Tag: 2024-25 College Basketball Season

Kansas takes No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball coaches poll

Kansas takes top spot while SEC claims most teams in preseason top 25.

The start of the 2024-25 college basketball season is almost upon us, which means it is time to unveil the preseason USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll. There should be no surprise where Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves. Given how the football team has fared this season, the locals in Lawrence have been patiently waiting for tip-off to the season.

As a whole, the Big 12 has a strong showing in the rankings with five teams in the top 10 but only one other team in the top 25. They are a conference that is looking to be top-heavy but this will be a conference to keep an eye on moving forward.

The two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies check in at No. 3 behind Kansas and No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Dan Hurley is ready for a run at third straight title. An event that hasn’t occurred since seven straight titles in the late 60s and early 70s by John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins. This year’s Bruins team is one of four Big Ten teams to make the preseason poll.

There are going to be plenty of eyes in the SEC with John Calipari leaving Kentucky to take over the Arkansas Razorbacks program. The Hogs are among nine teams hailing from the conference, including newcomer the Texas Longhorns. Here is how the full rankings look:

2024-25 Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Rank School Last Year’s Record Points
1 Kansas 23-11 743 (15)
2 Alabama 25-12 718 (6)
3 Connecticut 37-3 717 (6)
4 Houston 32-5 698 (4)
5 Duke 27-9 625
6 Iowa State 29-8 591
7 Gonzaga 27-8 575
8 Baylor 24-11 545
9 Arizona 27-9 510
10 North Carolina 29-8 498
11 Auburn 27-8 465
12 Tennessee 27-9 437
13 Purdue 34-5 390
14 Creighton 25-10 342
15 Texas A&M 21-15 332
16 Arkansas 16-17 272
17 Marquette 27-10 268
18 Indiana 19-14 208
19 Texas 21-13 166
20 Cincinnati 22-15 163
21 Florida 24-12 130
22 UCLA 16-17 123
23 Kentucky 23-10 95
24 Illinois 29-9 87
25 Mississippi 20-12 66

Dropped Out:

No. 13 North Carolina State (26-15); No. 15 Clemson (24-12); No. 18 San Diego State (26-11); No. 20 Utah State (28-7); No. 22 Saint Mary’s (26-8); No. 23 South Carolina (26-8); No. 24 Washington State (25-10); No. 25 Texas Tech (23-11)

Others Receiving Votes:

Texas Tech (23-11) 60; Rutgers (15-17) 57; St. John’s (20-13) 42; Xavier (16-18) 26; Michigan State (20-15) 25; Brigham Young (23-11) 16; Oregon (24-12) 16; Kansas State (19-15) 11; Boise State (22-11) 9; Saint Mary’s (26-8) 9; Clemson (24-12) 8; Dayton (25-8) 7; Ohio State (22-14) 7; Maryland (16-17) 4; Grand Canyon (30-5) 3; Mississippi State (21-14) 2; Princeton (24-5) 2; San Diego State (26-11) 2; Virginia (23-11) 2; Wake Forest (21-14); Wisconsin (22-14)

The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The board for the 2024-25 season: Tobin Anderson, Iona; Adrian Autry, Syracuse; John Becker, Vermont; Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s; Jeff Boals, Ohio; Alvin Brooks, Lamar; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Dan Earl, Chattanooga; Jonas Hayes, Georgia State; Alan Huss, High Point; Donte’ Jackson, Grambling; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; James Jones, Yale; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee; Mike McGarvey, Lafayette; Niko Medved, Colorado State; Dan Monson, Eastern Washington; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Nate Oats, Alabama; Eric Olen, UC San Diego; Matt Painter, Purdue; Michael Schwartz, East Carolina; Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State; Zach Spiker, Drexel; Brett Tanner, Abilene Christian; Stan Waterman, Delaware State; Jeff Wulbrun, Denver.

Duke starts the 2024-25 basketball season second in KenPom’s efficiency rankings

With the season around the corner, the Duke Blue Devils start the year second on popular analytics site KenPom’s preseason rankings.

Popular college basketball analytics website KenPom released its 2024-25 preseason rankings this week, and the Duke Blue Devils start the year second in the site’s adjusted efficiency margin.

With a loaded freshman class including [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top player in the country, and three other five-stars, head coach Jon Scheyer assembled one of the deepest rosters in the country.

Returning starters Tyrese Proctor (10.5 points and a team-high 3.7 assists last season) and Caleb Foster (7.7 points, 40.6% 3PT) should anchor one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Those two said on The Brotherhood Podcast earlier this summer that the Blue Devils want to play with more tempo in 2024-25, and KenPom credits Duke as the seventh-best offense in the nation.

The real selling point, however, is the defense. Flagg and South Sudanese 7-footer [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], who represented his country at the Olympic Games in Paris, should both be among the best defenders in the ACC immediately, and Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown gets high praise from his teammates and coaches.

KenPom considers Duke the third-best defense in the country, meaning the Blue Devils are one of four teams within the top 10 on both sides of the ball (Houston Cougars, Auburn Tigers, and Kansas Jayhawks).

