USA TODAY Sports released the initial preseason results of its coaches poll on Wednesday, and the Duke Blue Devils begin the 2024-25 season as a top-five team.
After last year’s run to the Elite Eight, head coach Jon Scheyer lost 10 members of his rotation to the NBA, transfer portal, or expired eligibility. The turnaround in college basketball is always immediate, however, and the addition of top-ranked freshman Cooper Flagg and three other five-stars have the Blue Devils on the short list of national championship favorites again.
7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach and Wisconsin native Kon Knueppel both sit within the top 10 NBA draft prospects, according to ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony, and Scheyer also lured three players with starting experience from the transfer portal. Mason Gillis reached the national championship game with Purde, and Maliq Brown led the ACC in effective field goal percentage with Syracuse.
Even with all of that talent, however, the Blue Devils did not receive a first-place vote among the 31 ballots. The Kansas Jayhawks sit atop the rankings after starting No. 1 on almost half of the preseason ballots. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Connecticut Huskies, and Houston Cougars all also start above Duke.
Check out the complete USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll below.
| Rank | School | Last Year’s Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 23-11 | 743 (15) |
| 2 | Alabama | 25-12 | 718 (6) |
| 3 | Connecticut | 37-3 | 717 (6) |
| 4 | Houston | 32-5 | 698 (4) |
| 5 | Duke | 27-9 | 625 |
| 6 | Iowa State | 29-8 | 591 |
| 7 | Gonzaga | 27-8 | 575 |
| 8 | Baylor | 24-11 | 545 |
| 9 | Arizona | 27-9 | 510 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 29-8 | 498 |
| 11 | Auburn | 27-8 | 465 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 27-9 | 437 |
| 13 | Purdue | 34-5 | 390 |
| 14 | Creighton | 25-10 | 342 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 21-15 | 332 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 16-17 | 272 |
| 17 | Marquette | 27-10 | 268 |
| 18 | Indiana | 19-14 | 208 |
| 19 | Texas | 21-13 | 166 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | 22-15 | 163 |
| 21 | Florida | 24-12 | 130 |
| 22 | UCLA | 16-17 | 123 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 23-10 | 95 |
| 24 | Illinois | 29-9 | 87 |
| 25 | Mississippi | 20-12 | 66 |
Receiving Votes
Texas Tech 60; Rutgers 57; St. John’s 42; Xavier 26; Michigan State 25; Oregon 16; BYU 16; Kansas State 11; Saint Mary’s 9; Boise State 9; Clemson 8; Ohio State 7; Dayton 7; Maryland 4; Grand Canyon 3; Wake Forest 2; Virginia 2; San Diego State 2; Princeton 2; Mississippi State 2; Wisconsin 1
