What's next for Duke? Another roster retooling ahead to pick up pieces from latest NCAA Tournament collapse

Duke will head into the offseason with plenty of questions surrounding the program

For the second consecutive season, Duke ended up on the wrong side of a historic collapse in the NCAA Tournament. In last year's Final Four, Duke blew a 14-point lead with eight minutes remaining against Houston. On Sunday in the Elite Eight against UConn, Duke saw its 19-point advantage fade away. 

The Blue Devils' season ended just moments after UConn star Braylon Mullins hit one of the biggest shots in NCAA Tournament history to help the Huskies advance to the Final Four. Over the last two seasons, Duke has won 70 games and reached the Elite Eight or later in three consecutive seasons. Still, the Blue Devils don't have a title to show for it.

There is an uncomfortable truth heading into the offseason for Duke coach Jon Scheyer and his program. For the second consecutive year, Duke had the best player in college basketball and couldn't get over the hump. Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer are two of the best one-and-done prospects in the modern era, but Duke doesn't have a title to show for their services. 

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Boozer will more likely join Flagg in the coming days as the latest Duke freshman to win Naismith National Player of the Year honors.

Boozer, who was the most consistent player in the sport, is a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. With Boozer all but gone, it means that Scheyer will have to reinvent his roster once again. However, this time, Scheyer won't have the luxury of someone of Flagg's or Boozer's stature entering the program.

Duke has the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle by 247Sports, but the reality is that next year's incoming freshman class might have a hard time living up to what this year's class did. At the college level, at least, Boozer was above the rest. And like Flagg, his career ended short of playing for a title.

With Duke's season over, here are three burning questions heading into the most important offseason of Scheyer's tenure.

Who stays, who goes?

Duke's roster could look significantly different next season. After losing all five starters last year, Duke is once again in store for a major retool. There are plenty of players who would declare for the NBA Draft and/or enter the transfer portal. For all intents and purposes, Cameron Boozer will not be on the roster next season. Big man Maliq Brown, who started nine games this season, is out of eligibility.

The players who will have a decision to make are Isaiah Evans, Patrick Ngongba II, Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, Nikolas Khamenia and Darren Harris. Those seven players were key members of Duke's rotation this season. The two names to watch from that group are Evans and Ngongba. In CBS Sports' NBA Draft Prospect Rankings, Ngongba is the No. 25 overall prospect and Evans isn't far behind at 27. 

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Evans and Ngongba project as late-first-round picks this year. However, the intriguing factor that could sway those players and several others in this draft class to return to college is that the 2027 NBA Draft class is projected to be much weaker at the top than this year. An extra year of college could do wonders for both prospects, especially Evans. After coming off the bench during Duke's Final Four run last year, Evans stepped up to be Duke's No. 2 scoring option behind Boozer. Above all else, he might be the single-most important retention Duke has.

The point guard situation next year could also get interesting. One of the biggest storylines heading into this season for Duke was who would start at point guard? Foster won the job, but Cayden Boozer filled in as the starting point guard after Foster's injury against UNC. With five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. entering the program (more on him later), one of Foster or Boozer could be the odd man out.

Factor in that Foster and Boozer aren't going to be first-round picks this summer, and you have a very interesting stay-or-go decision for both. Regardless, having one of those players return alongside the incoming freshman guard could do wonders for Duke's depth.

How good can Duke's 2026 recruiting class be?

Since Scheyer took over the program, Duke hasn't missed a beat on the recruiting trail. This incoming class is no different. Duke has four pledges in its 2026 class: Rippey (No. 10 overall), Cameron Williams (No. 3), Bryson Howard (No. 15), and Maxime Meyer (No. 84). However, as mentioned above, this incoming crop of freshmen isn't as strong as this year's class.

Living up to the hype of Flagg and Boozer will be big shoes to fill. The expectations for what this class could be should be tempered, according to 247Sports Director of Basketball Eric Bossi.

"I think that Duke fans are going to have to prepare themselves for a different level of impact from their incoming freshman class," Bossi said. "Not all classes are created equal and the 2026 class simply isn't as strong as the past few classes. Pushing seven-feet tall and oozing with skill and upside, Cameron Williams is a fluid athlete who is going to be a good player. But, he's going to need time to get stronger and he's not going to arrive on campus with the same type of edge that a Cooper Flagg or a Cameron Boozer did. Bryson Howard is an emerging wing with athleticism and size while Deron Rippey will give them a dose of athleticism and ability to pressure the ball defensively at the point of attack that will be different in years past."

Only four freshmen have won National Player of the Year honors. Two of them were former Duke players (Flagg and Zion Williamson). The next will more than likely be Boozer. Could someone like Williams win the sport's top award next season? Maybe. His upside on tape flashes. However, it's hard to compare Duke's incoming recruits to Flagg or Boozer because both are generational college talents.

In short, expectations may need to be tempered.

What does Duke's transfer portal haul look like?

While Scheyer has had success in the high school recruiting world, Duke hasn't necessarily made a splash in the portal ... kinda. Last season, Duke landed a commitment from Cedric Coward; however, he elected to remain in the draft and bypassed another year of college. That decision certainly worked out for Coward, as he's been one of the best rookies in the league this season.

Duke's most active offseason in the transfer portal came in 2024, when it landed Sion James (Tulane), Mason Gillis (Purdue), and Brown (Syracuse). All three of them played key roles on Duke's Final Four team last season. Duke landed one transfer last offseason (Ifeanyi Ufochukwu from Rice), but he played in just five games.

The Blue Devils relied on a nucleus of freshman talent this season. Could that change heading into the offseason? It's very possible. Duke could have stronger retention this offseason than last, but that doesn't mean Duke should sit out the transfer portal cycle.

Some transfer portal needs on Duke's wish list: a shooting guard and multiple bigs. The latter could come down to whether Ngongba elects to return to school or declare for the draft. Still, with Brown and Boozer departing, Duke will need more of a veteran presence to play next to Williams.

It's hard not to think about how much better this Duke team would've been this season if Coward had bypassed the draft and returned to school. But then again, if Coward comes back, it's more likely than not Duke doesn't land Sarr.

With the transfer portal expected to be an emphasis to build out the rest of the roster, Duke is entering unfamiliar territory. There isn't someone like Boozer or Flagg coming to save them. If Duke can nail the offseason and build a roster around its incoming recruits, a return to the second weekend and beyond in the NCAA Tournament is possible. If not, it could get uncomfortable fast.