Duke basketball projected as top overall seed in 2024 NCAA Tournament
Bracketology is a year-round profession. And that's no exaggeration. Case in point: In late March, over a week before the 2023 NCAA Tournament ended and before any Duke basketball players had announced stay-or-go-pro decisions, ESPN's Joe Lunardi projected the top four seeds in each region for next year.
He tagged the Blue Devils as a No. 4 seed at the time.
Since then, Lunardi has already released his entire projected 2024 bracket and even updated it. Duke has received a bump each time he's tweaked the top seeds.
The latest update on Tuesday morning tags the Blue Devils as the top overall seed.
Some would say that's logical, especially given it's the first update since Kyle Filipowski, the ACC Rookie of the Year and once a projected first-round pick in this summer's NBA Draft, announced his plan to return to Durham for a sophomore year.
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Filipowski isn't the only returning full-time starter, either. Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell, former five-star recruits who gained confidence throughout the season, will also become sophomores. They'll be teammates to four incoming five-star prizes in Caleb Foster, Jared McCain, TJ Power, and Sean Stewart.
Furthermore, there's still a chance that starting guard and lone 2022-23 Duke basketball captain Jeremy Roach, who declared for the NBA Draft while keeping his eligibility intact, will become a senior. He has until May 31 to decide.
Plus, graduate Ryan Young, sophomore Jaylen Blakes, freshman Jaden Schutt, and freshman Christian Reeves are expected to return.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils will likely add an experienced big man via the transfer portal.
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Five-star talent plus relatively off-the-charts continuity in this transfer-portal era are the key ingredients to what should be a formidable Duke basketball squad in the second year with Jon Scheyer at the program's helm.
Although the outlook on the Blue Devils is notably rosy, Lunardi sees the ACC earning only five NCAA Tournament bids for the third straight year. The other four he projected for next year are Clemson as a No. 12 seed, Virginia as a No. 11 seed, UNC as a No. 6 seed, and Miami as a No. 4 seed.
Interestingly, Lunardi has Duke and UNC in the East Region, with a potential matchup in the Elite Eight.
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