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When Duke coach Jon Scheyer was unofficially handed the keys to the program by Mike Krzyzewski following his retirement announcement in 2021, the now 37-year-old former Blue Devils player got to work. Scheyer immediately continued the prestigious recruiting standard his former boss upheld while in charge of the Duke program by landing the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2022 cycle by 247Sports.
Why is that relevant now? Well, one of those players from that recruiting class is still around. That would be Tyrese Proctor. He is entering his third season as a starting guard at Duke, and he's been with Scheyer throughout his head coaching tenure. That includes a loss to Tennessee in the second round in 2023 and a hearbreaking end to last season which saw the Blue Devils lose to in-state rival NC State in the Elite Eight.
Led by Proctor, Cooper Flagg, and Kon Knueppel, this Duke roster is full of experience, youth, and star power (they're all former five-stars, as is big man Khaman Maluach). There is a reason why Duke has become one of the most popular picks to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament. If you want a quick explanation of why I picked the Blue Devils to take home the title, my Expert Bracket (as well as our other CBS Sports writers) is attached below. Keep reading if you want a deeper dive into my pick.
Why Duke is my pick to win it all
Duke has the best player in the NCAA Tournament (Flagg), two veteran guards (Proctor and Sion James), two other future lottery picks (Knueppel and Khaman Maluach) and someone who just played a key role in Purdue reaching the Final Four last spring (Mason Gillis).
The Blue Devils are the best team in college basketball. Auburn is incredible in its own right, and you can argue that Johni Broome is the best player in the sport, but we will let the voters decide who wins the Wooden Award sometime in the next few weeks. Duke cruised through ACC competition and has lost just one game since the end of November. The Blue Devils are one of the hottest and most efficient teams in the country. Duke ranked No. 3 in adjusted offensive efficiency and 4th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Blue Devils ranked in the top 20 in team 3-point field goal percentage (37.7%), 2-point field goal percentage (58%) and free throw percentage (78.4%).
This Duke roster is balanced and full of star power. On top of that, the Blue Devils have a favorable path to the Final Four. On the other side of the bracket, two possible title game matchups are against Auburn and Florida. The Blue Devils have the personnel to match up with either team. The best team doesn't always win this tournament, but Duke has as strong of a chance as anyone in the bracket to win it all.
Why our other experts picked Duke to win the national title
Three other members of our CBS Sports crew picked Duke to win the national title. Here are their thoughts on the Blue Devils.
- Kyle Boone: "There is an obvious unknown here with Duke after Flagg went down in the ACC Tournament with an ankle sprain. But if Flagg can nurse himself back to full health or something close to full health as Duke makes a run, then I'm simply betting on the team I think has the most talent led by the best player in the sport. That can take the Blue Devils the distance and I'm projecting it will. Duke won 31 games leading into the NCAA Tournament and 26 of its last 27 games. It did not have the resume of No. 1 overall seed Auburn — which Duke beat during that run — but it has been the best team in college basketball for much of that span. Of course, the best team doesn't always emerge from the bracket, but in this case I think Duke can do it."
- Isaac Trotter: "Duke has lost one game since Nov. 28. One. That's just so hard for me to overlook, and I like Duke's processes on both ends of the floor. The Blue Devils create a boatload of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers or shots at the rim. Duke also is elite at protecting the rim with maybe the best shot-blocker in the 2025 NBA Draft. What does this recipe remind you of? Oh, UConn. The game plans that fueled UConn can be the exact same blueprint Duke uses to win the title."
- Chip Patterson: "Auburn and Houston face absolute landmines on the way to the Final Four and that opens things up for Duke and Florida, who may be the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds in this tournament according to the selection committee but are the No. 1 and No. 2 teams on the board for the national title odds. The ACC and SEC Tournament champs each showed their versatility over the last week, and that's why I think they'll endure the path to the title game. Duke won two and a half games without Flagg and looked excellent against Louisville with the Blue Devils' depth on full display. Florida just beat three of the top 18 teams in the NCAA Tournament selection committee's rankings in back-to-back nights en route to cutting down nets in Nashville. Ultimately I'll take Duke over Florida in the title game but feel more confident about both teams making the Final Four than who ends up on top if they should meet on the final Monday night of the season."
