Ahead of NCAA Tournament, here’s everything you need to know about Duke and East Region

During Jon Scheyer’s senior season as a Duke player, he and the Blue Devils headed to Florida to start an NCAA Tournament run that ended with a national championship.

Thirteen years removed from that magical 2010 season, Scheyer leads No. 12 Duke south again, this time to Orlando instead of Jacksonville, for the start of his first NCAA Tournament as the team’s head coach.

Playing at Amway Center, home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the Blue Devils (26-8) look to continue their nine-game winning streak and take Scheyer on another run from Florida to the Final Four.

The East Region, though, is filled with quality teams. Duke is among seven teams in the region ranked in this week’s Associated Press Top 25. Top seed Purdue is No. 3 in the final poll, joining second-seeded Marquette (No. 6), third-seeded Kansas State (No. 15), No. 4 seed Tennessee (No. 20), No. 8 seed Memphis (No. 24) and No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic (No. 25).

In addition, No. 6 seed Kentucky and No. 12 seed Oral Roberts received votes but didn’t make the top 25. This is a deep regional.

For the Blue Devils to return to the Final Four for the second tournament in a row, this time with Mike Krzyzewski retired and Scheyer as their head coach, they’ll have to navigate a quality bracket.

BLUE DEVILS’ FIRST FOE

Upsets in 5 vs. 12 games happen regularly in the NCAA Tournament, making them a big part of the fabric that heightens the event’s popularity.

No. 5 seed Duke faces a tough foe in 12th-seeded Oral Roberts (30-4), which enters the tournament on a 17-game winning streak. Just two years ago, the Golden Eagles knocked off Ohio State and Florida before losing by two points to Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

Guard Max Abmas, a sophomore at the time, was a big reason for that success. He scored 29 points in Oral Roberts’ 75-72 overtime win over Ohio State, and 26 when the Golden Eagles beat Florida, 81-78.

As a senior this season, the 6-foot guard averages 22 points per game. On the interior, Oral Roberts has 7-5 center Connor Vanover, a 23-year-old player who started his career at California before transferring to Arkansas. A reserve for the Razorbacks team that lost to Duke in the West Regional final last March, he moved to Oral Roberts and has averaged 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots per game.

WHO COULD BE NEXT?

A win over Oral Roberts would earn Duke a second-round game against either No. 4 seed Tennessee or No. 13 seed Louisiana. The 20th-ranked Volunteers (23-10) started the season 18-3 to zoom into the nation’s top 10, but they are 5-7 over their past 12 games. Point guard Zakai Zeigler’s season-ending injury is the prime reason.

After that, top-seeded Purdue figures to loom in the regional semifinals when the tournament heads to New York for the second weekend.

CAMERON NORTH?…

Duke plays at least one game in the New York City metropolitan area each season, usually at Madison Square Garden. The school’s large alumni base in the area means the Blue Devils find plenty of support in that part of the world.

Should Duke advance out of Orlando, the Blue Devils will feel right at home in the East Region semifinals and final in midtown Manhattan, playing on the New York Knicks’ home court. Duke played there three months ago, beating Iowa 74-62 on Dec. 6.

Not counting the 2020-21 season, which was drastically altered by the pandemic, that marked the eighth time in the past 10 seasons Duke has played at least one game at Madison Square Garden.

REGION’S TOP PLAYERS

Zach Edey stands out not just because he’s 7-foot-4, but because the Purdue center is a leading candidate for national player of the year. The junior averages 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard Kam Jones averaged 15 points per game this season for Big East champion Marquette. He and 6-3 sophomore Tyler Kolek (13.3 points, 7.7 assists per game) give the Golden Eagles a terrific backcourt.

Last season’s national player of the year, Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe has produced 16.5 points and 13.1 rebounds a game as an encore.

Memphis won the American Athletic Conference championship this season thanks to guard Kendric Davis’ 31 points in the 75-65 win over Houston. Davis averages 21.8 points and 5.7 assists per game.

Of course, Duke has 7-foot freshman Kyle Filipowski, who won the Everett Case Award as the ACC tournament’s top player. He’s averaged 15 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season.

East Region schedule

Wednesday’s game

First Four at Dayton, Ohio

No. 16 Texas Southern (14-20) vs. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson (19-15), 6:40 p.m. (TruTV)

Thursday’s games

At Amway Center, Orlando

No. 5 Duke (26-8) vs. No. 12 Oral Roberts (30-4), 7:10 p.m. (CBS)

No. 4 Tennessee (23-10) vs No. 13 Louisiana, 9:40 p.m. (CBS)

Friday’s games

At Greensboro Coliseum

No. 6 Kentucky (21-11) vs. No. 11 Providence (21-11), 7:10 p.m. (CBS)

No. 3 Kansas State (23-9) vs. No. 14 Montana State (25-9), 9:40 p.m. (CBS)

At Nationwide Center, Columbus, Ohio

No. 7 Michigan State (19-12) vs. No. 10 Southern California (22-10), 12:15 p.m., (CBS)

No. 2 Marquette (28-6) vs. No. 15 Vermont (23-10), 2:45 p.m. (CBS)

No. 1 Purdue (29-5) vs. No 16 Texas Southern or No 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, 6:50 p.m. (TNT)

No. 8 Memphis (26-8) vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic (31-3), 9:20 p.m. (TNT)

Saturday’s game

At Amway Center, Orlando

No. 5 Duke-ORU winner vs. Tennessee-Louisiana winner

Sunday’s games

At Greensboro Coliseum

Kentucky-Providence winner vs. Kansas State-Montana State winner

At Nationwide Center, Columbus, Ohio

Michigan State-Southern California winner vs. Marquette-Vermont winner

Purdue, Texas Southern or Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Memphis-Florida Atlantic winner