CBS Sports released an updated ranking for the 2024-25 college basketball season on Monday, and the Blue Devils continue dropping farther from the top.
After opening the betting cycle as the favorite to win the 2025 national championship, CBS Sports writer Gary Parrish had Duke all the way down in ninth.
Despite welcoming Cooper Flagg, the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and five other top-40 freshmen, Parrish said he can’t get over how much production Duke lost this offseason.
To add insult to injury, Parrish had the North Carolina Tar Heels all the way up in fourth despite them losing Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram, and Cormac Ryan to the NBA. All-American RJ Davis and promising young guard Elliot Cadeau both come back to campus, but the Tar Heels lost three of their top five scorers while Duke lost four of its top six.
The Kansas Jayhawks, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Houston Cougars took the top three spots in order.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS: The 2024-25 @CBSSports preseason Top 25 And 1 has been updated to reflect recent developments.
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1. Kansas
2. Alabama
3. Houston
4. North Carolina
5. UConnhttps://t.co/pm260bukrO— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) July 1, 2024
Parrish even had the Tar Heels above two-time defending champion Connecticut, who slotted in fifth.