Louisville basketball: Post NBA Draft deadline ACC power rankings

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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 12: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots the ball against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 12, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

3. Duke

Departing: Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Marques Bolden

Notable returnees: Tre Jones, Alex O’Connell, Javin DeLaurier, Joey Baker, Jack White

Newcomers: Matthew Hurt, Vernon Carey, Cassius Stanley, Wendell Moore

Not many teams could withstand losing talent such as Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish – all of whom will likely be top 10 picks in June. But Duke is gon’ Duke. There will be no rebuilding in Durham, only reloading.

The Bluedevils will return five-star recruit from Tre Jones, who will give the team something they haven’t had in a long-time, veteran leadership at the lead guard spot. They’ll also bring back one of their top shooters in Alex O’Connell who will likely move into a starting role in his junior season.

Coach K will also bring in the 4th ranked recruiting class which features five-stars Matthew Hurt and Vernon Carey, who will give the Bluedevils a nice combination of inside-outside scoring in the frontcourt, as well as wings Cassius Stanley and Wendell Moore.

The 2019-2020 Duke team won’t be anywhere near what we’ve become accustomed to seeing as far as top talent from freshman, but they will be very well-rounded and will be a legit threat to win the ACC.

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