Paolo Banchero, the former Duke Blue Devils forward, takes a familiar (tobacco) road when selecting a champion, with a few surprises.
Paolo Banchero Picks Duke And Offers Upsets
Banchero released his 2025 NCAA bracket. To the surprise of no one, the Orlando Magic star picked his alma mater to cut down the nets. Now, in athletics and life, partiality towards your school is neither a big deal nor expected.
Paolo Banchero’s bracket! 🏀
Duke cuts down the nets 😈
High Point 👉 Sweet 16 👀
Yale > Texas A&M 🤯Lock YOUR bracket in NOW: https://t.co/EDKsOdC2PX #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/XmFBNUOTyM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2025
Wearing the uniform and competing for a university, despite NIL intervention, remains a part of life. Although Banchero plays just one season, his allegiance to Duke stays strong, and it reflects in the bracket.
In Banchero’s estimation, the 2025 NCAA tournament will become a matter of chalk predictions. Watching the number-one seeds win out and face each other fits many narratives. Blue Devil All-American projected that three of the top seeds will enjoy quality food in Texas at the end of the month.
Banchero sees Auburn as the lone top seed as the one that will not play in the Final Four. Now, a cynic may say that Banchero sees Johni Broome, a potential lottery picks as someone that he could face for the next dozen years or so.
As a result, not giving the standout any shine makes sense. Instead, he selects Michigan State to emerge from the South region.
Can Duke Win the National Title?
To the chagrin of many North Carolina fans, the answer is yes. The Blue Devils excel in many aspects of the game and thrive in a few. First, they ranked first in SRS. Basically, SRS (Simple Rating System) is a rating that combines the strength of schedule and point differential.
For example, the program can claim 25 double-digit victories. In essence, Duke wins games by wide margins. Next, they shoot extremely well beyond the arc and from the charity stripe. Jon Scheyer’s team connects on 37.7 percent of shots from the three-point line. Similarly, the team makes 78.4 percent of its free throws. That places extreme pressure on opponents.
Cooper Flagg’s health remains the team’s lone issue. The projected number-one pick of 2025 injured his left ankle in a game against Georgia Tech. If the Nokomis Regional High School product can play anywhere near his ceiling, the team’s fanbase can relax. However, if any signs of physical compromise exist, teams will take the fight to him.
Making Flagg move laterally on defense and fighting through the screen will fatigue the injured joint. However, the team will not need him for extensive periods this weekend.
As mentioned, Banchero doesn’t take the path of least resistance over the rest of his selections. Embracing the decades-old enmity between Duke and the University of North Carolina, he picked UNC to lose against San Diego State.
Moreover, he envisioned the Aztecs heading to the Sweet 16. UNC blasted SDSU by 27 points. That victory unraveled some of Banchero’s selections.
Nevertheless, the bracket selections remain undeterred. Perhaps his most bold yet completely plausible selections center around the High Point University Panthers. HPU heads to the tournament with a Big South tournament title and back-to-back regular season titles.
Over the last two years, High Point boasts a 56-14 record. Head Coach Alan Huss’ name now appears as a hot name on the coaching carousel. The Panthers rank seventh in field goal percentage at 49.4%. Banchero’s bracket envisions a Sweet 16 run.
KEEP READING: Jon Scheyer Salary, Contract, and Net Worth
Paolo Banchero and his bracket encapsulate the March Madness vibe in the fullest capacity. While he wears his Duke love on his sleeve, the rest of his bracket makes sense. Most impressively, the way he singled out High Point as a Cinderella story that will pull off more than one upset.
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