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NCAA Basketball: Duke, Gonzaga, and WVU rise in latest WTE ’23-24 power rankings

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard (2) dribbles during the second half of the NCAA tournament round of sixteen against the Princeton Tigers at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard (2) dribbles during the second half of the NCAA tournament round of sixteen against the Princeton Tigers at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Jon Scheyer talks with Kyle Filipowski #30 of the Duke Blue Devils (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Jon Scheyer talks with Kyle Filipowski #30 of the Duke Blue Devils (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

3. Duke Blue Devils

Throughout the article, I’ve been talking about players making NBA Draft decisions. Duke has been lucky in a way because they don’t have anything to question since almost everyone has already made a move. Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively are gone but multiple players have opted to return.

The biggest name is Kyle Filipowski, who led the Blue Devils with 15.1 ppg and 9.0 rpg this past season. It’s rare that the best player for the blue blood program is coming back and that instantly makes them a title contender. Also back is point guard Tyrese Proctor and forward Mark Mitchell, two other five-star prospects set for a breakout campaign.

There’s also another top-2 incoming recruiting class for the Blue Devils, led by forwards Sean Stewart and TJ Power and guards Caleb Foster and Jared McClain. Even without top-10 forward Mackenzie Mgbako on board anymore, there’s still plenty of talent on the roster right now.

It hasn’t been a perfect offseason for Duke, as they lost the recruiting sweepstakes for Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick and they don’t have a clear-cut interior defender. They’ll have to wait for veteran guard Jeremy Roach and his NBA Draft decision and to avoid being too “young” next season, they should want him to come back.

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