Duke basketball shifts attention to key roster questions after Elite 8
Duke basketball‘s season came to an abrupt end in the NCAA Tournament Elite 8, but now eyes shift to its future roster.
The top overall seed Blue Devils (35-3), aiming for back-to-back Final Four appearances and a sixth national title, fell 73-72 to UConn in the Elite 8. A Braylon Mullins go-ahead 3-pointer from 35 feet out at the March Madness logo gave the Huskies the lead over Duke with 0.3 seasons left. Duke had led by as much as 19 in the first half.
Still, the Blue Devils made their third-straight Elite 8 appearance and won back-to-back ACC regular season and tournament titles for the first time in 15 years. Their 35 wins also mark the second-straight season they reached that mark.
Duke will be bringing in four freshmen as part of its top-rated recruiting class: G Deron Rippey Jr., PF Cameron Williams, C Maxime Meyer and SF Bryson Howard. Eyes now turn to the transfer portal and NBA Draft to see how the rest of the roster will shake out.
Much of the movement will likely begin once the transfer portal officially opens on April 7 and closes on April 21.
Who is graduating?
Maliq Brown, the ACC Sixth Man and Defender of the Year, has exhausted his eligibility after two years with the Blue Devils. He was a key piece in the Duke frontcourt with Cameron Boozer and Patrick Ngongba II.
Brown finished the season starting the last eight of Duke’s games, averaging 4.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 63.6% during his two-year Duke career.
Draft prospects?
Cameron Boozer is widely expected to declare for the draft, just awaiting a formal announcement. The 6-foot-9 forward is a projected top-3 pick after averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his lone season at Duke. He finished as the ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Isaiah Evans entered his name is last year’s draft before ultimately returning to Duke. While he has not made a final decision, he is widely expected to declare. The sophomore averaged 15 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Question marks surround Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba II. Sarr, who averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds, established himself as the team’s best perimeter defender and had seemingly come to Duke hoping to be one-and-done. Ngongba, who averaged 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds, dealt with injury issues through the last bit of the season, perhaps something that could play a role in his decision. He did return in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and Elite 8.
Who could be back?
Caleb Foster will have one year of eligibility left and Cayden Boozer three at the 1-spot, where Duke will also be bringing in Deron Rippey Jr. Boozer stepped up for an injured Foster through the postseason, with Foster returning in the Sweet 16 and lifting the Blue Devils to victory.
Nikolas Khamenia should also return for his second season after posting 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins should also make his debut next season.
After struggling to carve out a role during his sophomore season, Darren Harris could return or could opt to enter the portal. He averaged 3.3 points in 9.7 minutes per game.
