.C. ➡️ Indianapolis And after Saturday night, that projection only feels stronger. Here’s My Take on the Path 📍 Greenville Pod Duke just keeps winning. In my opinion, it would take multiple losses before I even consider moving them out of Greenville. Right now, it feels like a lock. The resume is strong, the momentum is real, and the positioning is there. 🏟️ Washington, D.C. Duke just beat the No. 1 team in the country on a neutral floor in D.C. When the new polls come out, the Blue Devils will likely be the No. 1 team in the nation. So yes, I still have them returning to Washington if they advance out of Greenville. This path has felt real for some time and right now it still strongly feels that way. That said, there is still a lot of basketball left before Selection Sunday. A top-20 matchup at home with Virginia this Saturday. A road test at a hungry NC State Wolfpack squad looking for a statement win. The rivalry game against North Carolina Tar Heels inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. And then the ACC Tournament. But for now? A D.C. return path looks strong. The Competition for #1 Seeds Here's how I see the top lines shaping up: Midwest (Chicago): Michigan even with the loss, their resume keeps them here. West (San Jose): Arizona - that road win over Houston was massive. They feel locked into the West for now. South: (Houston): Well for now... I have UCONN here at the #1 seed. This feels like a back-and-forth battle between Houston and UConn after Houston’s recent loss. This spot could shift week to week. East (D.C.): Duke. The statement win Saturday only strengthens their grip here. If there’s a main challenger for the D.C. location, it’s UConn... but for now, Duke owns it. Possible Teams in Greenville Who else could land in the Greenville pod? Teams like Florida, a healthy UNC, or a tough Virginia squad could absolutely be in the mix. But right now, I’ve got Duke locked into Greenville. And yes... I already have my hotel and tickets. Greenville is one of the cooler spots to spend an extended weekend watching games. Final Thoughts This is my take as of Monday, February 23rd coming off an epic weekend where Duke beat the No. 1 team in the country on a neutral court. Can things change? Absolutely. But not right now. Duke keeps winning. And they’re winning in ways that translate to March. Check back weekly for updated Duke Report Bracketology leading all the way up to Selection Sunday. Let the madness begin. |
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