1. Duke
Last year was a major transition in Durham as Jon Scheyer took over as head coach of the Blue Devils. It was the first time in 42 years that Mike Krzyzewski was not leading Duke. Scheyer put together the top recruiting class in the nation last season and had a decent first season, leading the Blue Devils to the ACC Tournament title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils are the biggest winners not because they’re landing all the elite talent in the Transfer Portal, but because of what they’re getting back next season. Star freshmen Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell, and Tyrese Proctor will all return as sophomores while point guard Jeremy Roach is also coming back for his senior season. Scheyer was busy again on the recruiting trail too, landing four 5-star recruits in forwards Sean Stewart and TJ Power and guards Jared McCain and Caleb Foster.
Duke finished the season on a hot streak last year; everything was coming together at the right time. Now, their top four scorers all return and this roster gets supplemented with even more freshman talent. The Blue Devils certainly didn’t anticipate getting Filipowski and the others back but now might boast the most talented roster in the nation next season. Year two for Scheyer could be significantly better than his first go last season.
We’ve completed our look at the 25 top winners to this point in the offseason. Moves are still being made all across the nation and nothing is complete yet, but do you agree with the rankings as presented here? Which teams will surprise next year?