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I haven’t heard many Bracketologists suggest Duke has a real chance to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But I floated the idea earlier this week, and now I believe it’s a definite possibility.

Or at least it should be.

Here’s why …

If Duke beats Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament title game Saturday night, the Blue Devils will have eight top-25 RPI wins and 13 top-50 RPI wins. That would lead the nation in both categories. And they’re 2-1 against North Carolina, which would have three fewer top-25 RPI wins, two fewer top-50 wins and the same number of sub-50 and sub-100 losses. So can somebody please explain why UNC is considered a lock by some to be a No. 1 seed? Or why Duke isn’t being seriously discussed as No. 1? And while I recognize Oregon and Arizona are terrific, neither can come close to matching Duke’s wins. Arizona has five top-50 RPI wins. Oregon has four.

(Gonzaga has six, for those wondering).

I have Duke fourth in the updated Top 25 (and one).

So you know where I stand.

And the fact that Duke’s top seven scorers have combined to miss 25 games -- mixed with the fact that its Hall of Fame coach, Mike Krzyzewski, missed seven games, which resulted in three of Duke’s eight losses -- also supports Duke’s cause. So does a No. 10 strength of schedule rating, which is two spots better than North Carolina’s, 22 spots better than Arizona’s and 39 spots better than Oregon’s.

To be clear, I’m not predicting the selection committee will make Duke a No. 1 seed if it wins Saturday. I’m just strongly suggesting the selection committee should make Duke a No. 1 seed if it wins Saturday. Either way, the Blue Devils’ jump from ninth to fourth in the Top 25 (and one) pushed Kentucky down to No. 9, no fault of its own. Similarly, Notre Dame’s jump from 15th to 11th following Friday’s win over Florida State pushed West Virginia down to No. 14, no fault of its own. And Minnesota replaced Maryland. Richard Pitino’s Golden Gophers are now 26th.

The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.

Biggest Movers
5 Duke
3 UCLA
Rk
Teams
  
Chg
Rcrd
1 Villanova The Wildcats have 11 top-50 RPI wins and only one sub-15 loss. They've won 11 of their past 12 games. -- 7-2
2 Kansas Josh Jackson's suspension contributed to KU losing its first game in the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks' resume still features eight wins over schools also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). -- 7-3
3 Gonzaga The Zags will be 32-1 with five top-25 RPI wins on Selection Sunday. That'll likely be enough for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. -- 9-1
4 Duke The Blue Devils' win over UNC on Friday doubled as their 12th top-50 RPI win. Mike Krzyzewski is one victory away from his 14th ACC Tournament title. 5 10-0
5 N. Carolina The Tar Heels are 1-2 against Duke. But they're 11-5 against top-50 RPI opponents. 1 8-1
6 Oregon The Ducks have won eight straight games. They've only lost twice since Thanksgiving. -- 4-5
7 Arizona The Wildcats have five top-50 RPI wins and zero losses to currently unranked teams. They'll play Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament final. -- 8-0
8 UCLA The Bruins missed 21 of 25 3-point attempts in Friday's loss to Arizona. They'll have six top-50 RPI wins on Selection Sunday. 3 7-2
9 Kentucky The Wildcats will take a nine-game winning streak into the SEC Tournament semifinals. They've won their past two games despite Malik Monk missing 14 of 17 shots. 1 6-4
10 Louisville The Cardinals' resume features seven top-50 RPI wins and just one sub-25 loss. They've beaten the SEC champs (Kentucky) and the Big Ten champs (Purdue). -- 8-1
11 Notre Dame The Irish made 13 3-pointers in Friday's win over Florida State. They have eight top-50 RPI wins and just one loss to a currently unranked team. 4 8-3
12 Baylor The Bears own nine top-50 RPI victories. But they are 5-6 in their past 11 games with two losses to Kansas State. -- 7-2
13 Florida St. The Seminoles have 11 top-50 RPI wins. But they're 2-2 in their past four games. 2 5-4
14 West Virginia Bob Huggins is one win away from his 11th league tournament title. The Mountaineers are 6-1 in their past seven games. 1 8-3
15 Purdue The Boilermakers won the Big Ten by multiple games. But they've dropped two of their past four contests - both to Michigan. 1 9-1
16 SMU The Mustangs have won 14 straight games and 24 of their past 25. The lone loss in that stretch is a 66-64 loss at Cincinnati. -- 9-1
17 Cincinnati The Bearcats have won six of seven heading into the AAC Tournament semifinals. They have three top-35 RPI victories. 1 6-3
18 Butler The Bulldogs squandered a chance to record a 10th top-50 RPI victory when they lost to Xavier in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals. They'll enter the NCAA Tournament on a two-game losing streak. 1 7-2
19 Florida The Gators are 1-3 in their past four games. They're 0-3 vs. Vanderbilt. 2 5-4
20 Virginia The Cavaliers are 6-7 in their past 13 games. But all seven losses are to teams that could make the NCAA Tournament. -- 9-1
21 Iowa St. The Cyclones have won eight of their past nine games. They have six top-50 RPI wins and just three sub-50 losses. -- 9-0
22 Okla. St. The Cowboys will enter the NCAA Tournament on a three-game losing streak. But they haven't lost to a team unranked in the Top 25 (and one) since Jan. 18. -- 9-0
23 Wichita St. The Shockers beat Illinois State 71-51 in the MVC Tournament title game. They'll take a 15-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament. -- 6-4
24 Saint Mary's The Gaels have wins over the MWC champ (Nevada) and the A-10 champ (Dayton). Three of their four losses are to Gonzaga. -- 9-1
25 Wisconsin The Badgers have won two straight since losing three straight. They're 4-5 vs. top-50 RPI teams. -- 7-3
26 Minnesota The Gophers have won eight of their past nine games. They're 8-6 vs. top-50 RPI teams. NR 5-5