Duke Basketball: Guard Jeremy Roach return solidifies 2023-24 title contention

Veteran guard Jeremy Roach is the latest returning player for Duke Basketball, who has the case of being the team to beat next season.

When looking at the biggest offseason winners, Duke Basketball has the biggest case to make thanks to several key decisions. They got back freshman guard Tyrese Proctor, along with former five-star forward Mark Mitchell and big man Kyle Filipowski, who led the team in scoring this past season.

Those moves instantly made the Blue Devils a top-5 caliber roster for the 2023-24 season. There’s actual experience and scoring ability on the roster and plenty of depth as well. But there was still one more decision to wait on, as Jeremy Roach was the last player with an NBA Draft decision.

The good news is that Duke Basketball fans didn’t have to wait much longer.

Roach was second on the team in scoring with 13.6 ppg and 3.1 apg on 43% shooting and 34% from three-point range. Those were career-high numbers for the junior guard as he took a larger role on offense. He had seven games of at least 20 points, including 22 against Iowa, as well as 23 in the NCAA Tournament win over Oral Roberts.

Roach gives Duke the rare senior starter on the roster, as well as a double-digit scoring threat. He can play both on and off the ball and that’s perfect if Proctor has a breakout campaign and initiates the offense more. He also was simply more consistent on offense compared to his first two years and can improve even more as a true senior.

Duke Basketball can make the case of being the clear-cut team to beat in the ACC next season. And depending on what happens the rest of the offseason, they could be the preseason No. 1 team for the 2023-24 campaign. Coach Jon Scheyer is going to have a ton of pressure on him in his second season because he’s going to have an elite roster, now with also plenty of experience thanks to Jeremy Roach coming back.