Duke has done a really good job during the transfer portal stage, showing that it will once again be one of the better teams in the country next season.
If everything goes according to plan, Duke should be one of the top five teams in America, just like usual. At this point, it's really about Jon Scheyer just getting over that hump.
Scheyer has done a lot of good during his time at Duke and should be recognized for the job he has done. While the Blue Devils haven't won a national championship under him just yet, that doesn't mean things haven't gone well.
And in the grand scheme of things, we can look at not winning a national championship as a disappointment, but Duke is still among the best teams in the country year in and year out and always has a legitimate chance to win it all.
And there's a reason for that, especially during the NIL era.
Not only has Duke built one of the best college basketball rosters in the country, but according to the latest from a college basketball insider, it has also built perhaps the most expensive roster in the land, spending over $20 million on its roster.
“The $20 million club: Texas’ roster is pushing the $20 million mark, similar to Tennessee and Louisville, and consistent with what Sean Miller referenced publicly. Duke, which has traditionally built through the high school ranks and again holds the No. 1 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, is also expected to crack $20 million. The Blue Devils were active in the portal too, adding Wisconsin guard John Blackwell on a deal sources said is upward of $4 million,” Pete Nakos of On3 wrote.
In this era of college basketball, teams absolutely have to spend to be what they are looking to be. Duke understands that if it wants to continue winning at the highest level, a lot of money will need to be spent on the roster.
Unfortunately for fans who don't love that, it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime in the near future.