But should it be considered coveted? Does it really matter whether the Blue Devils are seeded No. 1 or No. 2?
Get back to me in April.
There is historical data to suggest that being a top seed is preferable to being seeded No. 2. Of the 100 Final Four spots secured in the 25 tournaments since the field expanded to 64 teams, 45 have gone to No. 1 seeds. No. 2 seeds have made it less than half that often, 21 times.
And specific to this season, a top seed would allow Duke to avoid what seem to be shoo-in No. 1-seeds Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse until the Final Four. That isn't as significant as steering clear of seemingly untouchable Connecticut in the women's tournament, but it is significant nonetheless.
In other ways, however, it doesn't necessary matter one bit. Whether a team is slotted as the final No. 1 seed or as the first No. 2 seed, it's still the same team. It still has the same strengths and the same concerns as it did before the selection committee's announcement.
Over Duke's history, it hasn't made much of a difference. In the era of the 64-team field, the Blue Devils have won 82.2 percent of their games as a No. 1 seed, winning two NCAA titles and going to the Final Four five times in 10 opportunities. They've won 79.3 percent of their games as a No. 2 seed, winning one title and going to four Final Fours in seven opportunities.
Success in the tournament has so much to do with how teams match up against each other, and obviously the matchups won't be known until the field is announced.
Generally, being seeded No. 1 should provide a matchup advantage in the Sweet 16, where the likely opponent is a No. 4 or No. 5 -- likely a team toward the bottom of the Top 25. At No. 2, the opponent could be a fellow top-10 opponent in the form of a No. 3 seed.
Again, however, it really comes down to specific matchups, and the Blue Devils haven't matched up very well in recent seasons.
Beginning with the birth of the 64-team field in 1985 and ending with the school's most recent NCAA title in 2001, Duke went to the Final Four a remarkable eight times in 11 tournaments as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed and went 9-2 in Sweet 16 games. Since '01, Duke teams seeded first or second have reached the Final Four once in six attempts and have gone 1-5 in the Sweet 16.
History suggests that No. 1 seeds are twice as likely to reach the Final Four as No. 2 seeds, and top seeds have won 16 titles over the past 25 tournaments while No. 2 seeds have just three titles.
The Blue Devils, however, will be more focused on overcoming their recent history in the NCAA Tournament regardless of their seed.
