College basketball rankings: Duke looks to make a jump in Top 25 And 1 with Zion Williamson back

The ACC Tournament is fun today.

There are four games involving eight teams that are at-large candidates for the NCAA Tournament. Each game includes at least one school ranked in Thursday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 daily college basketball rankings. The second quarterfinal — Florida State-Virginia Tech — is a game between two top-15 teams. And Zion Williamson’s much-anticipated return to the court occurs a little after 9 p.m. ET when Duke plays Syracuse (for a third time this season) inside the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

The 6-foot-7 forward and likely No. 1 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft hasn’t played in 22 days — since he suffered a knee injury when his shoe exploded in the opening minute against North Carolina four Wednesdays ago. He’s missed the Blue Devils’ past five games — and Duke went 3-2 in those contests. So Williamson’s return is equal parts welcomed and needed. If he leads Mike Krzyzewski’s team to an ACC Tournament championship, the Blue Devils will almost certainly be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament — an event they remain favorites to win, according to oddsmakers in Las Vegas, despite their recent struggles.