CBS Sports college basketball writer David Cobb has released his first 2026 NCAA Tournament bracketology, and Duke basketball headlines the ACC as the conference’s highest-seeded team. Cobb has the Blue Devils pegged as a No. 2 seed, the best placement for any ACC program in this early projection.
Following Duke, Louisville earns a No. 3 seed, making them the only other ACC squad with a top-three seed. In total, just five ACC teams appear among the 68-team field: North Carolina checks in as a 7-seed, NC State as a 9-seed, and SMU rounds things out as an 11-seed.
The modest showing reflects a broader trend — the ACC has been relatively underwhelming in recent years, and expectations for the 2025–26 season remain tempered. Still, programs like Virginia and Miami — both left out of this projection — could emerge as surprise contenders as the season unfolds.
As for Duke, head coach Jon Scheyer will have no shortage of opportunities to strengthen his team’s résumé. The Blue Devils are slated to play what could be the toughest non-conference schedule in the country, highlighted by five opponents ranked in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, including three top-10 teams. Most of those matchups will take place at neutral sites, but a marquee home game awaits in December when Florida — ESPN’s No. 2 team — visits Cameron Indoor Stadium for the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Incoming freshman Cameron Boozer recently told ESPN that Duke is being “very overlooked” ahead of the season. With a loaded schedule and national spotlight, the Blue Devils will have ample chances to prove themselves — and potentially move up the bracket as the season progresses.
Though the 2026 NCAA Tournament is still months away, Duke’s current 2-seed projection signals that the Blue Devils are firmly in the national title conversation, at least for now.
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