College basketball expert Andy Katz recently released his first offseason power rankings, putting the Duke Blue Devils No. 1.
Although Duke saw the departures of Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans and Nik Khamenia, they added high-profile transfers and some of the top names from the 2026 recruiting class, including 5-stars Cameron Williams, Bryson Howard and Deron Rippey Jr.
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One of those names from the portal is John Blackwell, who posted an impressive junior campaign with 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game with Wisconsin. Blackwell could also help Duke from beyond the arc, shooting an impressive 38.9% from deep on 7.3 three-pointers attempted per game.
As for the rest of Katz’ ranking, Florida, Michigan, Illinois and Tennessee round out the top-five, with UConn not far behind in sixth.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: College basketball expert ranks Duke atop preseason power rankings
