Duke’s season played out in a hurry on Thursday, when a positive COVID-19 test forced the Blue Devils out of the ACC tournament, prompting sports director Kevin White to declare that the team’s season was over. But it is possible that the conversation about Duke’s death was premature.
ESPN on Saturday reported that Duke could play in next week’s NCAA tournament if selected as an at-large team or as an alternate, contrary to what White said on Thursday. Duke was not in Jerry Palm’s projected bracket at the time he retired from the ACC tournament, and he probably needed to win, but he was approaching an interesting return to the bubble with consecutive postseason wins over Boston College and Louisville.
Even though Duke is not one of 68 teams on the pitch, this year, unlike others, could provide a back door for the program to enter. Because of concerns related to COVID, the selection committee this season will nominate four replacement teams – which would be basically the 69th, 70th, 71st and 72nd teams – that would fit in the bracket if one of the other 68 teams were forced to leave .
Therefore, although Duke may be left out of the starting field, being appointed as an alternate would at least leave the possibility of inclusion open if a team has to leave the field during the 48-hour window in which teams can be replaced. As it stands now, however, Duke’s sequence of 24 consecutive appearances at the NCAA Tournament appears to be coming to an end.