Tag: Jon Scheyer

The Athletic reporter shares lengthy social media thread defending Duke’s transfer portal turnover

While some Duke fans voiced issues with the amount of roster turnover for the 2024-25 season, The Athletic’s Brendan Marks voiced his thoughts on Jon Scheyer’s team-building.

The volume of players in the transfer portal can often set off red flags for college sports fans, indicating either locker room problems or a culture issue.

However, despite having seven players leaving for other programs this offseason, the Blue Devils men’s basketball team is in a unique position. Head coach Jon Scheyer is welcoming six top recruits in this coming freshman class, including consensus No. 1 prospect Cooper Flagg and projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach.

The mass exodus has still incited some ire and panic from Duke fans, however, and The Athletic’s Brendan Marks released a lengthy thread addressing his take on the situation.

While fans in his mentions said they wanted to see players stay in place and grow over the course of a few years, Marks said he doesn’t think that’s the reality of college basketball anymore.

“That isn’t a uniquely Duke issue,” Marks wrote. “Every fan base in CBB has the same complaint. Lower-level programs hate seeing their guys up-transfer.”

“It’s unfortunate, but ‘lifers’ don’t really exist anymore,” he added in a following post.

Marks added that UNC fans had similar issues with the transfers of Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan this season, and it resulted in an ACC regular-season title.

The reporter concluded that the five open spots on Duke’s roster will allow Scheyer to build a team specifically around Flagg, and that year-to-year turnover matters less than what product the second-year head coach provides from it.

Duke finalizing agreement to take on Kansas in Las Vegas for neutral site game, per Jon Rothstein

Duke and Kansas are finalizing an agreement for a non-conference matchup in November.

Duke’s already challenging non-conference schedule for 2024 is about to get even more difficult.

Jon Scheyer and his soon-to-be-revamped Blue Devils team will take on another college basketball blue blood in Kansas this November.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, one of college basketball’s biggest insiders, confirmed that the two legendary programs are in the process of finalizing a November matchup in Las Vegas.

No official announcement is imminent, and a date and time have yet to be decided upon, but things are in motion behind the scenes.

The last time these two titans faced off was in the Champions Classic in 2022, Jon Scheyer’s first season as Duke’s head coach following the departure of Coach K. Kansas went on to win that game 69-64 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks finished the game on a 15-5 run over the final 4:37. In total, Duke is 8-6 all-time against the Jayhawks.

Bill Self will bring a revamped roster as he looks to improve upon a less-than-stellar season by Kansas standards. The Jayhawks made the Sweet 16, but they were often injured and didn’t have the depth necessary to compete.

The Jayhawks have been aggressive and active in the transfer portal, landing new names like AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo, and Michael Ajayi for their roster. They also are returning Hunter Dickinson and Dajuan Harris.

If the two schools reach a final agreement, Duke will play Arizona, Kentucky, and Kansas as part of its non-conference schedule in 2024.

Duke takes top overall seed in Joe Lunardi’s early 2025 bracketology

With Cooper Flagg leading the top recruiting class in the country, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi thinks the 2025 NCAA Tournament runs through Duke.

The 2023-24 basketball season is still fresh in everyone’s memory, but it’s never too early to gaze toward the 2024-25 campaign.

ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi certainly agrees as he released an early look at the projected 2025 NCAA Tournament field on Tuesday, and he slotted Duke in as his top overall seed.

Fresh off a run to the Elite Eight last season and an ACC Tournament title two years ago, head coach Jon Scheyer welcomes No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg, projected lottery pick Khaman Maluach, and two other five-star prospects in an esteemed freshman class.

Combine the new pedigree with Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster, two 2023-24 starters, already announcing their return, and it’s easy to see why so many experts think the team to beat next season plays in Durham.

The incredibly early bracket has Scheyer’s team atop the East region and playing the winner of Norfolk State and Central Connecticut from the First Four games.

Baylor, Connecticut, and Texas rounded out the top four seeds in Duke’s corner of the bracket. Kansas, Alabama, and Houston claimed the other three No. 1 seeds.

Will March Madness run through the Blue Devils next season? Duke fans will have to wait until the fall to get its first indications.

Sophomore guard Jaden Schutt intends to transfer from Duke

Redshirt sophomore Jaden Schutt becomes the third Duke player to enter transfer portal.

Following a trend of Duke players who were in reserve roles or didn’t play at all, sophomore Jaden Schutt has announced his decision to enter the transfer portal and find a new school to play for.

On3’s Joe Tipton first reported the news on Monday afternoon.

Schutt becomes another member of Jon Scheyer’s first recruiting class to enter the portal after Mark Mitchell and Christian Reeves also announced they would leave the program.

Schutt, a former four-star recruit from Jon Scheyer’s home state of Illinois and part of Scheyer’s inaugural seven-deep recruiting class in 2022, saw limited action for the Blue Devils in his time.

This past season was supposed to be a breakthrough moment for the esteemed sharpshooter, but injuries again derailed him. After Duke’s opening game this season, Scheyer confirmed that Schutt would redshirt and sit out the rest of the year.

With Schutt entering the transfer portal, Duke will have yet another scholarship available to try and fill via the transfer portal. With Jared McCain headed to the NBA draft, Duke will be in the portal for a veteran sharpshooter.

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 opens as favorites to win 2025 men’s basketball national title, per Fanduel odds

The Blue Devils have the best chance to cut down the nets in 12 months, according to Fanduel’s newly released odds for 2025.

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, no one has a better chance to cut down the nets in 12 months than the Blue Devils.

The Duke men’s basketball team opened as the site’s favorite to win the 2024-25 national title. Head coach Jon Scheyer’s team opened at +1100 to win it all, bolstered by five-star recruits like Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach.

“The incoming freshmen should mesh well with Blue Devil holdovers Sean Stewart (57.1 FG%) and Caleb Foster (7.7 PPG),” Fanduel’s Gabriel Santiago wrote in an article about the opening odds. “In all, FanDuel Sportsbook is expecting Duke to make a serious run next season.”

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″]

The Kansas Jayhawks have the second-lowest odds at +1200, followed by now two-time defending champion Connecticut at +1300. The Alabama Crimson Tide, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Houston Cougars are all +1500, the only other teams lower than +2000.

Team Odds
Duke Blue Devils +1100
Kansas Jayhawks +1200
UConn Huskies +1300
Alabama Crimson Tide +1500
North Carolina Tar Heels +1500
Houston Cougars +1500
Arizona Wildcats +2000
Gonzaga Bulldogs +2500
Baylor Bears +3000
Kentucky Wildcats +3000

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″]

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire

Duke finishes at No. 9 in final AP poll

Four ACC teams, including Duke, crack final AP poll of the 2023-2024 season.

While the season’s outcome was not what many expected when Duke took the floor to start the season, Jon Scheyer’s team was, in essence, just 12 minutes from a Final Four berth.

NC State made more plays down the stretch and ultimately ended Duke’s season before having their season ended by national runner-up Purdue. Connecticut was always the best team from beginning to end, and they proved it by doing what hadn’t been done since Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators teams in 2006–07: winning a second consecutive national title.

It should come as no surprise that the Huskies end the season as the No. 1 team in the final AP poll for the 2023-2024 season. Purdue was second, while Houston, whom Duke beat in the Sweet 16, tied with Alabama for the third-place spot. Tennessee checked in at number five.

Illinois was next at No. 6, followed by North Carolina, Iowa State, and Duke. NC State rounds out the top 10 despite never joining the poll during the regular season. Clemson, one of four ACC schools to make at least the Sweet 16, finished at No. 14.

The ACC had the same number of teams in the final AP poll as the Big 12, with four each.

ESPN lists Duke as the No. 1 team in their Way-Too-Early Top 25

Duke the top team in the country in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.

Less than 48 hours after Dan Hurley’s Connecticut Huskies completed one of the rare college basketball feats of repeating as national champions, the page has already turned to 2024-25 for the rest of the college basketball world.

ESPN made sure to get its Way-Too-Early Top 25 up late on Monday night, and the number one team in those rankings resides in Durham, NC.

Duke bowed out of the NCAA Tournament this season in the Elite Eight to an NC State team that spent the last 12 games playing incredibly inspired basketball. Duke led in the first half, but State overwhelmed Duke with incredible shotmaking and suffocating defense in the second half to send the Blue Devils home.

Duke is now in the process of reflecting and retooling for next year. There’s a renewed energy around the program as Scheyer will welcome the nation’s top recruiting class, highlighted by one of the most heralded number one high school basketball players since LeBron James, forward Cooper Flagg.

ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello, who put the rankings together, said this about his decision to put the Blue Devils at the top spot.

“Duke entered this past season as a national title contender, but never quite seemed to put it all together for an extended stretch and ultimately fell in the Elite Eight. Jon Scheyer will have two of the best NBA prospects in the country next season, in No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg and projected top-five NBA draft pick Khaman Maluach, but the Blue Devils could have point guard issues if Jeremy Roach decides not to take advantage of his fifth option year.”

Borzello also published a projected starting five that featured Flagg, Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster, Mark Mitchell, and Maluach. The issue is that Mitchell announced his intent to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday afternoon, so he will not be on the 2024-25 version of the Duke Blue Devils. Duke will likely opt to find a shooter to help space the floor with Flagg and also give those minutes vacated by Mitchell to rising sophomore Sean Stewart should he opt to return.

Tyrese Proctor has not announced whether he plans to enter the portal, opt for professional opportunities, or return to Duke. If we assume Proctor returns, he’s likely a captain and must leap like Wendell Moore. There’s a lot of talent there, but it needs to become consistent. A decision from Jeremy Roach also remains up in the air, and having a fifth-year senior could be massive.

All that aside, Duke plans to utilize the transfer portal, too, so Duke’s roster construction for next year is far from done, with more names expected on their way out, i.e., Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain, expected to be drafted in the first round.

Blue Devils jump to ninth in final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

After a run to the Elite Eight including a Sweet 16 upset of Houston, Duke jumped up five spots into ninth in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

After a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, the Duke men’s basketball team jumped up five spots to ninth in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils finished with 27 wins for the season, including an upset of No. 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16. The run to the regional final resulted in the fourth-biggest rise of any team in the rankings.

NC State, who beat the Blue Devils to win the South region as an 11-seed, jumped 20 spots to 13th. Alabama, another Final Four team, rose 14 spots to fourth in the rankings, and San Diego State leaped seven spots to 18th.

Connecticut won its second straight national title to finish atop the list, with Purdue, Houston, Alabama, and Tennessee all cementing their spots in the top five.

North Carolina, the No. 1 seed who lost to the Crimson Tide in the Sweet 16, dropped one spot to the sixth spot in the rankings. Clemson, the fourth and final ACC team on the list, went from unranked to 15th.

Jared McCain gets emotional while praising Scheyer, teammates after Elite Eight loss

Jared McCain, the standout freshman who had two 30-point tournament games, got emotional while talking about his coach and teammates after Sunday’s loss.

Jared McCain scored 21.0 points per game in his first NCAA Tournament, but it wasn’t enough to get Duke to the Final Four.

The Blue Devils lost to NC State for the second time this postseason, part of the Wolfpack’s Cinderella run from the brink of the NIT to the South regional title. McCain scored 32 points in the 76-64 loss, his second 30-point game of the tournament.

After the game, the standout freshman spoke about his teammates and head coach Jon Scheyer, and he couldn’t hold back the emotion.

“It’s meant everything to me to come here,” McCain said. “For Coach to believe in me, for my teammates to believe in me. Especially in the beginning of the year when I felt like, you know, I couldn’t get things going as a freshman, they instilled confidence in me.”

McCain gestured to Scheyer after the last comment, specifying that Scheyer in particular helped cultivate that confidence, before burying his face in his hands. Scheyer reached over and clasped his shoulder, patting him on the back.

McCain, a likely first-round NBA draft pick should he declare, finished with three 30-point games and nine 20-point games as a freshman.