Today we will be looking at one of the true blue bloods of the college basketball world in the Duke Blue Devils. They are considered by many (including Las Vegas) to be the top contender for the National Title next season. Be sure to check back for all the other ACC previews as the summer rolls along.

ACC Roundup

Boston College

Clemson

Last Season

Thanks in large part to their own lofty standards, the Blue Devils underachieved last season winning only 25 games, the fewest since 2007. A big reason for this was the absence of senior forward Amile Jefferson, who broke his foot after only nine games. This left them with only three other players listed at 6’9″ or taller that played significant minutes over the course of the season. Only one of those three players will be returning after Marshall Plumlee graduated and Brandon Ingram went number two in last June’s NBA draft.

The Blue Devils had a balanced scoring attack with four guys averaging more than 10 points after Jefferson went down. Grayson Allen emerged as a star for Duke averaging 21.6 points per game last season as a sophomore. Highly touted freshman forward Brandon Ingram averaged 17.3 points in his lone season at Duke, while fellow freshman Luke Kennard averaged 11.8.

Duke was on track for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament before a mid-January swoon that saw the Blue Devils lose four out of five games, which knocked them out of the top-25. They bounced back winning their next five games, including a one-point victory over rival North Carolina. After stumbling once again down the stretch the Blue Devils received a four seed in the Big Dance and reached the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Oregon.

After the season concluded, point guard Derryck Thornton transferred back home to L.A. to play at USC. The only other departures from the program were the aforementioned Plumlee and Ingram.

Coaching

Coach Mike Krzyzewski is considered by many to be one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. His coaching career can be traced all the way to 1974 where he was an assistant under Bob Knight at Indiana University. That team went 31-1 with its only loss to Kentucky in the Elite Eight.

After his lone season as an assistant, Coach K got his first head coaching job at his alma mater, Army. In his five seasons at the school, Coach K had some success, but only qualified for the postseason once. After his worst year at Army, Coach K was hired to be the 19th head coach at Duke University. After a few years building up the program, Coach K and his Blue Devils broke through in 1986 when they went 37-3 and were national runners-up. Since then, Duke has won five national championships and been to 11 other Final Fours. Under Coach K, Duke has become a national power and has been to 21 straight NCAA tournaments. Coach K is the only men’s basketball coach with over 1,000 career wins and has amassed a record of 1043-321 over his career.

As if that wasn’t enough, Coach Krzyzewski has become an integral part of Team USA basketball where he has been the head coach for three Olympic gold medal teams, as well as two FIBA World Cup gold medal teams. He was also an assistant coach with the Dream Team which featured 11 basketball Hall of Fame members.

Returning Players

Duke returns arguably as much talent as any other team in the nation. Amile Jefferson was granted a fifth year of eligibility after a fracture in his right foot cut his season short after just nine games. Before getting hurt, Jefferson was averaging a double-double with 11.4 points and 10.3 rebounds. Jefferson will team up with Chase Jeter and Sean Obi to provide depth and experience in the frontcourt.

Jeter was highly touted as a freshman but didn’t do much in his first season at Duke. The 6’10 big man is very mobile for his size and has the ability to run the floor and finish in transition. He is an excellent leaper who can finish an alley-oop or send an opposing player’s shot into the stands. The frontcourt will be crowded this year, but with a year in Duke’s system, Jeter could see time at either the four or the five.

Sean Obi transferred into Duke following his freshman year at Rice where he averaged 11.4 points and 9.3 rebounds. After sitting out a year, Obi struggled to find his way onto the court last season and will now be coming off of a knee surgery that took place this summer. Obi is a wide body who eats up space on both ends of the floor and has a knack for knowing where to be to pull down a rebound. If nothing else, Obi provides Coach K with a quality reserve who can hold his own if forced into action.

In the backcourt, Duke returns three guards who all averaged over 10 points a game last season. Leading the way is the ACC’s leading returning scorer, Grayson Allen. Allen is electric when his is on the court and always plays in attack mode. At 6’4, Allen is well-built and doesn’t shy away from contact when attacking the rim. If he can’t go through you, Allen will just soar above you and throw down a monster jam that will leave jaws on the floor. To complement his relentless attack going to the hoop, Allen has also shown he can be deadly from behind the arc where he knocked down over 41% of his shots last season.

Also returning with Allen in the backcourt are Matt Jones and Luke Kennard. Jones will help provide steady leadership and is a constant threat from the outside. As a junior, Jones knocked down 41.5% of the three-point shots he attempted last season. Jones also proved to be a capable distributor when needed, dishing out 80 assists to only 39 turnovers. Kennard proved he wasn’t shy last season, averaging just under five three-pointers a game as a freshman while playing 26.7 minutes a game. While he only knocked down 32%, he is a known three-point threat that defenses must respect. However, if you put the lefty on the line, he is as close to money as anyone else on the team missing only 11 of his 99 free throw attempts last season.

Incoming Players

As if Duke didn’t already have enough talent on the roster, the Blue Devils bring in five of the nation’s top 50 players in the class of 2016. Leading the way is the top big man in the nation, 6’10 Harry Giles. Giles is unlike any other big man in the class with the ability to leap over all opposition for rebounds on both ends of the court, as well as the ability to take defenders off the dribble and in the post.

Giles also has a shot that reaches out to three-point range which just adds to the nightmare that is trying to defend him. He is most dangerous in transition where he can pull down a rebound and go coast to coast or when he is rising up to finish off an ally-oop from a teammate. His leaping ability and 7’3 wingspan also allows him to block and alter almost any shot in the paint on the defensive end, making him the best two-way player in the class.

Jayson Tatum and Frank Jackson will come in to provide Duke with even more scoring options in the backcourt from day one. Tatum is a high IQ wing that can score any way he wants in transition as well as in the halfcourt. The 6’8 wing also has the length to be a menace on the defensive side of the ball and it is possible that he will guard the opposition’s best player most nights for the Blue Devils.

With all the scorers the Blue Devils have, the responsibility to get them all involved will fall on Frank Jackson. However, the athletic guard from Utah is known more for his scoring ability than his ability to get others the ball. Jackson has a quick first step and gets good elevation on his jumper when he rises up off the dribble. He possesses good size for his position and is active on both ends of the court, but sometimes gets stuck in attack mode and doesn’t look to make the easy pass.

To go along with Giles, the Blue Devils also picked up commitments from Marques Bolden and Javin DeLaurier to fortify the frontcourt. Bolden brings a scoring presence down low and can finish with either hand around the rim. His excellent body control allows him to take contact and still finish the play. On the defensive side of the court, Bolden has the potential to be one of college basketball’s top defenders, however, he must improve on keeping the motor running through the entire game.

DeLaurier was a late-bloomer in the class of 2016 whose motor is always going no matter the situation. He is a solid rebounder at both ends of the floor and can guard either position in the post thanks to his mobility and length. On the offensive side of the ball, DeLaurier can score without having a play drawn up specifically for him and has flashed a mid-range jumper that defenders must respect. With all the other bodies Duke has down low it’ll be tough for DeLaurier to crack the rotation as a freshman, but after a year in a college strength and conditioning program, he could burst onto the scene as a sophomore next season.

Season Outlook

With one of the most talented rosters in the one-and-done era, anything less than a championship would be a disappointment to this year’s version of the Blue Devils. Of course, anything can happen come tournament time, but Coach K will have his boys ready for whatever the committee throws at them come March. The only possible issue for Duke is the fact that there is only one ball and many mouths to feed. If Coach K can get the best players in the world to keep their egos in check with Team USA, he should be able to do the same at Duke.