Duke basketball gets big boost with Isaiah Evans’ NBA Draft decision

Jon Scheyer has gradually built this program back up during his three-year tenure with Duke basketball. After a second-round exit in his first year, the young head coach led the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight in year two. Duke followed that up with a season that saw it return to the top of the college basketball world and remain in the top four for much of it. After a 28-3 regular season, Jon Scheyer’s team ran through the ACC Tournament and was dominant in the first few games of its NCAA Tournament run.

Duke eventually reached the Final Four alongside the three other No. 1 seeds in The Big Dance. Against a feisty Houston team, the Blue Devils were in control for most of this highly anticipated clash. Unfortunately, Duke basketball showed its youth down the stretch against a veteran Cougars team, losing a heartbreaker. Several players from that squad will return, including Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, and Maliq Brown. All three players will play much larger roles in 2025 as this program adds 5-star recruits Cameron and Cayden Boozer, and Nikolas Khamenia.

Overall, Duke basketball will continue to add a few more transfers as it solidifies its roster. Scheyer already picked up a huge win in the portal a few weeks ago and is adjusting accordingly to this new era. The Blue Devils will likely have several competitive teams toward the top of the ACC to compete with, which is great news. One of the reasons Duke struggled against Houston was that it was so unaccustomed to being in close games. That shouldn’t be the case in 2025, so the Blue Devils could be even more tournament-ready in 2026.