The Duke Blue Devils are eager to get back into the race for a national championship after a heartbreaking end to the 2025 season, and ESPN's early Top 25 should make fans more optimistic.
When the network's Jeff Borzello released his way-too-early Top 25 for men's college basketball, Duke came in just one spot away from No. 1, directly behind the Florida Gators.
"Duke's depth looks unparalleled at this point in the offseason," Borzello wrote. "Though Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans are moving on to the NBA, the Blue Devils return Patrick Ngongba II and Dame Sarr, and Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer opted to stay in Durham. That's on top of the arrival of Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell the best guard to enter the portal, and an elite recruiting class featuring three top-25 talents.
"Jon Scheyer's team has fallen short in heartbreaking fashion two years in a row, but the pieces are in place for Duke to make another deep run."
Duke's projected starting lineup, as noted by Borzello, is projected to be composed of Caleb Foster (8.5 ppg), John Blackwell (19.1 ppg), Dame Sarr (6.4 ppg), Cameron Williams (No. 3 in SC Next 100) and Patrick Ngongba II (10.5 ppg).
Duke looks to get back to the national championship stage
The Blue Devils' most recent season hardly could have ended worse than it did. Duke headed into the Elite Eight as the No. 1 overall seed, with many projecting the team would bring home a national title.
What hardly anyone saw coming, though, was the UConn Huskies knocking them out in the very first game. The underdogs got behind early, which wasn't a surprise based on the pregame predictions. But what was shocking was when UConn mounted a 19-point comeback in which they topped off with a buzzer beater.
And just like that, Duke was eliminated in ugly fashion, 73-72, while the Huskies were able to move forward. It's a memory the Blue Devils want to forget, but one that will not be truly washed away until they redeem themselves in the postseason.
Before they ever get back to the court in regular season action, creating the type of success to get them back to the stage they were on all starts in the offseason. In fact, that may be the most important factor of them all.
Head coach Jon Scheyer and company have been hard at work there, making key additions in the transfer portal between John Blackwell and Drew Scharnowski. The Blue Devils also did a fine job retaining the talent they do have, losing a mere two players to the transfer portal.
Rodney Knuppel of Busting Brackets ranked Duke at No. 4 in his list of the biggest transfer portal winners in men's college basketball for this cycle., calling the team's approach 'calculated.'
"Instead of chasing volume, Duke targeted exact needs and filled them with high-end talent," he worte. "John Blackwell is one of the most impactful guards to change teams this offseason, bringing scoring, toughness, and Big Ten experience that should translate immediately. Drew Scharnowski complements that with efficiency and frontcourt versatility. It’s a small class, but it’s surgical. Duke didn’t just add talent. It added pieces that make sense for how it wants to play.”
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