Duke Basketball Drops One Spot in Expert's Preseason Ranking
As always, Duke basketball will have an innate target on its back next season regardless of where the team sits in the preseason AP Top 25.
But a No. 1 ranking, which the Blue Devils have been in the running for since ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Filipowski decided to become a sophomore, would undoubtedly add to the pressure of living up to expectations in the second year of Jon Scheyer's reign.
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While most experts have viewed Duke as the favorite to start on top, Kansas is emerging as a contender for that spot due to the announced return from veteran forward Kevin McCullar on Wednesday. McCullar, who averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Jayhawks last season, withdrew his name from the NBA Draft.
When that news broke, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein updated his preseason top 45, dropping the Blue Devils to No. 2 and replacing them with Kansas.
Kansas head coach Bill Self and his staff already had momentum after reeling in arguably the top talent in the transfer portal, former Michigan center Hunter Dickinson, earlier this month.
Suppose the Duke basketball coaches manage to land a commitment from an intriguing transfer to fill their 13th and final scholarship. In that case, it's conceivable the Blue Devils would return to No. 1 in Rothstein's eyes.
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Meanwhile, Rothstein projects only one other ACC team to begin the season among the top 25. That team is Miami, fresh off its first Final Four appearance in program history and coming in at No. 7 in Rothstein's updated ranking.
He has UNC at No. 30 and Virginia at No. 32.
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