Duke's ACC Tournament Path: A Cruise to March Madness?

0:00On March 12, Duke heads into the ACC tournament as the top seed in regular season champions, chasing their third title in four years under coach. John Shire, they finish league play with a 17-1 record and sit at 29 wins and two losses overall. But they'll be shorthanded, missing starters Patrick and Gangba and Kayla Foster, due to foot injuries, though in Gangba should return for the NCAA tournament. Their path starts Thursday with a quarter-final matchup against eighth-seated Florida State at 7pm Eastern on ESPN. A win sends them to Friday semi-final at 9.30pm against the winner between North Carolina and Clemson. Then it's the championship on Saturday at 8.30pm versus whoever emerges from the other bracket side. Fans and analysts see Duke's regular season dominance as a huge edge, even banged up. They wrapped up on an eight-game win streak, blowing out opponents by more than 23 points each time and holding every foe under 65 points.

1:03Experts predict the Blue Devils crews, through despite the absences, locking in the number one overall seed for March madness. Their only conference loss was a buzzer-beater to North Carolina and no other team looks ready to stop them. That first game against the seminals carries extra weight. Since no squad has ever won a national title after dropping their conference tournament, opener, Duke's got the talent and momentum to handle it and keep the pressure on.