Bubba Cunningham hilariously avoids saying Duke during Top 16 seed reveal show: 'I can't do it'

As chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee this year, North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham appeared on the CBS Top 16 seed reveal show on Saturday. When he got to the third No. 1 seed, though, he had to stop himself.

Cunningham couldn’t bring himself to say Duke would be the No. 3 overall seed in the March Madness field as his Carolina blue showed through. Adam Zucker did the honors, while the panel of Clark Kellogg, Jay Wright and Seth Davis also tried to help Cunningham out.

Duke came in as the third No. 1 seed in the field, right behind Auburn and Alabama. Florida rounded out the 1-seeds.

"I can't do it."

The crew really asked @BubbaUNC, the Athletic Director of UNC, to announce the third No. 1 seed 😂 DUKE! pic.twitter.com/MGCM15I66i

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 15, 2025

“Third number – I can’t do it,” Cunningham said while looking at the card. “I cannot do it. … I would love to stay something good about them, but I can’t.”

Duke has put together an impressive resume to sit on the 1-seed line, entering Saturday’s game against Stanford with a 27-4 overall record and a 19-1 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils’ only blemish in league action came last week against Clemson when the Tigers pulled off the home upset at Littlejohn Arena.

But what stands out about Duke is its defense. The Blue Devils have the third-most efficient defense in the country, according to KenPom, and their 60.4 points allowed per game rank fifth in the country. That’s what stands out to former Villanova coach Jay Wright, who praised Jon Scheyer for the job he’s doing in Durham.

“Jon Scheyer deserves so much credit because this is a great defensive team, as talented as they are, and they’re all young,” Wright said. “To get this many freshmen to defend at this level. And what I would wish for them is more close games, because Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg need reps at end-of-game situations. … They’re going to be the go-to guys in the tournament.”

According to the committee’s initial Top 16 seeds as of Saturday afternoon, Duke would go to the East Region in the March Madness bracket. The Blue Devils would be the No. 1 seed in that group, followed by No. 2 seed Tennessee, No. 3 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed St. John’s in the region that ends at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The Top 16 reveal comes just four weeks before Selection Sunday. From there, it will be time for the madness with the First Four two days after that.