Mr Viral
We all saw it coming.
By
Tim Marcin
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You’ll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, and the occasional hot take. You can find him posting endlessly about Buffalo wings on the website formerly known as Twitter at @timmarcin.
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on April 6, 2025
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Bad day for Duke.
Credit: Isaac Wasserman/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
It seemed like Duke men’s basketball was certain to advance to the championship game of this year’s NCAA tournament after taking a commanding lead in its Final Four matchup against Houston. But, somehow, their 14-point lead disappeared, and the dream was over for the Blue Devils.
However, it was absolutely perfect for White Lotus memes. You see, in this season of The White Lotus, Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) is spiraling out of control in Thailand — even considering taking his own life — as his financial crimes are revealed back home in the States. And Ratliff, a Duke alum, is frequently spiraling in a Duke t-shirt.
So…obviously, the memes were more than ready. Pretty much everyone had White Lotus screenshots ready to go as Duke choked away the victory. In fact, the joke was so prevalent that jokes about it being everywhere kind of became the joke itself.
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For what it’s worth, the actual Duke University isn’t pleased with its depiction of The White Lotus either.
“Duke appreciates artistic expression and creative storytelling,” Frank Tramble, Duke’s VP for communications, marketing, and public affairs, told The New York Times. “But characters prominently wearing apparel bearing Duke’s federally registered trademarks creates confusion and mistakenly suggests an endorsement or affiliation where none exists.”
The university might not be happy, but there’s no stopping a meme.
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You’ll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, and the occasional hot take. You can find him posting endlessly about Buffalo wings on the website formerly known as Twitter at @timmarcin.
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