Duke played most of the ACC tournament without Cooper Flagg, the consensus national player of the year favorite and a near-lock to be the first pick of the NBA Draft, and still won that title.

Though the wall-to-wall 2025 NCAA Tournament action won't get started until Thursday's first-round schedule, the First Four in Dayton has become a staple in its decade-plus of existence that provides a unique kickoff to March Madness.