Tag: Duke Blue Devils Men’s Basketball

Duke basketball offers 2025 shooting guard Braylon Mullins

Braylon Mullins is the latest 2025 player to receive an offer from Duke.

Duke’s 2025 high school recruiting board keeps taking shape as the Blue Devils extended another offer on Sunday, this time to shooting guard Braylon Mullins.

The newest recruiting target hails from Greenfield, Indiana, and plays his high school ball for Greenfield-Central High School. He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 180 pounds, and a terrific spring and summer have vaulted his stock through the roof. He started this offseason as the No. 94 prospect on 247Sports’ rankings, but offensive strides as a scorer (25.0 points per game last season) and a playmaker (3.2 assists) helped him rise all the way to No. 23 in the updated rankings.

His skill set at such a young age is worthy of praise and definitely contributed to his rise. He’s dominated the Adidas 3SSB Circuit and has seen the offers flood in from the nation’s best basketball programs, including Connecticut, North Carolina, and Indiana.

In an interview with Steve Clark of 247Sports, Mullins revealed that he already has eight official visits lined up. The list includes the Huskies, the Tar Heels, the Hoosiers, Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee, all of whom will eagerly await his arrival. These visits are not just a testament to Mullins’ talent but also a source of excitement for the basketball community, as they eagerly await his potential choices.

Duke’s interest in Mullins has been palpable this summer, with the Blue Devils watching him play on numerous occasions. While they hadn’t made an offer yet, it was clear that they were familiar with his game and were admirers of his skills. After another impressive weekend on the circuit, the Blue Devils finally made their move and offered Mullins on Sunday, adding to the anticipation of his potential recruitment.

Will Duke’s offer change things and have Mullins push the Blue Devils into the mix? We have no clue, but it should certainly give Mullins something to think about as he attempts to narrow down his recruitment ahead of his final year of high school.

Cameron Indoor Stadium to add to new videoboard for 2024

Duke announced Tuesday that there will be a massive new videoboard in Cameron Indoor Stadium set to debut in the fall of 2024. 

Duke announced on Monday that it will add a new video board to Cameron Indoor Stadium, which will debut in the fall of 2024.

The new video board will feature more than 900 square feet of screens for everyone in the arena to see, twice the size of Cameron’s previous display. The new feature will be hung from the center of the building and hang over the court.

Renovations will be ready for next basketball season, and the school has already started to take down the old videoboard. The Duke men’s basketball’s social media posted a farewell to the old screens on Tuesday.

According to a release from the university, the new videoboard will have three seamless displays wrapped around the entire structure or three separate images. The largest screen, the main display, can either show one huge image (such as the action on the court below) or be segmented into different zones, so Blue Devils fans can see replays or live statistics without ever losing track of the game on the court.

The Duke men’s and women’s basketball seasons get underway in November.

Duke lands Purdue transfer Mason Gillis

Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils have landed their second transfer addition after former Purdue forward Mason Gillis announced his commitment to Duke.

Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils have landed their second transfer addition of the offseason.

Former Purdue forward Mason Gillis announced his commitment to Duke on Monday afternoon, per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

Gillis played four seasons at Purdue after redshirting in 2019-20. He was named the Big 10 6th Man of the Year for his play this past season when he averaged 6.5 points and shot 46.8% from beyond the arc.

In his 39 games across the 2023-24 season, he also averaged 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, and he shot 47.9% from the floor for the campaign.

The pairing seemed like a long time coming after fans noticed Gillis followed the Blue Devils on Instagram last week. Multiple 247Sports experts gave Crystal Ball predictions that the former Boilermaker would pick Duke.

Gillis brings a veteran guard presence to a Duke squad, having played 132 career games across his collegiate career at Purdue. As of Monday afternoon, Tyrese Proctor is the only other upperclassman in Duke’s backcourt.

Gillis is rated as a four-star transfer, according to 247Sports’ Transfer Portal rankings.

