The first big meme of the 2025 NCAA Tournament has already been born, and the First Four has yet to even tip off.
Duke landed the No. 1 seed in the East when the NCAA Tournament bracket was officially unveiled on Sunday. The Blue Devils will have an opening-round matchup against the winner of Wednesday night’s First Four game between Mount St. Mary’s and American University.
Should Duke fall victim to an upset and get bounced from the tournament early, we already know the meme that is going to go viral. It looks like this:
American or Mount St. Mary's has the chance to create the best Duke meme of all time pic.twitter.com/G8FtAvjO7u
— OutKick (@Outkick) March 17, 2025
Fans who watched the latest episode of HBO’s hit series “The White Lotus” understand the context. The man holding the gun to his head is a character from the show named Timothy Ratliff. Portrayed by actor Jason Isaacs, Ratliff is a successful businessman who begins having suicidal thoughts after he finds himself at the center of a massive fraud investigation. Ratliff’s family is from North Carolina, which explains the Duke shirt.
The meme has already gone viral, so you know we are going to see it again at some point during the NCAA Tournament. Duke fans are just hoping it does not resurface because of a stunning upset.
