NCAA Basketball: Top 25 preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

The biggest storyline for the 2021-22 NCAA Basketball season will likely be the last year that  Mike Krzyzewski will be the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils. The Hall of Famer and five-time national champion has the case of being the greatest college head coach outside of John Wooden and has the chance to go out on top, thanks to a young, yet talented team.

The player to watch for the Blue Devils will be Paolo Banchero, the No. 2 overall freshman prospect and the latest in a long string of quality frontcourt players to join the program. The 6’10 big man is an elite two-way player, capable of scoring anywhere on the court, and has a good chance to be a 20 ppg and 10 rpg contributor as a freshman.

Two other five-star prospects joining Duke are wing AJ Griffin and shooting guard Trevor Keels. Griffin is as versatile as it comes and can play multiple positions, while Keels adds much-needed perimeter shooting in the backcourt. Another newcomer to note is Marquette grad transfer Theo John for some frontcourt depth after playing over 100 games in his college career.

Ultimately, Duke’s fortunes may depend on the development of the sophomore duo, Mark Williams and Jeremy Roach. Williams struggled mightily early last season but came on strong down the stretch that has been as a national breakout candidate this time around. And without much frontcourt depth, the Blue Devils really need the young center to at least be a consistent double-digit contributor.

Jordan Goldwire was the team’s starting point guard last season but is severely limited on the offensive end. As a freshman, Roach averaged 8.7 ppg and 2.8 rpg with 18 starts and was the primary backup ball-handler. But as the clear-cut lead guard (unless Jaylen Blakes gets more minutes than expected), expectations will be massive for Roach and there are questions. If he plays well, this team has national title aspirations. Otherwise, their ceiling will be limited compared to the other top-10 teams.