NCAA basketball rankings: Gonzaga, Villanova, Virginia headline Top 25

7. Duke

The Duke Blue Devils are going to need to hope some newcomers adapt to the NCAA game quickly. Mike Krzyzewski has to replace Vernon Carey, Tre Jones and Cassius Stanley, his three top scorers from last season. That’s a lot of talent to replace at once, especially during a pandemic.

Luckily for fans of Duke, they are one of the most coveted destinations in the nation, so they can replace talent quickly. This year is no different. They have one of the three best recruiting classes no matter what metric or researcher you use.

Jalen Johnson is a five-star prospect who will start at one of the forward positions, and he can be an All American as a freshman, he’s that good. He was the No. 11 prospect, but with the coaching Duke will give him, he has the upside to grow into one of the best players in the country.

Jeremy Roach could soon become a fan favorite. He’s from Fairfax, VA, so not terribly far from North Carolina. He’s the kind of player that impacts all aspects of the game. He can score, but he’s so much more than that. Roach can defend on the ball, lead the play on both sides, and he can set up his teammates to score. Those types of players spend an extra year or two in school and are the players’ Duke fans never forget.

DJ Steward is yet another five-star product out of Chicago. Steward is a long guard who can get into lanes and disrupt plays. His only issue is how will he play not having the ball in his hands.

Duke is going to be a team that can easily win it all, but with the pause to the offseason, they need to find a way to jump right in. They have returning sophomores Matthew Hurt and Wendell Moore to solidify the roster, but the young kids will decide where they end up.