Jeff BorzelloMar 29, 2025, 11:31 PM ET
Close Basketball recruiting insider. Joined ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware.Open Extended Reactions
NEWARK, N.J. — In Duke‘s first meeting of the season, back in the summer, there was a picture of San Antonio up on the screen. The Blue Devils wanted to get to the Final Four for the first time since Mike Krzyzewski retired, the first Final Four of the new Duke era.
“That was our main focus all year,” Duke’s Tyrese Proctor told ESPN earlier this week.
The top-seeded Blue Devils took the next step in the seasonlong quest Saturday night, knocking off No. 2 Alabama 85-65 to advance to next week’s national semifinal in Texas.
The Blue Devils advanced to the first Final Four since coach Jon Scheyer took over in 2022, their 18th overall, and will face the winner of Sunday’s Houston vs. Tennessee regional final. It’s one step further than last season, when they lost to NC State in the Elite Eight.
“The feeling of losing last year at this point, every decision we made, everything we did was to get back here and then have the team have the opportunity to advance to the promised land,”