Fansided

College Basketball Rankings: 2014-15 top five teams

By Josh Planos

Photo via Wikipedia
Photo via Wikipedia /
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Mar 16, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski reacts near the end of the game. The Cavilers defeated the Blue Devils 72-63 in the championship game of the ACC college basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski reacts near the end of the game. The Cavilers defeated the Blue Devils 72-63 in the championship game of the ACC college basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

1.  Duke University

Despite losing two players to the 2014 NBA draft (Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood), the Blue Devils are bringing in a deep recruiting class. Headlined by two of the top five recruits in the country (Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones), Durham is retooled to make a run at a title next season. An experienced backcourt in Quinn Cook (Sr.) and Rasheed Sulaimon (Jr.) should foster the mentorship program for five-star guard recruits Grayson Allen and Justise Winslow. 

I wrote about Okafor in May, and I still can’t hype him up enough. He carries a 6-foot-11, 280-pound frame like a t-shirt, and was the unanimous No. 1 prospect of his class. He carries a DeMarcus Cousins comparison save the attitude, and has incredible footwork. Plus, he’s funny:

Mike Krzyzewski has an elite bench at his disposal, something he desperately needed last season but couldn’t find. In last year’s upset of the year, Duke essentially played a six-man lineup against Mercer, and had Cook not scored off of the bench, the Blue Devils would’ve had a grand total of 0 points from their second unit. Coach K’s winning pedigree is as notarized as any in the annals of college basketball, but his recruiting record—which at times was questioned, although that has more to do with the prestige of the school’s academic program than it does him—reached new heights entering this season. Duke loses 35.2 points per game from last year’s team, but retooled in spades.

Expect the Cameron Crazies to have something worth painting their faces for in 2014-15.

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