Sunday, March 17, 2013

March Madness and Triangle-area teams ready to go

The 2013 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Basketball Tournament bracket was released by the Division I Men's Basketball Selection Committee from Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday.

The Duke Blue Devils led Triangle-area teams in earning the the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region while the North Carolina Tar Heels landed the No. 8 seed in the South Region, and the NC State Wolfpack earned the the No. 8 seed in the East Region.

All three teams possess the ability to reach the Sweet 16 round of play and beyond, but will all face formidable opposition in advancing out of the first two rounds of play.

March Madness is finally here and every team is ready to go.

Let the games begin!

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Duke vs. Albany

The second-seeded Blue Devils (27-5) will meet the 15th-seeded Albany Great Danes (24-10) - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa. - Mar. 22 - 12:15 p.m.

Duke received a No. 1 or No. 2 seed for the sixth straight season and advances to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th consecutive year and 29th time in the past 30 seasons.

The Blue Devils have received a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in 15 of the past 17 seasons and 21 times under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Duke is 96-32 all-time in the tournament with national championships in 1991, 1992, 2001 and 2010.

The Blue Devils won the 1991 NCAA Championship as a No. 2 seed and their last three titles as a No. 1 seed.

Krzyzewski is the NCAA’s all-time leader in tournament victories, posting a 79-24 record in his 33 seasons at Duke.


North Carolina vs. Villanova

The eighth-seeded Tar Heels (24-10) tipoff against the ninth-seeded Villanova Wildcats (20-13) - Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo. - Mar. 22 - 7:20 p.m.

Carolina is making its 44th NCAA Tournament appearance, second-most in history and has played in 18 Final Fours, more than any school in the nation.

The Tar Heels have played in 149 NCAA Tournament games and won 108, both of which totals are second in NCAA history.  UNC's Tournament winning percentage of .725 (108-41) is third in history.

Head coach Roy Williams is making his 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach, tied for seventh in NCAA history.

He's coached in 81 NCAA Tournament games, posted 61 wins and posted an NCAA winning percentage of .753, all of which are third in NCAA history.

NC State vs. Temple

The eighth-seed Wolfpack (24-10) matches up with the ninth-seeded Temple Owls (23-9) - University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio - Mar. 22 - 1:40 p.m.

It is NC State's 24th trip to the NCAA Tournament and this year's squad has already recorded a 24-10 record, its highest win total in 30 years.

Head coach Mark Gottfried is the first coach in NC State's storied basketball history, and only the third in the 60-year history of the ACC for all schools, to take his first two teams to the "Big Dance." 

The Wolfpack posts a 34-21 overall in the NCAA Tournament and is one of only 17 teams that has won two national titles, as the Pack took the title in 1974 and in 1983.

NC State is the only team in the nation to have five players each average over 12 points per game.

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