Why Duke Could Be Preseason No. 1 Next Year

Skies are blue for Duke in the near future.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Duke basketball program and its fans everywhere are going through it right now after the Blue Devils endured one of the most shocking collapses in college basketball history on Sunday night.

Duke held a 15-point lead at halftime over 2-seed UConn and maintained a double-digit lead for a good portion of the second half. Then, it all came crashing down in the final seconds.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) dribbles the ball as UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) defends in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Blue Devils attempted to inbound the basketball, but Cayden Boozer made a panicked mistake, trying to float the ball over a UConn defender's head over half-court to Patrick Ngongba. The ball was tipped, found the hands of Braylon Mullins, and the rest is history.

Despite the Blue Devils' campaign ending earlier than expected for the second season in a row, there's plenty of hope for the 2026-27 campaign for the Blue Devils. Duke will obviously lose National Player of the Year Cameron Boozer, but outside of the star rookie, there are lots of question marks.

Jon Scheyer and the Duke bench watching Braylon Mullins' last-second heroics pic.twitter.com/rePQvtTlIB

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 30, 2026

Duke Could Return Large Chunk of Its Rotation

The only guaranteed exits from this year's squad are Boozer and senior Maliq Brown. There are several key guys who have intriguing decisions to make regarding a return to Durham, entering the 2026 NBA Draft, or hitting the transfer portal.

Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba are both viewed as potential first-round draft picks around the 24-30 range. However, it's most likely neither will be selected at or near the lottery. In today's NIL era of college basketball, a return to college could mean a bigger payday than being a mid-first rounder.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) shoots the ball past Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Evans and Ngongba were arguably the second and third most impactful Blue Devils this season, and would each be in for a comfortable paycheck if they elected to return to college.

Then there are guys like Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Nik Khamenia, and Dame Sarr. All of these players were crucial to the Blue Devils' 35-win season, but none has generated much draft buzz.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) shoots a free throw against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

It seems much more likely than not that most, if not all, of these guys will return to college. Duke hasn't dealt with much portal trouble at all in this NIL era, so there's reason to believe it would get the majority of these key rotational pieces back as opposed to them hitting the portal.

Arguably, the most important component of roster-building in today's world of college basketball is continuity. Mix that with experience, if Duke gets three or more of these key pieces back from a team that just earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils will pick up right where they left off.

No. 1 Overall Recruiting Class

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Beyond the potential returners, Duke is also bringing in the No. 1 overall recruiting class, according to 247Sports, for the third year in a row.

The class is headlined by five-star recruits Cameron Williams (No. 2 overall player according to 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings), Deron Rippey (No. 1 point guard), and Bryson Howard (No. 12 overall player).

Mar 21, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks with an official during a second round game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs at the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

There is tons of uncertainty, but Duke could enter the 2026-27 college hoops season with the definitive best roster in the country.