With the Duke Blue Devils the betting favorites to cut down the nets at the NCAA tournament this year, the time seems right to look back at the last time Duke won the national championship.
To do that, we have to go back a decade—an era before the emergence of NIL deals and the departure of one of the best college basketball coaches in history.
The 2014–15 Blue Devils were a team with a perfect mix of expectations, talent and anger. The team had upperclassmen leadership, an influx of exceptional freshman talent and a desire to make good on their mistakes from the previous season.
The 2013–14 season was a disappointing one for Duke. The Blue Devils brought in the No. 1 recruit in the country—do-it-all forward Jabari Parker—and expectations were high. Duke won 26 games and earned a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament.
But the journey ended right there. Duke was upset by No. 14 Mercer in the first round. The disappointment stemming from that defeat would linger with players like Quinn Cook, and would put a chip on the shoulders of some of the incoming young players, like Tyus Jones.
Which brings us to the last Duke team to cut down the nets.
When Did Duke Basketball Last Win the NCAA Tournament?
In the fall of 2014, Duke jumped out to a 14–0 start, with two huge wins (No. 19 Michigan State, No. 2 Wisconsin) coming away from Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Jahlil Okafor, just a freshman, emerged as one of the best players in the nation during this stretch, leading the team in scoring in seven of those first 14 contests.
Then the Blue Devils hit a rough patch.
Ranked No. 2, Duke lost back-to-back games against North Carolina State and Miami in mid January. Falling to No. 4, the Blue Devils bounced back with an 11-point victory on the road against No. 6 Louisville.
After another loss to No. 8 Notre Dame on Jan. 28, 2015, Duke ripped off 11-straight wins, including two over hated rival North Carolina.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the Blue Devils were back to No. 2 in the AP poll. In the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, Duke defeated North Carolina State. In the semifinals, the Blue Devils once again fell to the Fighting Irish.
Still, Duke earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and showed no signs of ill effect from a disappointing ACC tournament exit.
Duke defeated Robert Morris by 29 in round one, then defeated San Diego State by 19 in the second round. A Sweet 16 matchup with Utah proved to be a challenge for the Blue Devils
With 12:45 remaining in the first half, the Utes took an 8–5 lead. It was the last lead they'd have the rest of the way, but they took every punch from Duke and rallied back over and over again. When the final buzzer sounded, the Blue Devils got the win 63–57.
Duke immediately went back into 'all gas, no brakes' mode, defeating Gonzaga in the Elite Eight by 14 and Michigan State in the Final Four by 20.
At long last, the national championship matchup was determined: Duke and Wisconsin would clash in a rematch from the regular season.
Duke had defeated then-No. 2 Wisconsin 80–70 earlier in the season, but that was way back in December. A lot had changed by March.
The two behemoths found themselves tied at 31 at halftime. The second half was all Wisconsin early, with the Badgers taking a nine-point lead with 13 minutes remaining.
Then, those Duke freshmen started to play well above their years. Grayson Allen made a three-pointer, then picked up a steal, then hit a layup and the ensuing free throw. A few seconds later he connected on two more free throws. Then Tyus Jones hit a jump shot and a free throw.
Just like that, on the backs of two freshmen, the Blue Devils trailed 51–50. Jones would hit another jumper at the seven-minute mark, tying the game at 54. From there, Duke truly took over, outscoring the Badgers 14–9 down the stretch.
In the end, the Blue Devils cut down the nets.
Full List of Blue Devils' NCAA Championships
Year
Seed
Championship Game Opponent
Final Score
1991
No. 2
Kansas
72-65
1992
No. 1
Michigan
71-51
2001
No. 1
Arizona
82-72
2010
No. 1
Butler
61-59
2015
No. 1
Wisconsin
68-63
Can Duke Win An NCAA Championship This Year?
Duke is the favorite to cut down the nets in 2025. From an efficiency standpoint, there hasn't been a team like this for (at least) the last 25 years.
In KenPom, Duke's Net Rating sits at a staggering +39.00. That means, should the Blue Devils play an average NCAA team, it is projected that they would win by 39 points.
That's due, in large part, to the stellar play of freshman Cooper Flagg. Flagg is the unquestioned No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft, and it's easy to see why when he's on the floor for Duke. He currently leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals
But Flagg is far from the only reason why the Blue Devils are the top contenders to win it all. Nine different players average at least 14 minutes per game and both Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor are key cogs for the Duke offense.
The Blue Devils will clash with Arizona on Thursday, March 27 in the Sweet 16.
