Duke Basketball Stays Put in Updated Early Rankings

College basketball is right around the corner as practices are officially underway. For the Duke Blue Devils, the excitement is high once again and rightfully so. 

Jon Scheyer and his staff have put together another really good roster, arguably one of the best in his tenure so far. The Blue Devils have a good mix of young players as well as veterans on their roster as they look to get back to the Final Four under Scheyer. 

Last season's ending was disappointing as Duke blew a 19-point lead to UConn in the Elite Eight, ending their season. It was a tough one as it felt like the Blue Devils were bound to go to the Final Four for the second-straight season.

But here we are in late September with the Blue Devils gaining some national attention once again. 

With a wild offseason that included a few court rulings on eligibility, teams are getting a good feel for what their roster is. Duke hasn't had to deal with that just yet, which makes it a little easier for Scheyer to manage. 

On Monday, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports released his latest Top 25 and 1 preseason rankings based on some recent news. While there were some changes, the top 15 remained the same in this update. That includes Duke who kept their spot at No. 2 in the rankings behind only Florida. 

The reasoning for Duke being at No. 2 is because they return four of their top six scorers from an Elite Eight team in Patrick Ngongba II, Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr. They also have a really good recruiting class including transfer John Blackwell out of Wisconsin. It also includes five-star prospects Cameron Williams, Deron Rippey Jr., Bryson Howard and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.

Duke welcomes in the No. 1 recruiting class overall, something that the Blue Devils are very familiar with. The combination of youth and veterans could be a good mix for Scheyer and his staff. 

Illinois checked in at No. 3 followed by No. 4 UConn, and No. 5 Texas. Duke will play Florida, UConn and Illinois this season as they face a really challenging non-conference schedule this season. It's safe to say that Duke will be tested early and often this season.

Duke is set to tipoff the new season on November 2nd, hosting Army. They will participate in three exhibition games in October including a trip to Lawrence, Kansas.