NCAA Basketball: Top 25 team winners from 2024 transfer portal results

23. Duke Blue Devils

It’s incredibly rare to see a team like Duke on a transfer ranking because if there was any program that didn’t need to use the portal, it’s the one that keeps getting No. 1 incoming recruiting classes each year. They did that again in 2024, led by No. 1 overall prospect and notable star forward, Cooper Flagg.

But with the average age of players older than ever, having a roster of mostly true freshmen has its flaws, something that Duke has experienced in the last few postseasons. Plus, they themselves lost several former five-star players in the portal. Coach Jon Scheyer was able to land a few good rotation pieces to fill those missing holes.

Sion James is the big name, coming off averaging 14.0 ppg and 2.7 apg at Tulane. The 6’5 senior guard replaces Jeremy Roach in the lineup and shot a career-high 51% from the field and 38% from three-point range. Even if he’s a 4th or 5th option, James will benefit from not having the top opposing defender on him.

Surrounding Flagg in the frontcourt is Syracuse transfer and All-ACC defender Maliq Brown, as well as Mason Gillis, a transfer from Purdue and last season’s 6th Man of the Year in the Big Ten, who also is a 40%+ shooter himself. The Blue Devils weren’t going to be able to land stars with limited roles available but they still managed to land proven impact players to help make them Final Four contenders once again.