Key Strength for Duke Basketball That Box Score Won’t Show

There’s a lot to like about the 2026-27 Duke Blue Devils.

From head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff retaining three starters from last season’s Elite Eight squad, to bringing in two big-time transfer portal additions in John Blackwell (Wisconsin) and Drew Scharnowski (Belmont), to sealing one of the nation’s top high school recruiting classes, there are a lot of good things happening.

The Blue Devils, at least on paper, look like they will be a much better three-point shooting team next season. Additionally, they have good defenders everywhere, they have passers everywhere, and all the pieces around the primary scoring option, John Blackwell, seem to fit really well.

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However, there’s one aspect of the game that the box score won’t represent, and it might be Duke’s biggest advantage next season.

Duke Has Positional Size Everywhere

This isn’t a new thing for Scheyer. Since he has taken over in Durham, one of his calling cards in roster building has been having length all over the floor, and as a result, Duke has been among the best defenses in the country each season Scheyer has been there.

In three of the four seasons that Scheyer has been the head coach, Duke has been in the top three nationally in average height, according to KenPom. The Blue Devils have also been inside the top 20 in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom in all four of Scheyer’s years as head coach, and inside the top five in each of the last two.

Scheyer doesn’t just recruit big guys; he lands big guys with length who can rotate and guard multiple positions.

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Duke’s measurables were released this week, and the average height of the program’s entire roster is 79 inches, or 6’7″. Last season, the tallest team in the nation per KenPom was Illinois, a Final Four team, which averaged 80 inches in height across its roster.

Although Michigan, the national champions, ranked outside the top 25 in average height last season, its three-man wrecking crew of a frontcourt with 7’3″ Aday Mara, 6’9″ Morez Johnson, and 6’9″ Yaxel Lendeborg did enough damage.

My projected starting five for the Blue Devils next season is Caleb Foster, John Blackwell, Dame Sarr, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, and Patrick Ngongba. That is 6’5″, 6’5″, 6’8″, 7’2″, 6’11”, respectively. It’s easy to figure that has to be one of the biggest starting lineups in the sport next season, and all (Ngongba to a lesser extent than the others) are capable of guarding three or more positions on the floor.

Why This Matters

Over the last couple of years, there seems to be a new trend in college basketball with head coaches prioritizing size. All four of last season’s Final Four squads ranked inside the top 30 nationally in average height.

It isn’t just about size alone, but it’s about using that height everywhere to get high percentage looks as well as multiple shots on every possession. In 2026, three Final Four teams ranked inside the top 30 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. In 2024, three Final Four teams ranked inside the top 25 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage.

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UConn and Purdue, the two teams in the national title game, were inside the top 15 in offensive rebounding percentage.

Scheyer has made defensive length and versatility major factors each year he’s been at Duke, but it could become a more regular trend in college basketball.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Key Strength for Duke Basketball That Box Score Won’t Show.