He joins former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown as the second commitment to the Blue Devils this cycle. Head coach Jon Scheyer still has three open scholarship spots as he tries to replace Duke’s 10 departures.

BREAKING: Duke lands commitment from Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown

Duke lands it first transfer of the offseason as former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown commits.

After a week of nothing but departures from its program, Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils are finally playing offense in the NCAA transfer portal.

Former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown committed to Duke on Saturday afternoon, per On3 Sports’ Joe Tipton.

Brown, a four-star recruit, spent his first two collegiate seasons in Syracuse, where he played sparingly as a freshman. This past season, as a sophomore, the 6-foot-8 forward started 16 games for the Orange and was their de facto center after an Achilles injury sidelined starter Naheem McLeod for the season. Brown posted 9.5 points and grabbed 7.2 boards per game.

Brown’s game is defense, hustle, and finishing at a high rate around the rim. He shot nearly 70% from the field in both his freshman and sophomore years, and his 71.3% effective field-goal percentage was the highest in the ACC, according to KenPom.

He was an ACC All-Defensive Team nominee this season and led the conference with 2.2 steals per game last year. He’s a high-level athlete who will give Duke versatility as a small-ball five or by playing his natural spot at power forward.

Brown has already shown the Duke staff what he can do, scoring 28 points against Duke in Cameron this past season. Brown started his visit to Duke earlier in the week, and the rest was history. He didn’t visit anywhere else before ultimately committing on Saturday afternoon.

Brown will fill the void left by Mark Mitchell and Sean Stewart’s departures. He also brings another veteran presence and voice to a team that will add six freshmen in the summer and will need a lot of leadership as they attempt to gel.

Duke forward TJ Power enters transfer portal

Duke forward TJ Power is the latest Blue Devil to enter the transfer portal after he announced his decision on Thursday afternoon.

Duke forward TJ Power is the latest Blue Devil to enter the transfer portal after he announced his decision through social media on Thursday afternoon.

Power played 26 games in his freshman season for Duke. He averaged 2.1 points and 0.7 rebounds per game in a limited bench role for the Blue Devils.

He shot 33.3% overall and 35.7% from beyond the arc. Power scored a season-high nine points against La Salle early in the season on Nov. 21.

“Duke will always have a place in my heart, but it’s time to do what is best for me, and with that being said, I will be entering my name into the transfer portal,” Power wrote in a statement he posted on Twitter.

Power is a former five-star recruit and was a top-25 player in his recruiting class. He is the third member of Duke’s frontcourt to enter the portal, joining Mark Mitchell and Christian Reeves.

Andy Katz puts Duke second in way-too-early power rankings for next season

Andy Katz released his way-too-early Power 36 rankings for the 2024-2025 season, and the Duke Blue Devils ranked No. 2 overall.

Andy Katz released his way-too-early Power 36 rankings for the 2024-2025 season, and the Duke Blue Devils ranked No. 2 overall.

Duke came in one spot behind the Houston Cougars, whom the Blue Devils defeated in the Sweet 16 this past NCAA Tournament.

Duke boasts the No. 1 recruiting class for next season. Cooper Flagg, the top-ranked player in the Class of 2024, will likely be the face of the Blue Devils next season. Duke’s recruiting class features three other five-star recruits alongside Flagg, including South Sudanese center Khaman Maluach and North Carolina Mr. Basketball Isaiah Evans.

Katz is one of the rare few with someone other than the Blue Devils atop his projected rankings. Duke came in first in the early 2024-25 rankings from USA TODAY Sports, The Athletic, and ESPN.

The team’s roster turnover is still ongoing. As of now, forward Mark Mitchell and center Christian Reeves have entered the transfer portal.

Guard Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski are both getting NBA Draft lottery projections but have yet to announce whether they’ll return to Duke for another season.

Duke center Christian Reeves enters transfer portal

Duke center Christian Reeves plans to enter transfer portal.

