5 Duke players who won't be back after upset loss to NC State in Elite Eight

The Duke Blue Devils made it to the Elite Eight round of March Madness, but couldn't get past the Cinderella story of No. 11 NC State. NC State beat Duke in the ACC Tournament earlier this month, one that the Wolfpack needed to win to get into the Big Dance. Now, they took Duke down on an even bigger stage. It makes nine straight for the Wolfpack, and puts an end to the Blue Devils' season.

With the end of a year comes the close on the chapter for some players who will move on from higher education. Some may pursue the "real world" of careers and life after sports, and others may try to break into professional athletics.

These five players have probably suited up as a Blue Devil for the final time.

Ryan Young & Neal Begovich

These two are easy. Ryan Young and Neal Begovich are two graduate students who have been minimally involved in the Blue Devils' overall gameplan this season. If Devils fans don't recognize those names, that's because Young transfered (via Northwestern) two years ago and Begovich (via Stanford) this year.

They've filled veteran/upperclassmen roles on the team and are unlikely to make it to professional basketball at the NBA level.

Jeremy Roach

Jeremy Roach came back to Duke after withdrawing from the NBA Draft last March, and one would think that after doing that once, he probably won't do it again. We don't know for sure what Roach is thinking, but after testing the waters once last year, it's worth asking what he gains from not attempting to move from college to NBA at this point in his career.

Yes, there may be NIL money available for him if he stays at Duke, but with just a marginal per-game increase to his stats last season to this one, it's likely now or never for Roach's pro-level dreams. Another year of eligibility awaits him due to Covid if he would like to stay, but it's difficult to see that being the path forward for him.

Roach had four solid seasons as a Blue Devil, becoming a starter from his freshman season onward.

Roach isn't getting any younger, but he's still just 22 years old, and though he won't be the raw 18 or 19-year-old prospect that NBA teams fawn over, he can still bring plenty to the table as a more seasoned rookie.

As it stands, he's not projected to be drafted by most experts, though double-digit scoring in every game after the Round of 64 could improve his stock slightly. He'd probably have to enter the league as an undrafted free agent, and that could be enough to nudge him back to Duke. Genuinely, this one could go either way, but after four years, Roach may feel it's time to try his hand at the professional ranks.

Jared McCain

Jared McCain had a massively succesful rookie season with the Blue Devils, averaging 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in 31.3 minutes per game. The freshman is one of many faced with the difficult decision of NIL or pro after a strong early season to his collegiate career.

McCain, if he wants to prioritize a college title, could stick around and become an unquestioned No. 1 player with Kyle Filipowski likely leaving Duke for the NBA this offseason. A gamble like that could improve his draft stock ever-so-slightly, but he's currently projected around 20-30 by most mock drafts. Recent iterations of mock drafts have bought into the Duke hype of the tournament and seen him breaking into the late lottery.

He's 20 now, an age teams love. While 21 is just a year older, there's something about getting a player in your system before they've hit the legal drinking age for NBA teams.

Will burning another year on his potential give him enough time to prove enough to raise that stock higher? This might be as high as it goes for him on that front.

It's possible, but it would require a huge statistical jump for McCain, something that might be possible with Filipowski leaving a likely massive hole in the team's needs.

Kyle Filipowski

Duke fans know this one is coming, but it's still going to sting.

Kyle Filipowski has had a breakout sophomore season with the Blue Devils after a pretty good freshman showing, too. He put his name into the draft last season, withdrew it, and has increased his stock in the process as he increased his scoring and distributing stats.

Filipowski has also become a sharper shooter, importantly improving on his 3-point percentage -- from 28.2 percent to 35.8 percent -- a crucial skill at the next level.

Plenty will doubt Filipowski's potential at the pro level due to his lack of strength, despite a big frame. But with him having proven a more efficient shot, there's a good chance a team buys into his ability to stretch the floor from the four or five position and give a team some expansiveness to their offense. 3-point shooting remains all the rage, and Filipowski brings that to the table while not falling short on the height aspect that remains crucial for the position he wants to play.

If this is the end, Filipowski will go down a 15.8 point, 8.6 rebound, 2.2 assist per game Devil.

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