Duke Basketball: 5 Bold Predictions for Blue Devils' 2014-15 Season

The 2014-15 Duke basketball team is going to make fans immediately forget about last season’s stunning end.

Mike Krzyzewski has built the perfect combination of veteran leaders and tantalizing freshmen, and he has elite options at every position on the floor. Duke will be stronger on the interior than it has been in years, has a heady point guard who will direct the show on offense and counts a plethora of athletic wings who will run the floor and pressure ball-handlers on defense.

There is simply no glaring weakness on this team, and anything short of an ACC title and a run to the Final Four would be a disappointment.

With that in mind, read on to see five bold predictions for the 2014-15 Blue Devils.

Jahlil Okafor Becomes First-Team All-American

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It is asking an awful lot for a freshman to make the All-American First Team, especially considering the amount of talent that is just in Jahlil Okafor’s conference, let alone the country.

However, Okafor will surpass the already lofty expectations being thrown his way and take home the National Freshman of the Year award with an incredible season. He is a dominant low-post scorer who will be the go-to guy every time Duke needs a basket and will dazzle fans and NBA scouts alike with an array of moves and soft touch at the rim.

It will also help having pass-first Tyus Jones running the show at point guard and setting the big man up with plenty of easy opportunities.

Okafor also has the potential to be a monster on the glass and single-handedly save the Blue Devils from their rebounding woes of yesteryear.

Okafor will lead the ACC in scoring and rebounding this season as Duke goes on to win the conference. With numbers like that and the team victories to back it up, there will simply be too much substance on Okafor’s resume to ignore, regardless of his status as a freshman.

Justise Winslow Wins ACC Defensive Player of the Year

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These are supposed to be bold, and picking a freshman to take home the Defensive Player of the Year award in a conference that includes J.P. Tokoto and a number of formidable bigs is certainly that.

Don’t let Justise Winslow’s inexperience fool you, though.

With his pure athleticism, versatility and length, there is very little he cannot do on the defensive end of the court. He will guard point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and even the occasional power forward as Duke’s premier defensive stopper.

Winslow is lengthy and strong enough to guard those bigger forwards but explosive and quick enough to keep up with point guards. Paul Biancardi of ESPN noted early in the offseason that Winslow is already among the best defensive players in the nation.

Look for Mike Krzyzewski to unleash Winslow in crunch time against the opponent’s best player, much like the Miami Heat used LeBron James in the playoffs series for years. It doesn’t matter if that player is a point guard or a bigger forward, and Winslow will get a significant amount of credit for turning the lackluster Duke perimeter defense around in his first season.

Quinn Cook Is Not on the Floor in Crunch Time

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Quinn Cook is a senior and one of the veteran leaders on this team, but he will not be one of the five on the floor in crunch time of close games this season.

Tyus Jones has the potential to be one of the finest point guards in America and will certainly be on the court at the end of games because of his ability to run an offense. Having Jones and Cook out there together would be sacrificing a lot of size when critical rebounds are up for grabs.

What’s more, the defense has to improve this season, especially late in games, and Jones, Rasheed Sulaimon and Justise Winslow are all better than Cook in that area. Cook’s ball-handling skills won’t be as important because Jones and Sulaimon can take care of that and hit from beyond the three-point line if needed.

What’s more, Krzyzewski will want the big guys on the floor so they can get critical rebounds. The predicted crunch-time lineup here is Jones, Sulaimon, Winslow, Amile Jefferson and Jahlil Okafor.

Rebounding Becomes a Strength This Year

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Duke was an abysmal 193rd in the country in total rebounding per game last year, which is a number that must improve if it wants to win a championship in 2014-15.

Almost every aspect of the defense was a problem with opposing guards easily getting into the paint against poor perimeter efforts and opposing big guys cleaning up with no real Duke rim-protector. The Blue Devils only exacerbated those issues by not controlling the glass and allowing second-chance opportunities that were critical in a number of losses.

This season, rebounding will become a strength.

Perhaps the best part of Okafor’s game is his strength on the blocks, which helps him carve out space on offense and muscle out opponents on defense. It will allow him to rack up rebounds with positioning on both ends.

Jefferson should also make a leap this season after picking up so much critical experience down the stretch last year.

Marshall Plumlee will develop into a solid rebounder off the bench, but Winslow will be a major key. The perimeter players never really got involved in the rebounding a year ago, but Winslow’s athleticism and length will help contribute on the glass as well.

Duke Makes the Final Four

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Talent and elite coaching wins championships in college basketball, and the Blue Devils have both in spades.

Krzyzewski has a loaded recruiting class that has been hyped up all offseason and a solid mix of veterans that fits in nicely alongside the freshmen. There are top-notch options at every position and enough depth to go as many as 10 deep if needed.

What’s more, the two weaknesses that held Duke back in 2013-14 should no longer be concerns this season. The defense will be significantly better with Okafor protecting the rim and Winslow shutting down opposing ball-handlers on the outside, and the rebounding will be a strength with the Winslow, Jefferson and Okafor combination.

The pieces are in place for a deep NCAA tournament run, and the Blue Devils will do just that.

They should have a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed in the Big Dance after a predicted ACC crown, which will clear the way to the Final Four. Ultimately, the Blue Devils will fall just short of a national title, but adding another Final Four banner to the rafters will constitute a successful season.