Does Signing 5-Star SF Brandon Ingram Make Duke a Threat to Repeat?

With each person who has joined the Duke Blue Devils' 2015 recruiting class, the chances of the Blue Devils not only surviving the loss of four starters but also being able to match last season's success have improved. With Brandon Ingram coming into the mix, those hopes become expectations.

Ingram, the No. 4 overall player in the country, per 247Sports, chose Duke on Wednesday over the North Carolina Tar Heels, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Kentucky Wildcats and others. And in doing so, he makes it likely that the Blue Devils will have the nation's top class for the second straight year and become a strong contender to repeat as national champions.

It's been a whirlwind month for Duke and its circle of players, coaches, fans and followers. It began with the win over the Wisconsin Badgers to claim coach Mike Krzyzewski's fifth national title. Then four principal players from that championship team either graduated or declared early for the NBA draft. But since then, the Blue Devils have reloaded, adding Ingram, power forward Antonio Vrankovic and point guard Derryck Thornton to a class that already included forward Chase Jeter and high-scoring guard Luke Kennard.

Thornton was considered to be the coup of the cycle, as assistants Jon Scheyer and Jeff Capel convinced the Findlay Prep star to reclassify from 2016 and fill the void at point left by Tyus Jones' departure. But Ingram takes the cake, not just because of his ranking or the fact that he essentially replaces Justise Winslow but also because his size, length and athleticism enable Duke to go in many different directions with their lineup next season.

At 6'9" but only 195 pounds, Ingram has the body type that could fit in as a 2, 3 or 4. He can shoot from outside, slash to the basket and also make plays normally expected from smaller guards. And with further development in the strength department, he can end up doing more of the physical things that helped Winslow emerge during the second half of last season.

"Long and lanky, Ingram is heralded for his versatility," Andrew Carter and Laura Keeley of The News and Observer wrote. "His court vision is advanced, too, as Ingram uses his length and height to find open teammates with crisp passes."

Unlike the past two years, when Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor were considered so good that they alone could make a difference, for 2015-16, the sum of Duke's new parts will make the difference. Ingram's inclusion solidifies this. There's no area where the Blue Devils will be lacking because of attrition, and combined with the handful of contributors who remain from this past team, the chance that the new lineup will be as good (or possibly better) is increasing by the day.

Position	2014-15	2015-16
Point guard	Tyus Jones	Derryck Thornton
Shooting guard	Quinn Cook	Luke Kennard/Grayson Allen
Small forward	Matt Jones	Brandon Ingram/Matt Jones
Power forward	Justise Winslow	Chase Jeter/Amile Jefferson
Center	Jahlil Okafor	Sean Obi/Antonio Vrankovic/Marshall Plumlee

Rice transfer Sean Obi, at 6'9" and 270 pounds, will in no way replace Okafor in terms of production or impact. But combine him with the 6'11" Vrankovic as well as the 6'11" Jeter, 7'0" Marshall Plumlee and 6'9" senior Amile Jefferson, and you have something Duke was severely lacking in last season: depth.

The same goes at the 2 and 3, where Final Four phenom Grayson Allen and Kennard can tag-team to replace Quinn Cook's scoring punch. Matt Jones is able to contribute there as well or back up Ingram at the 3, while if Thornton needs rest at the point, either Allen or Kennard can step in.

247Sports

It's hard to imagine Duke ever having been in a rough situation, depth-wise, during last season's run, but after Semi Ojeleye opted to transfer and Rasheed Sulaimon was dismissed, the roster was one significant injury away from the danger zone. The "Eight is Enough" mantra played well for publicity's sake, but now Ingram joins a stellar group of reinforcements who might end up turning Duke into the "Terrific Ten" or something else that's far more catchy.

Duke might not begin the season ranked No. 1, as way-too-early rankings have teams like Kentucky and North Carolina at the top. But instead of being a team paying the price for too much talent leaving all at once, like recent national champion Connecticut last season or 2011-12 winner Kentucky (both of which ended up in the NIT the following season), the Blue Devils instead are a legitimate threat to be the first repeat champions since Florida from 2005 to 2007.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.