Duke basketball is heading into March Madness has one of the favorites for the first time in the Jon Scheyer era

Duke’s current efficiency is 38.15, the nation’s highest since the 2001 Blue Devils ended the season, with an NCAA championship, at 37.32. The only team with a higher KenPom efficiency at time of the year? Duke’s 1999 team that went 37-2 and finished with a 43.01 efficiency.

The other reasons various teams have found themselves on runs against the Blue Devils are more subtle. More than making a high-percentage of shots, winning the rebounding battle and avoiding turnovers,

Want to see Duke vs. Mount St. Mary's in person? Tickets for the matchup between Duke and Mount St. Mary's are still available.

Star freshman Cooper Flagg will play on Friday afternoon when top-ranked Duke begins play in the NCAA Tournament against Mount St. Mary's in an East Region game in Raleigh, N.C. The forward's availability was in question after he sustained a sprained left ankle in the first half in the Blue Devils' 78-70 victory over Georgia Tech on March 13 in the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinal.