Duke basketball holds high expectations year in and year out, which obviously includes being competitive in a push for the Final Four consistently.
The Blue Devils' last season ended with a 35-3 overall record and first place finish in the ACC with a 17-1 mark. Things started off very promising, as Duke earned the No. 1 overall seed in the big dance before it was heartbreakingly eliminated by UConn in the Elite Eight.
Duke put up a large lead late in the game, but a 19-point comeback that came down to a buzzer-beater sealed an almost unbelievable 73-72 loss, sending the Blue Devils packing far before anyone ever expected it. Despite the incredible run Duke had, what remained stuck in the minds of fans was not that. It was the way it ended.
So, how exactly do the Blue Devils make it back into the Final Four? Here's a look at two more things that are of "red exclamation point" levels of importance, if you will, following the big commit that just came in.
Duke is riding high after John Blackwell committed to the Blue Devils
Before we dive right into things, let's discuss how success in the transfer portal is one of the most important things in college basketball right now. Just ask the Louisville Cardinals about that. Duke just hit a home run of its own in the portal by landing the pledge of Wisconsin standout John Blackwell.
Blackwell brings a lot to Durham after he finished out his junior season at Wisconsin with an average of 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He's a total game-changer for the ACC powerhouse, but still, two more moves need to be done for Duke to really be set for a dream 2026-27 season:
2. Duke must work to retain Caleb Foster for next season
Keeping valuable players on the roster is just as important as winning over high-level talent in the transfer portal. That's where the conversation of keeping Caleb Foster on board comes into play.
Foster, while it seems probable that he will remain in-house with the Blue Devils for the upcoming season, remains one of the bigger question marks in terms of who is a 100 percent lock to remain on the roster.
That would, of course, be in Duke's best interest, as the upperclassman serves as one of the Blue Devils' most reliable floor spacers. His impact was prevalent, despite the fact he was hindered by a foot injury that temporarily kept him out of action in the postseason.
He averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, also yielding a 44 percent field goal percentage and with a 40 percent success rate from 3-point land in a year filled with career highs.
1. Will Dame Sarr jump to the NBA or return to Duke?
Equally as important is the retention of Dame Sarr. Sarr is debating on whether or not to make the jump to the NBA or return for another season with the ACC champs. While the freshman, who formerly played overseas with Barcelona, has not particularly wowed on the stat sheet, but some of the raw traits and pure ceiling he's shown have drawn a lot of intrigue.
Sarr finished out his first season with Duke with an average of 6.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game over 30 appearances -- not all of which he started in. It would be mutually beneficial for the sake of his development and for Duke to gain a future star by him staying put, especially with the versatility he's shown.
With just a bit more polish, Sarr could become a player who wears multiple hats and is hard for an opponent to really know what to do with.
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