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Duke Basketball: Realistic expectations for Blue Devils for 2019-20 season

By Matthew Travis

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 02: Cheerleaders lead the Duke Blue Devils onto the court for their game against the St. John's Red Storm at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 02, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 02: Cheerleaders lead the Duke Blue Devils onto the court for their game against the St. John's Red Storm at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 02, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 06: The Duke Blue Devils celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers during the NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Duke defeated Wisconsin 68-63. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 06: The Duke Blue Devils celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers during the NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Duke defeated Wisconsin 68-63. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Going into the 2019-20 season Duke Basketball will be forced to gain the confidence of the nation once again after a let-down of a season in 2018-19.

Duke Basketball is going into the 2019-20 season after losing in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, but they have their sights set on more this season. The Blue Devils will be forced to regain the confidence of their fans and the nation as a whole after failing to make the Final Four last year.

Duke had arguably the most talented roster of all time last season with three top-ten picks on their team, yet they failed to make it past the Elite Eight. So if they couldn’t win the National Championship with that roster, what makes you think they can win it with a roster that isn’t quite as talented?

Well, the Blue Devils are talented, but in a different way for the 2019-20 season. With the third-best recruiting class in the nation, Duke has several talented freshmen who are ready to put Duke back on top.

Related Story. Duke 2019-20 season preview. light

These freshmen will be joining Tre Jones in Durham who is one of the top returning players in the nation and he will also step into a different role this season as he will be one of the three team captains.

Duke’s starting five next season will likely be as follows;

  • PG: Tre Jones
  • SG: Cassius Stanley
  • SF: Wendell Moore
  • PF: Matthew Hurt
  • C: Vernon Carey jr.

There is one trend in this starting five that you likely noticed, four of the five starters are freshmen and all five are underclassmen. That being said, the question is raised, with a combined 36 games of experience between these five players, how good could they really be?

Only two ‘one-and-done’ teams have ever won the National Championship, Kentucky in 2012 and Duke in 2015. So if that is the case, what are some realistic expectations for the Blue Devils heading into the 2019-20 season?

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