While there are multiple blue blood programs that have legitimate claims to the throne this season in college basketball, there's one team that stands above the rest: Duke basketball. With a combination of veteran, trustworthy experience and highly-regarded prospects, Duke has the perfect mix to go all the way in the 2023-2024 college basketball season.
Let's break down what makes Duke so special and a cut above the rest.
Experienced guard play
You hear about it all the time during March Madness. Teams that have experienced guards tend to go far, and it's hard to find a top team that has a guard who has been through more wars than Jeremy Roach. He's at the heart of what Duke does on both ends, and has started in 75 career games for the Blue Devils. His ability to keep the offense running on time and get to the rim when things break down is invaluable, and he'll benefit greatly from all the talent he'll be surrounded by.
But it's not just Roach. Tyrese Proctor played a lot of minutes as a freshman last year, and should be able to turn that experience into a breakout type season.
With great leadership in the backcourt, Duke should be able to take care of the ball and get quality looks when the going gets tough.
Jon Scheyer is ready
The first season of taking over for a legend is always incredibly difficult, but Scheyer handled the adversity wonderfully and put his own mark on Duke basketball. The guard-heavy approach was a major appeal to recruits, as Duke landed four top-25 frosh in an incredible class.
Scheyer led Duke to the ACC conference championship last season, proving he has the chops in big games. Going from a second-round exit to a national championship is a big jump, but Scheyer looked more and more comfortable as last season progressed and has a perfect mix of exciting incoming young talent and experienced lottery-pick-type talent. Scheyer won't have to rely on freshman as much as he did last season, and his experience last year should pay off big time with an even better squad in Durham this year.
More offensive firepower
Duke finished 40th in KemPom's adjusted offensive efficiency mark last year, and that number should be expected to climb. Leading scorer and matchup nightmare Kyle Filipowski is back, along with Roach, Proctor and Mark Mitchell. It's somewhat rare in this day and age in college hoops to bring back your top-four scorers, but Duke is doing just that. Ryan Young (6th in PPG) will be back as well, and freshman Jared McCain and Caleb Foster can both light up the scoreboard.
If Duke can simply maintain the same level of defensive play (the frontcourt will be tested), there should be big strides coming offensively given the improved continuity offensively.
Duke scoring 92 points against Dartmouth in the first game of the year –without Mark Mitchell — is certainly a good sign for what's to come offensively from the Blue Devils.
Duke basketball should be considered the championship favorite
Given the talent of the frosh class coming in, and the retaining of multiple starters from last year's team, Duke should be considered the favorite to win the 2024 national championship. Early season matchups with Arizona and Michigan State will paint a better picture, but Duke has all the ingredients to win it all this season.
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