As Duke fans are accustomed to, the Duke basketball program is entering the 2025-26 college hoops season as a perennial national title contender. Despite losing his entire starting five from last year's Final Four squad, head coach Jon Scheyer is bringing in the No. 1-ranked 2025 recruiting class along with a mix of key returners from last year's squad. As for UNC and NC State, the other members of The Triangle Rivalry, the same can't be said. Both the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack are entering this season with the potential to be great, but Duke is likely the more sure thing out of the three.
Insider says Duke has created even more distance in The Triange Rivalry
CBS Sports college basketball insider Kyle Boone released his winners and losers from this past offseason, and obviously, the Blue Devils are on the list, given the top-ranked incoming class. However, Boone pointed out how Scheyer and his guys have distanced themselves even more from UNC and State.
"Duke has finished higher in the ACC standings than both North Carolina and NC State in four of the last six seasons -- including a stunning 19-1 run in league play last year -- and its strong offseason has seemingly helped it further the gap between the other two schools in the Triangle," Boone said.
"UNC meanwhile isn't even the clear No. 2 in its own conference thanks to Louisville's reemergence. And NC State is bound to endure some growing pains in Will Wade's first season."
Duke and Louisville are widely viewed as the top tier of the Atlantic Coast Conference heading into the season, with UNC and NC State littered with question marks. The Heels are probably a top-five ACC squad heading into the campaign, but there are tons of questions around the program. Will Seth Trimble make a major jump? How will Kyan Evans replace Elliot Cadeau? The most sure thing on that roster is five-star freshman Caleb Wilson. With Hubert Davis on a really hot seat, it's do or die for UNC.
Heading into Will Wade's first season with the Wolfpack, it's a team entirely made up of new transfers, as most high-major programs that find new head coaches in today's era of college sports are. A strong case could be made for State to be the third-best team in the ACC, but with an entirely new squad, growing pains are inevitable, and it's impossible to evaluate a group that has never played together before.
Boone later says that it's Duke and then everybody else, which may not be the case. Louisville has a strong argument to be the best team in the conference heading into the season. Pat Kelsey brought in one of the nation's top transfer classes and five-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who has a chance to be the best rookie guard in college hoops this season.
Duke has its fair share of question marks, to be fair, but there's no doubt the Blue Devils will continue to run The Triangle.