# Duke Blue Devils Defy the Portal Chaos: Rare Continuity Positions Them as 2025-26 Title Favorites 😈
**Durham, NC – November 21, 2025** – In an era where college basketball rosters flip like pancakes every offseason, the Duke Blue Devils stand out as a glaring exception. While the transfer portal swallowed more than 2,500 players last spring and NBA early entries reshaped powerhouses overnight, Jon Scheyer’s program quietly retained a core group from its 2024-25 Final Four squad. With six key returners – including rising sophomores Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, and Patrick Ngongba II, plus veteran transfer holdover Maliq Brown – Duke enters the 2025-26 season with more continuity than almost any elite team in the country. Add the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class headlined by Cameron Boozer and a couple of strategic portal pickups, and the Blue Devils are absolutely loaded for a run at Banner No. 6.
The numbers tell the story of Duke’s outlier status. According to data tracked by CBS Sports and KenPom analysts, high-major programs returning 50% or more of their previous season’s minutes are rarer than ever – just seven teams hit that mark heading into this year, down from 32 before the portal explosion. Duke isn’t quite at Purdue’s absurd 70% retention rate (thanks to Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn all running it back), but the Blue Devils’ six returners represent a massive win in a landscape where blue-bloods like Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina saw mass exoduses.
“Continuity matters more now than ever,” Scheyer said during preseason media day. “In this NIL and portal world, keeping guys who know our culture, who’ve played in big games, and who want to grow together – that’s gold. We didn’t lose a single player to the portal this offseason. That’s unheard of at this level, and it speaks to what we’re building.”
The heart of Duke’s retained core starts with the sophomores who flashed potential behind Cooper Flagg and company last year. Isaiah Evans, the former five-star wing, averaged 6.8 points off the bench in limited minutes but showed explosive scoring bursts, including a 20-point outburst against top-10 opposition. At 6-6 with a silky jumper and improving athleticism, Evans is poised for a breakout as a primary option.
Caleb Foster, another highly-touted guard, returns for his junior year after announcing his decision early in the spring. Foster’s sophomore campaign was inconsistent due to injury and a stacked backcourt, but his 40% three-point shooting in spurts and defensive tenacity make him a perfect glue guy. “Caleb’s leadership and IQ are off the charts,” Scheyer noted. “He’s the kind of player who makes everyone better.”
In the frontcourt, Maliq Brown – the Syracuse transfer who became a defensive anchor last season – provides veteran savvy. The 6-8 forward’s versatility (he guarded 1-through-5 effectively) and rebounding will be crucial. Then there’s Patrick Ngongba II, the 6-11 center who redshirted much of last year but impressed in practices. Fully healthy, Ngongba brings rim protection and soft touch that could make him a sleeper impact player.
Rounding out the returners are role players like Darren Harris and potentially others who logged minutes in blowouts, giving Duke legitimate depth from players already immersed in the system.
But Duke isn’t just running it back – they’re reloading with elite talent. The 2025 recruiting class, ranked No. 1 by 247Sports, is arguably the best in the Jon Scheyer era. Leading the way is Cameron Boozer, the 6-9 power forward and son of Duke legend Carlos Boozer. A polished scorer with deep range, rebounding instincts, and high IQ, Cameron is already projected as a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. His twin brother Cayden, a crafty 6-4 point guard, joins him, creating must-watch family storylines.
The class doesn’t stop there: Italian sensation Dame Sarr (a 6-7 wing with lottery upside), Nikolas Khamenia (versatile forward from Harvard-Westlake), and reclassified Sebastian Wilkins add athleticism, shooting, and defense. Scheyer also dipped lightly into the portal for depth, landing Rice big man Iffy Ufochukwu for frontcourt insurance.
This blend – rare retention plus five-star freshmen – has analysts salivating. ESPN’s early Top 25 has Duke at No. 4, behind only Purdue, Houston, and UConn. “Duke is the anti-portal team in a portal world,” one scout told CBS Sports. “Everyone else is piecing together veterans; Scheyer kept his guys and added the best high school class. That’s scary.”
Comparatively, look at the chaos elsewhere. Kentucky lost its top six scorers. Kansas saw multiple starters bolt. Even UConn, the two-time defending champs, returns stars like Alex Karaban but added heavy portal pieces. Teams like Auburn, Alabama, and Baylor are transfer-heavy rebuilds. Duke? They kept the band (mostly) together and invited the next generation of superstars.
Early practices have reportedly been electric. Cameron Boozer has been vocal and dominant, earning praise as the “most polished freshman in America.” Evans and Foster, free from riding the bench behind Flagg and Knueppel, are attacking workouts with renewed hunger. “These returners know what Final Four pressure feels like,” Scheyer said. “They didn’t want to leave it unfinished.”
The schedule sets up perfectly for a statement season. Non-conference highlights include the Champions Classic rematch with Kansas, a showdown with Kentucky, and potential Vegas clashes. In the new-look ACC – with Stanford, Cal, and SMU joining – Duke is the preseason favorite to repeat as regular-season and tournament champs.
Of course, questions linger. Can the sophomores make the leap to stardom? Will the freshmen adjust to Cameron Indoor madness overnight? Depth at true point guard could be tested if Cayden Boozer needs time. But in a sport where experience often trumps raw talent in March, Duke’s continuity edge is massive.
As the portal era turns college basketball into annual fantasy drafts, Duke’s decision to buck the trend feels revolutionary. Retain your core, develop your young guys, add the best recruits money (and legacy) can buy. It’s the old Krzyzewski blueprint, updated for 2025.
Cameron Indoor Stadium sold out its season tickets in hours. The Devil mascot is trending on social media. And for the first time in years, Blue Devil fans aren’t anxiously refreshing transfer trackers – they’re counting down to tip-off.
Jon Scheyer’s fourth team isn’t rebuilding. They’re evolving. With rare roster stability and absurd incoming talent, the Duke Blue Devils are built to dominate.
The devil is in the details, and this year, those details wear Duke blue. 😈
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