Houston was the only team ranked above the Blue Devils, but the Cougars have the top spot by a considerable margin. The gap between Houston and Duke in second is smaller than the distance between Duke and seventh-ranked Iowa State.

The Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Connecticut Huskies took the remaining spots in the top five.

Caleb Foster named as one of the best defenders in college basketball by national analyst

Caleb Foster, one of two returning Duke basketball starters, is among the nation’s best defenders in the eyes of this analyst.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz continued his preseason rankings on Thursday with his list of the 16 best defenders in the sport, and Duke sophomore [autotag]Caleb Foster[/autotag] made the bottom of the list at 14th.

One of two returning starters on the roster, Foster made 27 appearances last season and averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game before an ankle fracture ended his freshman season prematurely. The North Carolina native made more than 40% of his 3-point attempts and scored double-digit points in eight games, including an 18-point performance against the Michigan State Spartans in his third career game.

On the defensive end, Foster used his 6-foot-5 frame to his advantage with 16 total steals. He might not rack up the jaw-dropping highlights like five-star freshmen [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], blocking shots into the stands thanks to their height and athleticism, but he and fellow returner Tyrese Proctor will handle the perimeter defense.

Despite Katz’s rankings, Foster might not even be the most productive perimeter defender on the Duke roster. Tulane transfer Sion James, a versatile 6-foot-6 guard, averaged at least 1.6 steals per game in each of his last three seasons with the Green Wave. He’s even tacked on 0.8 blocks per game over the last two seasons, and he could take the ACC by storm.

Duke left outside the top five in ESPN’s way-too-early 2024-25 college basketball rankings

Despite the Blue Devils bringing in top-ranked freshman Cooper Flagg, ESPN doesn’t have Duke as a top-five team in its early 2024-25 rankings.

ESPN released its early men’s basketball rankings for the 2024-25 season last week, and the Blue Devils finished near the bottom of the top 10 despite a loaded roster.

Senior writer Jeff Borzello put Duke eighth on his rankings, still the highest-ranked team in the ACC but below preseason expectations for head coach Jon Scheyer’s team.

Scheyer managed to secure top-ranked freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] from the Class of 2024, one of six top-40 prospects who joined the Blue Devils this offseason. [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] just represented South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games, and starters Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor both return in leadership roles.

However, Borzello thinks Flagg needs to live up to all of his hype as a generational talent for the Blue Devils to reach the upper echelon.

“Flagg is good enough to be in contention (for the Wooden Award)…and Duke will need him to be,” Borzello wrote.

While there’s reason for concern about a team that seems to be planning on starting multiple freshmen, such a sentiment feels slightly dismissive of the older talent. Proctor led the team with 3.7 assists per game last season, and he’ll have more surrounding talent than ever before. Foster shot better than 40% from 3-point range, Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown paced the ACC in effective field goal percentage, and Tulane transfer Sion James averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals with the Green Wave in 2023-24.

The Kansas Jayhawks, two years removed from their latest national championship, took the top spot after luring transfers AJ Storr from the Wisconsin Badgers and Rylan Griffen from the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide still managed to finish second in Borzello’s rankings, followed by the two-time defending national champion Connecticut Huskies.

What are NBA scouts saying about Duke’s Sion James after Chris Paul Elite Camp

Sion James participated in the Chris Paul Elite Camp this past week. Read what one NBA scout said about his performance here.

[autotag]Sion James[/autotag] might be the most anticipated member of Duke’s incoming transfer players after his four-season run with the Tulane Green Wave. The 6-foot-6 guard boasts a physicality and athleticism uncommon to the game of basketball, and he visually just looked like a different tier of athlete from his fellow Blue Devils during the first scrimmage footage out of Durham.

He also spent the past few days at the Chris Paul Elite Camp alongside some of the best guards at both the collegiate and high school levels, and one NBA scout noticed the same strengths there.

“James brought outlier strength and physicality,” Draft Express’s Jon Chepkevich wrote on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter). “The Swiss Army knife transfer via Tulane uses his powerful frame to his advantage as a finisher through contact. Absolute freight train when he gets downhill.”

Chepkevich paired the takeaway with some highlights of James’ performance during the camp.

The scout also wrote some positive words about James’ future teammate Tyrese Proctor from the camp.

Duke basketball transfer Sion James posts about his first days with the Blue Devils

Sion James, who joined the Blue Devils from Tulane this offseason, mentioned his excitement to play for Duke through social media on Wednesday.

Duke basketball fans will come to appreciate [autotag]Sion James[/autotag] very quickly during the 2024-25 basketball season.

After four years with the Tulane Green Wave, James transferred to the Blue Devils this offseason for his final year of eligibility. On Wednesday, the team social media account shared a short highlight reel from James’ first practice and the newest Duke player responded with a short, positive message about his new home.

“Glad to be part of such a special team,” James wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

On a Duke basketball team with 10 new faces for this coming season, James might be the most exciting non-freshman. The slashing athlete complements returning guards Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster really well, and Cameron Crazies can also see his ability to reach the rim in the brief highlight reel. The former Green Wave worked through some contact drills, dunking and throwing up layups through coaches holding pads.

