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Bids and storyline shifts
Duke may now be the team to beat in the NCAA Tournament. We dive into Saturday's results, note the automatic bids won by two teams, and much more.
Mike Miller
March 09, 2025
Good morning! Apologies for the late send this morning. Between daylight savings time and some bad shrimp, my Saturday night wasn’t very productive.
Let's get to Saturday’s news.
1. After Auburn’s loss, is Duke now the team to beat
For those who swear by KenPom, Duke might’ve already been considered the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday might’ve been the moment everyone else joined the bandwagon.
No. 2 Duke blew a 15-point first-half lead, but got it together for a relatively stress-free 82-69 win at North Carolina on Saturday night. Cooper Flagg (15 points, nine rebounds, six assists) and Kon Knueppel (17 points) were great, while forward Maliq Brown returned from injury and played 16 minutes — but was +20 in that time.
That means Duke (28-3, 19-1 in ACC) not only clinched the outright ACC title, but went through 20 games with a +434 point differential, which ranks with the all-time great teams.
And it’s now nearly 4 points ahead of Auburn on KenPom’s net ratings, a margin that raises the question if the Devils the nation’s best team, period.
As the After Dark crew noted, this isn’t a direct critique of Auburn, but as much of a reflection that after a 93-91 overtime loss to No. 7 Alabama — Auburn’s second-straight loss, the first time that’s happened this season — and how well Duke’s playing.
After all, the Tigers (27-4, 15-3 in SEC) did win the league by multiple games, and that’s a league that may be the best and deepest we’ve seen in the sport. Auburn still has an absurd 16 Quad 1 wins (no other team has more than 11) and is still guaranteed a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But Saturday opens the door for Duke to claim the No. 1 overall spot, at least from a betting standpoint. And when it’s time to fill out a bracket, that’s be something worth considering.
2. SIUE’s off to the Big Dance for the first time
SIUE joined the Ohio Valley in 2008 after making the jump from D-II sports. And Saturday, it celebrated its first tournament tile — and first automatic NCAA Tournament bid — with a 69-48 win over top-seeded Southeast Missouri.
Leading to this incredible postgame interview from coach Brian Barone.
