Duke basketball bold predictions for the 2024-2025 season

The college basketball season is here, giving fans plenty to look forward to in the coming months. The games start promptly on November 4th and one of those set to play on opening day is none other than the iconic Durham team, Duke basketball.

The Blue Devils showed a glimpse of their capabilities through two exhibition games last month. The first was against Lincoln, with Duke taking home a 51-point win. Freshman sensation Cooper Flagg led the way, as a total of 12 blue shirts contributed to the score. The next big win was against Arizona State, an ex-Pac 12 contender that will make its debut in the Big 12 this season. The game showed why Devils clad in blue reign supreme over those in red and yellow. Despite a quiet game from Flagg, Duke defeated Arizona State by 56 – yes, 56 points – thanks to exemplary play on both sides of the ball.

As they prepare to face Maine next Monday, all eyes are on the Blue Devils. How will the team do this season? What player storylines should you pay attention to?

To answer these questions, here are bold predictions for the 2024-2025 season.

Caleb Foster increases his scoring average to double figures

With all the attention focused on the incoming freshmen, people often forget that Duke still has that quality scraps like Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor. Both are likely to start this season, giving the Blue Devils an experienced backcourt. Foster in particular is due for a breakout campaign.

Amid the exodus of players during the offseason, Foster decided to stay in Durham for another year. He is coming off a freshman season in which he averaged 7.7 points and shot 43.7% from the floor. He started just 15 games, playing primarily behind Proctor, Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach. Still, Foster shot 40.6% from deep when he took the field – third-best of any player on the roster last season.

With McCain in the NBA and Roach headed to Baylor, the No. 2 starting spot likely belongs to Foster (with Proctor at PG). During Arizona State’s preseason demolition, Foster scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and three assists. The 6-foot-1 guard did a little bit of everything, from attacking the basket and facilitating to sinking shots from outside.

Locking down the SG role in the starting five will certainly boost Foster’s numbers. Expect him to average double figures in goals this season.

Kon Knueppel leads the ACC in three-pointers made

This may be a debatable claim considering Knueppel is just entering his freshman year of college basketball. However, there is a reason why he is a five-star recruit. Knueppel isn’t the highest jumper or the fastest runner, but his fundamentals and IQ more than make up for it. His main weapon is the three-point shot, and the preseason games have made the obvious clear: Knueppel is Duke’s best sniper this year.

He scored 17 and 19 points against Lincoln and Arizona State, respectively. The 6-foot-4 wingman sank a total of nine threes in both outings (combined), making it clear that his confidence from outside is off the charts. As things stand, Knueppel’s long-range bombs will be a common sight at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

There is still a question mark as to whether or not Knueppel will get the starting nod. With Proctor and Foster as the expected backcourt, Jon Scheyer could opt for a Knueppel-Flagg forward or a lineup that places Flagg at the three and defensive stalwart Maliq Brown at the four. Nevertheless, based on what he has shown thus far, Knueppel will undoubtedly be an integral part of the rotation, starter or not.

The ACC will have many formidable, even more experienced marksmen this season, such as Virginia’s Isaac McKneely and Syracuse’s Chris Bell. Can Kon Knueppel really outdo them in threes? Assuming he gets a nod to the starting five, why not?

Cooper Flagg is a consensus First Team All-American

Flagg is one of the names in the recently released Naismith Award Watch List. He is too ESPN’s number one college player on the network’s preseason poll, and many predict he will be the top overall pick in next year’s NBA draft. All of these claims are hardly debatable when you look at what the 6-foot-10 freshman can do.

Flagg’s highlights are all over the internet, and any basketball fan (who is active on social media) has probably seen at least a few clips by now. The way he uses his length and athleticism when attacking the rim and the way he seamlessly creates and shoots off the dribble indicates a ceiling comparable to that of elite NBA stars.

Additionally, fans should know that Flagg is just as effective without the ball as he is with it. What is often overlooked in the highlights is just how versatile a defender and aggressive rebounder he is. By versatile defender, this refers not only to the monster blocks, but also to the perimeter defense on the ball and sharp rotations/reads off the ball. He is a two-way talent and there is a good chance his freshman season will result in being named to the All-America First Team.

Honestly, the only reason this prediction doesn’t favor Flagg as the Naismith Award winner is his age. As good as Flagg is at 17, there’s still plenty of room for him to grow before you can be confident he’ll outperform established NCAA stars like RJ Davis (North Carolina), Mark Sears (Alabama ) and Hunter Dickinson (Kansas).

Duke basketball reaches the Final Four

There is a sensational quote that is common in the sports world. It basically states that “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” It has been proven to be true in many cases, usually when an underdog upsets a favorite. It’s also a good source of motivation for any basketball player, especially names that are under the radar and barely in the spotlight. However, a question can also be asked… something along the lines of “What if talent works just as hard?” This is exactly what Duke basketball is right now: a mix of hard work and top talent. Duke has what it takes to make a Final Four appearance, and it’s safe to say that many other teams — no matter how much effort they put in — won’t be able to match up against the Blue Devils if they don’t. I don’t have enough firepower to match.

The biggest obstacle between Duke and the National Championship Trophy is simply the lack of experience. To the extent their abilities can handle them, it’s still uncertain whether the Blue Devils can combine the maturity and composure needed to take down other powerhouses (like UConn, Gonzaga, Alabama, Kansas) on the biggest stage. Either way, this young team will make a lot of noise and the fans are about to witness everything that unfolds.