There’s no question that the Duke Blue Devils are among the elite programs in college basketball.
The Durham school is tied with the Kentucky Wildcats for third all-time in Final Four appearances, with 17. Just three schools have surpassed the Blue Devils’ 2,300 all-time victories, and their five NCAA championships, along with the Indiana Hoosiers, are tied for fifth all-time.
Duke’s last title came in 2015, and that season was also the beginning of the 10 years BetCarolina.com - your top source for North Carolina sportsbook promos - reviewed to create a Blue Devils’ “Team of the Last Decade.” We used Sports-Reference.com to evaluate players who called Cameron Indoor Stadium home between the 2014-15 and 2023-24 seasons. We combined each player’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Win Shares (WS) during those years with the team to identify Duke’s starting five.
Duke Men’s Basketball Team of Last Decade
NC bettors would have loved to place wagers on North Carolina sports betting apps during these great Duke players' careers. Here is our Duke Men's Basketball Team of the last decade (2014-2024).
Sharpshooters In The Blue Devils’ Backcourt
Allen was a freshman reserve on the 2015 title team and played four years for the Blue Devils, twice earning All-ACC honors. The 6-4 guard’s best season came his sophomore year when he scored 21.6 points a game and shot 41.7% from beyond the 3-point arc.
An NBA first-round pick in 2018, Allen has bounced around in the pros, playing with Utah, Memphis, Milwaukee and Phoenix over six seasons. This season has been Allen’s best, as he averages a career-high 13.4 points per game for Phoenix and leads the league with a 3-point shooting percentage of 45.7%.
The Suns are one of four teams at FanDuel North Carolina sportsbook given +1900 odds to win the NBA title this season.
Kennard enjoyed a great two years at Duke, with the 6-5 guard earning Consensus All-American honors in his sophomore season when he scored 19.5 points and grabbed 5.1 rebounds per game. He shot 48.9% from the floor and 43.8% from beyond the 3-point stripe for the 2016-17 squad, which also starred Allen and Jayson Tatum.
A seven-year pro, Kennard was a first-round pick of the Detroit Pistons in 2017. He’s since played with the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies, twice leading the league in 3-point shooting. This past season, though, has been a bit of a struggle as he’s missed roughly half the games due to injuries.
One Season More Than Enough For Williamson
Williamson ranks among the best college players ever in the “one-and-done” era. As a freshman in the 2018-19 season, the forward won the Wooden, Naismith, and Associated Press awards for player of the year. He was also a consensus All-American after scoring 22.6 points, averaging 8.9 rebounds, and demonstrating freakish athleticism for someone 6-7 and 285 lbs.
Despite just playing one season at Duke, Williamson still earned the highest score of anyone selected on the all-decade team, nearly nine points higher than Allen, who played four seasons in college.
After being the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson’s pro career with the New Orleans Pelicans has been a mixture of tantalizing promise and frustrating injuries. He missed the 2021-22 season completely due to a foot injury, and he has not played in more than 70 games in any regular season. This season, he averaged 22.9 points and 5.8 rebounds as the Pelicans have advanced to the Play-In round for the third straight season.
The Pels are the home team for Tuesday’s Play-In game against the Los Angeles Lakers, with the winner advancing to the playoffs and the loser getting one more chance Friday against the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings Play-In game.
Oddsmakers at BetMGM North Carolina have the Lakers as a 1.5-point favorite for Tuesday.
Post Players Had A Big Presence At Duke
Carey was also a “one-and-done,” averaging 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds during the 2019-20 season, which concluded with earning Consensus All-American honors. The 6-10 post player, however, did not find much success in the NBA after being a second-round pick in the 2020 draft. He spent this season with Pınar Karşıyaka in the Turkish Super League.
Williams played two seasons for the Blue Devils and won ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022 after blocking 110 shots in 39 games. He also shot 72.1% from the floor and scored 11.2 points per game. The 7-footer then became a first-round draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets that year. He was on his way to a promising second season, averaging 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds a game through 19 of the team’s first 20 games, but he missed the last five months of the season due to a back injury.
Blue Devils Serious Contenders In 2025
Duke reached the Elite Eight this past season, losing in an upset to N.C. State in the Elite Eight. However, the Blue Devils, under coach Jon Scheyer, are expected to be loaded next season. They have the top recruiting class in the nation, highlighted by 6-9 win Cooper Flagg and 7-1 center Khaman Maluach.
At bet365 North Carolina, the Blue Devils are the favorites to win the title next year at odds of +1000.
USA Today photo by Geoff Burke.
