Tre Jones, Vernon Carey Rank in SI's Top 50 from 2019-20

Sports Illustrated ranked its top 50 players from the just-completed 2019-20 season.

The rankings were determined with a number of things in mind—stats, of course, were a primary factor, but talent level, importance to team, supporting cast, team success and any other unique circumstances were also given consideration. Therefore, it’s not just a ranking of which players simply score the most points or have the best statistics, nor is it a collection of who’s had the best college careers. While a player’s year-to-year improvement may be cited, previous seasons’ accomplishments were not part of the evaluation.

Duke landed a pair of players in the top 50. Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. were the highest ranked of the five ACC players in the SI rankings.

Virginia's Mamadi Diakite was No. 46. FSU's Devin Vassell was No. 23. Louisville's Jordan Nwora was No. 13.

Duke sophomore point guard Tre Jones placed No. 11. Here was SI's commentary on Jones.

Jones came back to Durham knowing he would once again have the keys to the offense, and even as a sophomore he served as the steadying vet for a largely young Blue Devils group. He was the beating heart of Duke on both ends of the floor, with tenacious defense and four games with at least 10 assists. After struggling with his outside shot as a freshman, he erased that weakness by improving from 26.2% to 36.1%.

Duke center Vernon Carey Jr. finished highest rated of the nine freshmen on the list, at No. 7 overall. Here's SI's comment:

Carey’s freshman year exceeded expectations as he put his size and dangerous left hand to use on the interior, providing Duke with consistent production and the offensive fulcrum it sorely needed in what could have otherwise been a down year. He’s not flashy by any means, but he bangs in the paint and gets to the line as effectively as anyone.