NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Houston lead in updated way-too-early top 25 ranking
By Joey Loose
9. Duke
Change is in the air in Duke and things are going to look bizarre next season, seeing Jon Scheyer instead of Mike Krzyzewski as head coach of these Blue Devils. Still, all good things must come to an end, and Coach K went out on a high note, leading Duke to one more Final Four last season. Much of that talent is gone, with Paolo Banchero, Trevor Keels, AJ Griffin, and more off to the NBA Draft and their own next steps.
Fortunately, Scheyer was busy on the recruiting trail and fills this lineup with some stud recruits. Dereck Lively is the top-rated recruit in the nation and is a talented center who will dominate from the go. Those 5-stars also include Dariq Whitehead, an athletic wing, Kyle Filipowski, a tall lanky center who slots in at the 4, and Mark Mitchell, a dynamic and physical forward. Fortunately, there will be some continuity, as talented guard Jeremy Roach (8.6 points per game last year) returns for his junior year and will run the point.
Initially, it may take some time for this team to come together. Four of their five top players are blue-chip prospects who will need to adjust to the collegiate game, while Scheyer must adjust to calling the shots as head coach, a drastic change after 42 years of Coach K. When it all does come together, there’s a level of young talent that is almost incomparable anywhere else in the nation. On the other side, we just don’t know what the ceiling is for a team depending on a lot of unknowns in their quest for another ACC championship.