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Maybe that’s fitting.

Top-ranked and top-seeded Duke, in the Sweet 16. The cross-country rival that provided six drama-filled games during the Lute Olson era, including ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s loss in the 2001 national championship game, is back again.

Duke was also the team ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and star forward Derrick Williams unforgettably swatted away in the 2011 Sweet 16 and the team that provided a memorable two-year series that finished earlier this season: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat Duke at its renowned Cameron Indoor Stadium last season but lost to the Blue Devils at McKale earlier this season.

That Duke is expected to win again this time makes this Sweet 16 somewhat different for Lloyd, the Wildcats’ fourth-year coach.

In 2022, Lloyd led ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to a No. 1 seed, but Houston upset the Wildcats 72-60 in a Sweet 16 game that didn’t appear even that close. Last season, the second-seeded Wildcats lost to No. 6 seed Clemson 77-72 while shooting just 37.3% from the field.

A similar result Thursday would not be a surprise. posted an opening line with Duke favored by 8.5 points, but enough money flowed in on Duke that UA bettors were getting 9.5 on Tuesday.

Everything about this season suggests the Wildcats should be underdogs, too.

Well before they ascended to the No. 1 ranking and No. 2 overall NCAA Tournament seed behind only Auburn, the Blue Devils rolled into McKale Center on Nov. 22 with little trouble.

In what was just the fifth-ever college game for its three standout freshmen, Duke then all but ignored a rowdy sellout crowd and several UA basketball dignitaries sitting courtside en route to a 69-55 win over the Wildcats.

In that game, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ shot just 39.6% from the field, made it to the free-throw line only 11 times and was outrebounded 43-30. Duke hit 9 of 25 3s and scored 14 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds.

The Blue Devils took a seven-point halftime lead and led UA throughout the second half.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well,� said guard Caleb Love, who was 1 for 9 from 3-point range in that game. “We put ourselves in position to win the game multiple times and they just made more plays than us.�

The Wildcats’ 55 points tied the lowest they had ever scored under Lloyd at that point, and they went on to score just 54 twice later this season — in losses to UCLA in Phoenix on Dec. 14 and at Texas Tech on Jan. 18.

But in between those 54-point efforts, the Wildcats turned their season around. Center Motiejus Krivas watched the UCLA game in a boot after playing in the first eight games of the season, and when he was ruled out for the rest of the season later in the month because of a foot/ankle injury, that allowed the Wildcats to shape their talent into a more cohesive eight-player rotation.

They improved on both ends of the court, now ranking 28th in defensive efficiency and 13th in offensive efficiency.

“I think we found more of an identity,� Lloyd said. “Early in the season, we obviously struggled to find our identity and the roles people were going to play for us to be successful. We’ve dug a little deeper on that, and definitely have a little more certainty in that area.�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ finished nonconference play shooting just 30.7% from 3-point range, while assisting made baskets 56.0% of the time. But against consistently stiffer Big 12 defenses, the Wildcats shot 32.4% from 3-point range and its ratio of assists to made baskets grew to 59.6.

“We were such a different team early on,� Love said. “We’re much better. We’re so much more connected on both ends of the floor. Or offense has changed. Our defense has taken a jump.�

But Duke has accomplished all that, too.

The Blue Devils sandwiched wins over Wofford and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ with losses to Kentucky and Kansas, but have lost only once since then: a road conference game at Clemson on Feb. 8.

Of course, the Blue Devils live in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which Kenpom ranks the fifth-strongest conference, two spots below the Big 12. But the Blue Devils also mixed in a 43-point win over Illinois in the middle of their 19-1 conference season, then went on to sweep the ACC Tournament.

“Obviously, Duke has changed,� UA guard Jaden Bradley said. “They got way better.�

Also, Duke’s freshman talent has had a full season to mature. Three Blue Devil freshmen are among the Top 10 on ESPN’s recently updated “Big Board� of NBA Draft prospects, and Duke has six players on the list overall.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has just one, forward Carter Bryant, at No. 20.

That’s a lot on paper saying who the favorite is Thursday, but Lloyd says thinking about favorites or underdogs is “not how my mind works.�

Instead, it’s just another game he’s trying to win. The biggest one yet this season and, maybe, in Lloyd’s four years at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

“The one thing that I truly believe at the NCAA Tournament is you throw all the seeds out the window,� Lloyd said. “I know they make it easier when you’re choosing your brackets, but we’re not in the business of filling out brackets. We’re in the business of actually playing the game.

“We know we’re playing a great Duke team, and we know it’s a great opportunity for our program.