NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early top-25 power rankings for 2024-25 season

1. Duke Blue Devils

2023-24 season record: 27-9 (15-5 ACC)

It’s always hard to talk about Duke’s roster this early in the offseason since there are always going to be a lot of moving parts. However, we already have a good idea of who at least isn’t coming back. The top two scorers (Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain) have already declared for the NBA Draft while starting forward Mark Mitchell has entered the transfer portal.

The Blue Devils are getting back Tyrese Proctor, who averaged 10.5 ppg and 3.7 apg this past season. While he didn’t take that All-American leap as many thought he could do, he’s still a solid experienced player on what will be another young team next year. Former top-40 prospects Caleb Foster, Sean Stewart, and TJ Power are expected to be back as well.

What next season comes down to for Duke (as it always does) is how good the incoming No. 1 recruiting class is. They have five top-20 commits, led by No. 1 overall prospect, Cooper Flagg. If he’s truly one of the best players in NCAA Basketball, Duke will be a national title contender. Five-star players Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, and Kahman Maluach also will be part of the rotation next season.

The next big decision to watch will be Jeremy Roach, who has a 5th-year available if he wants it. He averaged 14.0 ppg and 3.3 apg this past season and pairing him and Proctor will be one of the top and most experienced backcourts in NCAA Basketball, which will help make up for a young surrounding core.