Duke Basketball: 5 Things Still on Blue Devils' Offseason To-Do List

It's been more than four months since Duke put the finishing touches on its fifth national title in Indianapolis, and we're still almost three months away from the Blue Devils being able to start their defense of that championship.

The time in between has likely seemed interminable for fans, but for coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff, there has been hardly any downtime. Through recruiting, advance scouting and offseason workouts, there's been plenty to keep them busy.

And they're still not done. Here's a look at five things that remain on Duke's 2015-16 offseason to-do list.

Add to the 2016 Recruiting Class

247Sports

Duke is off to a good start in the recruiting department, having landed a commitment from 5-star forward Jayson Tatum in July. But that's only good enough for the No. 28 spot in the latest 247Sports composite rankings for 2016.

In addition to seniors Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee, Duke anticipates to have a few more scholarships open for 2016-17 that would become available as players leave early for the NBA draft. Freshman Brandon Ingram is projected by NBADraft.net as a lottery pick in the 2016 draft, and other underclassmen could end up turning pro after this coming season.

The Blue Devils have offers out to seven players in the 2016 class who aren't pledged to other programs. Most of these targets are likely to wait until the spring to commit or sign, but that doesn't mean Duke can't continue to build relationships with them. That way, when those recruits come to a decision, Duke can expect to be at or near the top of the list.

Study Foreign Tour Film

Team trips to other countries to play exhibition games during the summer has become a huge trend in college basketball, though Duke last went overseas in 2011 when it went to the Middle East.

But just because the Blue Devils stayed home this year doesn't mean they can't learn from what others did on their tours, especially if those teams happen to be on Duke's schedule.

Louisville is the most notable of Duke's 2015-16 opponents that participated in a foreign tour this year, recently going to Puerto Rico—technically in the United States, but still—and playing nine games. The competition should prove valuable for a Cardinals team that is almost entirely new for this season, but also will be great film for Louisville's opponents to study.

Duke will face Louisville at least twice this season, including one date (Feb. 8 at home) that's been announced. Since Louisville will be so different from the team Duke beat in Kentucky last season, expect the coaching staff to closely study any footage that is made available from those Puerto Rico games.

Schedule the Banner Ceremony

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

It hasn't been announced yet, but expect Duke to hold a formal ceremony to celebrate the 2014-15 national title and unveil the championship banner at Cameron Indoor Stadium sometime soon. The last title, after the 2009-10 season, had its banner hanging at the Midnight Madness event the following October.

This event is likely also when Duke's returning players from that team will get their championship rings, thus allowing the newcomers to share in the experience of what happened before them. After that, however, it's all about the season ahead.

Identify Leaders

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The players who were most often referred to as Duke's "leaders" in 2014-15 are all gone, part of the four-man exodus following the national title run. With guards Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones, forward Justise Winslow and center Jahlil Okafor all off pursuing pro career, there's not only a large experience void but also a lack of leadership on the current roster.

Duke's new players have participated in a variety of offseason workouts, but official practice won't begin until October. Once that happens, Krzyzewski will be looking to see which players he can turn to for guidance and can serve as leaders in 2015-16.

Upperclassmen Jefferson, Plumlee and Matt Jones can help in this area, but since none of them are expected to be in the starting lineup, their advice and insight figures to be more verbal than by example. That means finding leadership either from the large group of newcomers or sophomore Grayson Allen.

Make Travel Arrangements

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The slow reveal that ESPN and the ACC has been doing for the 2015-16 conference schedule is probably great from a hype standpoint, but it also means that Duke fans have to wait that much longer to know the entire slate of upcoming games.

The nonconference schedule is set, and last week we learned Duke will be playing twice on Big Monday, but 16 of the 18 ACC games' dates are still unknown.

There was an additional announcement Wednesday regarding upcoming ACC games on TV, but the two "Tip-Off" games set for Dec. 30 on ESPN don't involve the Blue Devils.

Once the remainder of the conference schedule is unveiled, only then can final travel arrangements be made in order to maximize time on campus in between road games and reserve the best accommodations when away from home.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.