Tag: 2024-25 Rankings

Duke basketball all the way down to ninth in Andy Katz’s 2024-25 Power 36

College basketball writer Andy Katz shared a 2024-25 power rankings after the draft withdrawal deadline, and Duke nearly dropped from the top 10.

After the NBA draft withdrawal deadline passed, college basketball writer Andy Katz shared an updated Power 36, his ranking of the top three dozen teams in men’s college hoops.

Despite the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and multiple top transfers, Katz slid the Blue Devils all the way down to ninth in the rankings.

Duke, who opened the early projections as Joe Lunardi’s top overall seed for the early 2025 bracketology, didn’t even earn the top spot in the ACC in Katz’s rankings. North Carolina came in one spot above them in eighth.

CJ Moore of The Athletic also released an updated ranking on Thursday, and he also dropped Duke from his top five because of the team’s inexperience. Moore wrote that he believed in Duke’s ceiling but didn’t feel confident betting on freshmen.

Alabama took the top spot in Katz’s rankings, the same team that finished atop Moore’s rankings. Katz followed the Tide with Kansas, Gonzaga, Houston, and two-time defending champion Connecticut for the rest of his top five.

Baylor, the new home of former Duke senior captain Jeremy Roach, slotted in two spots ahead of the Blue Devils in seventh.

Duke basketball drops out of top five in The Athletic writer’s 2024-25 projections

CJ Moore said he thinks Duke could be the best team in the country, but he still dropped the Blue Devils a few spots in his Thursday ranking.

The Athletic’s CJ Moore released an updated ranking for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season on Thursday, and after previously having the Blue Devils atop his rankings, he completely dropped Duke basketball from his top five.

Alabama, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, and Iowa State all jumped above the Blue Devils in the rankings updated after the NBA draft withdrawal deadline.

Moore said he could see a world where the Blue Devils, with multiple five-star freshmen coming off the bench as rotational pieces, dominate the sport. He just doesn’t think it’s a given.

“It wouldn’t be shocking if this is the best team in college basketball based on the talent level,” Moore wrote. “With so much youth, I want to see it first.”

Moore did praise the team defensively, between No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg and 7-footer Khaman Maluach in the frontcourt and Tyrese Proctor returning in the backcourt. He also highlighted Duke’s size with every key contributor at least 6-foot-5. He just remains wary of the inexperience.

“Leaning on freshmen only works when those are top-end lottery picks,” he concluded. “Scheyer is banking on Flagg living up to the hype.”