Duke redshirt sophomore Christian Reeves plans to enter the transfer portal, per On3’s Joe Tipton.

The center redshirted this past season after he underwent lower right ankle surgery. He was ruled out for the season in February. Reeves played just three games this year, seeing limited minutes.

He played 13 games in his freshman season, and Reeves will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Reeves, a 7-foot-1-inch, 261-pound center, committed to Duke as a three-star recruit. He is the first Duke Blue Devil to enter the transfer portal this offseason.

He may not be the only frontcourt loss, either, as All-American 7-footer Kyle Filipowski could declare for the 2024 NBA Draft.

The Blue Devils are adding five-star center Khaman Maluach and four-star center Patrick Ngongba II from the 2024 recruiting class for next season.

Three keys to a Duke victory against UNC

Taking a look at three keys to a Duke win vs UNC on Saturday as the Blue Devils close out the regular season.

It is time for the round two.

Tobacco Road’s biggest titans are set to square off one final time for the regular season on Saturday evening. The stakes will be a bit higher than they were when the two hit the hardwood the first time in February. An outright ACC title is on the line for UNC while a share of the ACC title is still up for grabs for Duke.

That doesn’t even include the possible implications for NCAA Tournament seeding either. Both schools are still firmly in the mix for a No. 2 seed at this juncture, and a massive Quad 1 win like this would only boost that case.

All those storylines aside, it’s Duke and North Carolina. The bragging rights matter and Duke, specifically, has revenge on their mind.

The loss in Chapel Hill in February felt like a lifetime ago. Duke played passively, didn’t play a crisp game (nine of their eleven turnovers were live ball), and defensively, they had some major hiccups.

Credit is due to the Tar Heels. They played great. But Duke didn’t put forth their best effort.

Saturday gives the Blue Devils one final chance to show how much of a force they’ve become. There is no mistaking them now. They’ve got a bench unit that’s starting to flourish despite being without Caleb Foster at least through the ACC Tournament, per head coach Jon Scheyer. And Tyrese Proctor has found his swagger again.

These all bring us to our three keys for the game on Saturday.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Duke’s chances to truly be Final Four contenders rest on the shoulders of their sophomore Australian point guard, Tyrese Proctor. Proctor can control and dictate a game on both ends. In the first UNC matchup, he played 26 minutes and scored two points on 1/6 shooting. It felt as if he wasn’t even out there at points. He wasn’t aggressive, and he seemed reluctant to get downhill.

In the last three games, he’s found himself. He kept Duke afloat early in Raleigh despite NC State connecting on the first punch. His 11 first-half points, spearheaded by three massive three-pointers, kept Duke from spiraling. He can shoot, he can pass and he can defend. All three of those things Duke will need against UNC.

Look for Proctor to be a factor early.

The bench needs to show up

Ryan Young, Sean Stewart, and TJ Power look solidified as Duke’s bench right now. Caleb Foster joins that when, or if, he gets back, and Duke officially is nine deep.

For right now, they are eight deep, and that will have to be enough. Power and Stewart have started to become consistent players off the bench in the last three games. Stewart had his best game as a collegiate player against NC State. He played 26 minutes and had 12 points, five rebounds (four offensive), three blocks, two assists, and two steals. It was incredible. If Stewart provides that kind of impact, Ryan Young hits the glass, and TJ Power can hit one or two open threes, Duke will be in a much better position to win.

Defending Bacot

RJ Davis is likely going to win ACC Player of the Year. And rightfully so. He’s had a phenomenal season. Davis can get his season average in points. Stopping fellow senior Armando Bacot is the real challenge for Duke. They have bodies to throw at him, but in an attempt to limit foul trouble for Flip, they tried to double Bacot last game and it helped result in open threes or driving lanes for others.

How Jon Scheyer and this coaching staff choose to play Bacot matters. Do they double him? If they do, do they leave Elliot Cadeau, a 21% 3-point shooter, open and force him to shoot the ball? Or do they play Bacot straight up and leave Flip to defend him one-on-one? Either way, one wrong decision would be to leave Harrison Ingram open. He shot 5/9 from distance in game one. 

