Late May brought a few notable tweaks to the 2025-26 Duke basketball team. The Blue Devils saw former transfer commit Cedric Coward decide to forego his remaining eligibility by staying put in the NBA Draft, but Jon Scheyer and his crew responded with two more additions from the recruiting trail in five-star Italian wing Dame Sarr and four-star power forward Sebastian Wilkins.
While there are instances of Duke climbing projected rankings as a result of those moves, it’s clear that ESPN’s Jeff Borzello views Scheyer & Co.’s loss of Coward, answered with the pledges of Sarr and Wilkins, equating to anything but a net gain for the Blue Devils.
In his latest projected top 25 released on Monday, Borzello dropped the Blue Devils from No. 6 to No. 12 overall, marking the biggest fall among the squads still appearing in his rankings.
And Duke basketball, previously the highest-ranked ACC representative, now ranks second among the four teams from the conference in Borzello’s top 25. Louisville checks in at No. 7, NC State at No. 24, and UNC at No. 25.
