Tennessee’s 58-55 topping of Louisiana in Thursday night’s NCAA tournament East Region first-round contest earned the Volunteers a date with royalty.
Since the NCAA expanded its postseason extravaganza to 64 teams in 1985, no program has won more championships than the Duke Blue Devils, who have been the last team standing five times. All five crowns transpired under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, who handed the reins to associate head coach and former player Jon Scheyer after last season’s surge to the Final Four in New Orleans, where Duke was bounced by longtime rival North Carolina.
Duke reached the Final Four on four occasions from 1986-90 before breaking through with consecutive national championships in 1991-92, when star forward Christian Laettner became one of the most decorated and polarizing figures in college hoops history. The Blue Devils, who have been polarizing as a program since the Laettner era, added more national hardware in 2001, 2010 and 2015.
“For me, personally, it’s just exciting to be in March Madness,” Tennessee sophomore guard Jahmai Mashack said after Thursday’s triumph when asked in a news conference if playing Duke adds to the thrill of March. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We’re playing basketball, and it’s the game that we love to play.
“We can play anybody on a stage like this, and we’re going to be excited.”