That’s the game within the game and one matchup that will likely decide the winner. 

Senior night for captain Jeremy Roach, Ryan Young, and Spencer Hubbard. A share of the ACC title is on the line for Duke. The number one seed in the ACC Tournament is still up for grabs. All the storylines are there. Duke just needs to play a bit cleaner than they did in Chapel Hill and they’ll have a chance to wrap up a very good regular season.

Duke takes down Virginia in blowout fashion

The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Virginia Cavaliers in blowout fashion. Read the recap now.

No. 10 Duke needed to take down the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday to remain in contention for an ACC regular season title.

The Blue Devils (23-6, 14-4 ACC) jumped out to a massive lead early and never let up as they captured a commanding 73-48 victory over the Cavaliers (21-9, 12-7 ACC).

Duke jumped out to a 14-4 lead within the first five minutes after scoring on its first four possessions, a run capped off by a Tyrese Proctor triple.

Sophomore 7-footer Kyle Filipowski continued to stretch the Blue Devil’s lead with a three of his own, a turnaround jumper, and then a dunk to give him 13 points early as Duke led 27-11.

The Blue Devils penetrated inside over and over again as they rattled off yet another run, this one an 8-0 streak midway through the first half to build a 33-11 advantage.

The Blue Devils’ ball movement helped break Virginia’s vaunted zone defense, which averaged less than 60 points allowed per game before Saturday. Duke created several open buckets in the first half and went on to finish the game with 44 points in the paint while the Cavaliers mustered just 18.

Duke went into the break with a commanding 40-18 lead over Virginia. Filipowski led the way with 15 first-half points. He went on to finish the game with 21 points on 9/14 shooting.

The Blue Devils shot an efficient 58.6% from the floor, while Virginia shot just 23.1% as a team. Duke also found much more success crashing the boards in the first half, outrebounding Virginia 21 to 11 over the first 20 minutes. The Blue Devils ended the game with 42 rebounds as a team, 13 more than the Cavaliers.

Virginia started the second much more competitive, keeping pace with Duke offensively in the second half, but UVA could never chip that far into the advantage. The lead still swelled to more than 25 points midway through the second half.

Tyrese Proctor stepped up throughout the game in the absence of Caleb Foster. He scored 15 points in the win, his most since January 27 against Clemson, on 6/8 shooting with three triples, his second game shooting 50% or better from beyond the arc since the start of February.

Three Blue Devils scored double-digit points, with sophomore Mark Mitchell adding 10 points, as Duke shot 49.2% from the floor as a team.

Despite Virginia’s best efforts in the second half, they trailed by more than 20 points for most of the second half as Duke went on to take the win.

The Blue Devils will travel on the road next to take on the NC State Wolfpack in their final road game of the 2023-24 season, their last game before the season finale against North Carolina.

Duke slides down to a No. 4 seed in Lunardi’s latest Bracketology

Where is Duke projected in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update?

The Duke Blue Devils are now projected to be a No. 4 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update.

The longtime ESPN bracket analyst released an updated projection on Friday, the first day of the sport’s most famous month.

After Duke spent much of the last month as one of his 3-seeds, Lunardi projected the Blue Devils to be the No. 4 seed in the South region. Their first-round matchup was against Samford in Pittsburgh.

The projected top three seeds in the South region are Houston, Tennessee, and Creighton.

Duke, who is 22-6 on the season and 13-4 in the ACC after Wednesday’s win over Louisville, likely dropped after they were upset on the road by Wake Forest last weekend.

North Carolina, who currently holds a one-game lead over Duke in the ACC, remained a No. 2 seed in the projections. Lunardi slotted them into the East region with defending national champion Connecticut.

Duke will close out its season with Virginia, NC State, and North Carolina as they look to try to move up in the projections.