James also knocked down a few jump shots in the video. After shooting 28.0% from 3-point range as a freshman, he knocked down 38.1% of his distance looks last season. He averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 2023-24.

Duke basketball shares a first look at top prospect Cooper Flagg from first practice

The Blue Devils got their first look at the No. 1 prospect in the country, Cooper Flagg, at his first practice in a Duke uniform.

For the first time, Duke basketball fans finally got a good look at [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] in motion.

The Blue Devils shared a first-look video for every member of the 2024-25 men’s basketball team from the team’s first practice, and Flagg was by far the most anticipated subject.

With ESPN’s Class of 2024 rankings finalized last week, the Montverde Academy product clinched the top spot in his grade in each of the three major recruiting rankings. He’s the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and one expert already tabbed him as the favorite for ACC Rookie of the Year.

The 6-foot-9 forward and the 2024 Gatorade Boys National Player of the Year led his high school team to an undefeated season and a national championship last season, but his anticipation extends beyond his talent. Duke head coach Jon Scheyer already praised his work ethic and effort ahead of his arrival in Durham.

The video shows Flagg working through some shooting and dribbling drills, but the highlights come from his two-handed dunks and jams.

Flagg is 247Sports’ top-ranked Duke basketball product in school history, and by the time October rolls around, he’ll be one of the most anticipated Blue Devils of all time.

Duke drops down to a No. 2 seed in Lunardi’s early 2025 Bracketology

The Blue Devils started the offseason as a 2025 championship favorite, but transfer portal splashes bumped them down in Lunardi’s eyes.

Longtime ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi released an updated 2025 bracketology on Tuesday and he’s much lower on the Blue Devils than he was months ago.

When Lunardi released his first field projection for next year’s March Madness, the Blue Devils took the top overall spot in the field. In the two months since, however, other teams like Kansas and Alabama made some splashes in the transfer portal to boot Jon Scheyer’s team down a peg.

Not only has Duke lost the top overall spot, the Blue Devils are now down to the No. 2 seed in the East region.

The Jayhawks, the Crimson Tide, Houston, and two-time defending national champion Connecticut took the four top lines in Lunardi’s new projections.

With the Pac-12 gone from the top conferences, the remaining Power 4 conferences will get an alarming number of teams in the tournament next season. Lunardi had seven ACC teams (and 10 SEC schools!) in his early bracket.

North Carolina (No. 3 seed), Miami (No. 8), Wake Forest (No. 9), Clemson (No. 10), Louisville (First Four), and Pittsburgh (First Four) also made the bracket from the conference.

Duke basketball posts the first pictures of Cooper Flagg and the 2024-25 team practices

Duke basketball shared the first photos of the 2024-25 team practices on Tuesday, letting fans see Cooper Flagg and others in uniform.

Duke basketball fans can taste the 2024-25 season and its arrival.

On Tuesday, Blue Devils fans got their first looks at next season’s team. [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the No. 1 prospect in the country, and his future teammates started practicing in Durham, finally getting to play and practice in Duke gear.

In a tweet from the team account, Duke fans can see Patrick Ngongba II, the Paul VI center who made the USA Basketball U18 team earlier this summer, during a team dribbling drill. Another photo of the team huddling up shows [autotag]Sion James[/autotag], the athletic guard from Tulane, and returning junior [autotag]Tyrese Proctor[/autotag] among the players putting their hands in.

Other photos shared show Flagg and classmate [autotag]Isaiah Evans[/autotag], a two-time North Carolina Mr. Basketball honoree, working through drills. [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], the South Sudanese 7-footer from NBA Academy Africa, also stopped through in Durham before he heads to the Olympics.

Between Duke’s hyped freshman class, which features six top-40 prospects, and four incoming transfers, the Blue Devils enter the 2024-25 season as one of the national championship favorites.

Flagg and his future teammates already spent some time on campus earlier this month for the K Academy.

CBS Sports writer puts Duke basketball atop early 2024-25 ACC power rankings

With Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and some esteemed new faces headed to Durham next season, will Duke be the best team in the ACC?

CBS Sports’s Isaac Trotter released his early 2024-25 ACC men’s basketball power rankings on Thursday and the Duke Blue Devils took the top spot.

The Blue Devils finished second in the ACC regular-season race last season, coming up two games short of the North Carolina Tar Heels after having a chance to earn a share of the crown in the final game.

However, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] will welcome an entirely new team next season after 10 departures. The Blue Devils kept Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster from last year’s backcourt alongside [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

The Tar Heels finished second in Trotter’s rankings with the Miami Hurricanes in third. The Louisville Cardinals, months removed from an 8-24 season with three conference wins, lept all the way up to fourth after new coach Pat Kelsey’s first offseason.

The three new teams in the ACC also made their first appearance in an ACC power ranking with SMU (13th), California (15th), and Stanford (16th) all set to join the conference this summer.

The Blue Devils remain one of the top preseason national championship favorites with Flagg leading the 2024-25 team.