The first weekend of March Madness left basketball fans soaking up upset after upset like a Boston University student in Florida during spring break. With some of the nation’s best teams sent packing, only one clear favorite has survived to the Sweet 16: the Duke University Blue Devils.

In less than two centuries, a countryside theological seminary blossomed into a leading global research university. Here is a walk down memory lane, BU edition.

Imagine walking into a bar on a Friday night. Instead of the usual mix of familiar faces, random older individuals and that other weird group in the corner, there is only an amalgamation of the  most...