The Blue Devils might be the consensus top team in men’s basketball next season.
USA TODAY Sports writers Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus released their early projected rankings for the 2024-25 season on Monday morning, just hours after Connecticut cut down the nets for the second straight year. The trio had Duke at the very top of the list.
The Blue Devils made the Elite Eight this year, defeating No. 1 seed Houston on the way. Next year, head coach Jon Scheyer welcomes four five-star prospects and two more four-star freshmen into the building. Myerberg, Smith, and Timanus said the 2024 recruiting class makes the Blue Devils one of the youngest, deepest teams in the country.
“It will be on coach Jon Scheyer to push all the right buttons and find the best rotation for a team that looks on paper to be very capable of winning the national title,” they wrote.
It remains to be seen which players from this past season will return, with starters Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain, Tyrese Proctor, and Mark Mitchell weighing the NBA or the transfer portal, but the USA TODAY Sports staff believes in the Blue Devils no matter who stays or goes.
Alabama, who made the Final Four this season, came in second in the site’s early rankings. Iowa State, Kansas, and the national champion Huskies followed to finish the top five in order.
Rival North Carolina came immediately after in sixth. Clemson (13th) was the only other ACC team on the list.