For most college basketball programs, landing a recruit of Cooper Flagg’s caliber would be monumental and a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, and rightfully so. Flagg left Duke as one of the best one-and-done players in the history of the sport and was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks earlier this summer.
Duke, however, isn’t a regular program. The Blue Devils have a player on the roster in five-star forward Cameron Boozer, who has emerged as one of the top contenders to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. Boozer is considered one of the top contenders to go No. 1 alongside Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
Boozer, alongside his brother Cayden Boozer, headlines another star-studded recruiting class entering the program that finished No. 1 overall in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports. The Boozer brothers and returning players Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, and Patrick Ngongba will make Duke one of the top title contenders heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
Duke finished two games short of a national title with one of the best freshmen to ever hit the scene in college basketball. What do Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils do for an encore? The Athletic’s Brendan Marks joins Matt Norlander to recap the disastrous ending to last season AND preview what Cameron Boozer looks to do this season.
With college basketball’s player movement all but done, it’s time to start breaking down the rosters of the sport’s top programs. For this installment, we’re taking a look at Duke and trying to decipher what its lineup could look like when the season begins.
Projected starting lineup
1. Caleb Foster | 6-5 | 205 | Jr.
The former highly touted recruit from the 2023 recruiting cycle is entering his third year with the program. After logging just over 25 minutes per game and recording 15 starts during his freshman season, Foster’s role shrank. He did appear in 38 games, but averaged just 4.9 points in 14 minutes per game. Heading into this season, Foster projects as Duke’s starting point guard with ample runway for a larger role on both ends of the floor.
2. Isaiah Evans | 6-6 | 180 | So.
Evans had an interesting draft decision to make earlier this offseason. Instead of entering the draft — where a team would’ve certainly bet on his upside on Day 2 — he decided to return to Duke. Evans has been compared to former Duke standout Brandon Ingram. Evans was a knockdown shooter in his limited role off the bench. He will be in the starting lineup this year and should get serious consideration as a first-round pick next summer if all goes well.
3. Dame Sarr | 6-8 | 190 | Fr.
Sarr was a late addition to Duke’s 2025 recruiting class. The International star from Italy committed to the Blue Devils over Kansas, Illinois and more after most recently playing for FC Barcelona in 2024-25. Sarr has a strong chance to improve his draft stock at Duke. After Cedric Coward elected to stay in the draft instead of keeping his commitment to Duke, Sarr made a lot of sense.
4. Cameron Boozer | 6-9 | 250 | Fr.
Boozer is a top-three projected pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. On the high school circuit, he had one of the most accomplished careers of anyone in his class. At 6-foot-9, he is going to be a force in the frontcourt for the Blue Devils. Boozer has the size, athleticism, rebounding and offensive profile to be a modern power forward in the NBA.
5. Patrick Ngongba II | 6-8 | 231 | Sr.
After coming off the bench in all 30 of his appearances last season, Ngongba is projected to start at center for Duke. He averaged 3.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and shot 71.9% from the floor on 2.1 attempts.
Off the bench
Cayden Boozer | 6-4 | 205 | Fr.
Boozer ranked as the No. 23 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle. He projects as a key rotation piece for Duke, with the potential to get extended minutes at point guard with the starters.
Maliq Brown | 6-9 | 225 | Sr.
Brown was Duke’s glue guy last year. He averaged just 2.5 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench, but his impact went beyond the box score. He was one of the best defenders on Duke’s roster and offered a different look when other starters went to the bench. He should play a similar role this season.
Nikolas Khamenia | 6-8 | 215 | Fr.
The five-star forward from Southern California was the second-highest-ranked recruit in Duke’s class behind Boozer. He should provide shooting and playmaking off the bench for the Blue Devils.
Darren Harris | 6-5 | 195 | So.
Harris only logged 6.0 minutes in 21 appearances last year, but his role should be larger with multiple key rotational pieces departing. Harris will provide more shooting off the bench.
Filling out the roster
Duke finished with the No. 1-ranked high school recruiting class for the second consecutive year under coach Jon Scheyer. Since taking over for legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke has remained relentless on the recruiting trail. The Blue Devils finished with the No. 2 class in 2023 and No. 1 in 2024 and 2025. The highest-ranked player from the list below is Wilkins, who is the No. 47 player in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Duke has tended to keep a tight rotation under Scheyer, but players outside the every-night rotation should get an opportunity to play at some point.
Market watch
Duke’s odds to win 2026 NCAA Tournament (via Fanduel): +1100
Duke is in the same category as other college basketball blue bloods, where the expectation every season is to compete for berths to the Final Four and national titles. This current Duke team doesn’t have the firepower as last year, with three players drafted inside the top 10 of the NBA Draft, but the Blue Devils are still more than talented enough to compete for a national title this season.
Last season, Duke went as far as Flagg would take them. The Blue Devils this year will rely on Year 2 jumps from Evans and Ngongba, Foster expanding his role during his junior season and the top-ranked recruiting class contributing early and often. Boozer also has a chance to solidify himself as the No. 1 pick with a strong season. At minimum, this Duke team should be playing during the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, with a berth to the Final Four on the line.
Read the full article here
