The Duke Blue Devils will play their 2011 NCAA Tournament regional games way out in Anaheim as the West regional’s No. 1 seed. The Pittsburgh Panthers will call New Orleans their regional home should they make the Sweet Sixteen, while Ohio State, the overall No. 1, gets the East and Kansas the Southwest.
That’s quite a haul for Blue Devils fans. Duke’s shakiness down the stretch of the regular season likely cost them a spot much closer to home, though there’s still a Charlotte pod they’ll likely get to play in for their first two games.
Pitt went 27-5 overall and 15-3 in the Big East, falling to UConn in Kemba Walker’s great swashbuckling spree through the conference tournament. New Orleans is a little bit of a travel for Pitt fans, but it’s a little bit closer than San Antonio and much, much closer than Anaheim.
For more on the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket as it’s unveiled, visit SB Nation’s NCAA Basketball hub.