Cooper Flagg, Duke Voted as ACC Men's Basketball Favorite Ahead of 2024-25 Season

With the best prospect out of the Class of 2024 on their roster, the expectations are high for Duke basketball this season.

The Blue Devils and No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg were voted to finish first in the ACC men's basketball preseason predicted order of finish for the 2024-25 season. Duke received 42 votes for first place with North Carolina being predicted to finish second.

In head coach Jon Scheyer's second year at the helm, Duke finished 27-9 and 15-5 in conference play, finishing in second place in the ACC behind North Carolina. After an upset loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils managed to reach the Elite Eight, where they were also upset by the Wolfpack.

Duke lost a handful of talented players to the NBA draft, mainly Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski, but a strong recruiting class could help offset those losses.

The Blue Devils have the No. 1 recruiting class for the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports Composite, bringing in four 5-star prospects and two 4-stars. The most notable of those recruits is Flagg, the consensus No. 1 player in the nation.

Flagg is one of the most-anticipated freshmen in recent college basketball memory and is already popping up on NBA draft boards. He spent the offseason playing with the USA Basketball select team, which practiced against a Team USA roster composed of NBA stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and more.

But Duke will have plenty of competition this season even with Flagg leading the way. As is the case just about every season, the Tar Heels will be competitive and looking to win another ACC regular season title. Teams like Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia will also be coming for the top spot in the ACC.

The Blue Devils tip off their season on Nov. 4 with a matchup against Maine.