The clock started ticking on Duke's 2025 national championship chase in October 2023.
That's when Cooper Flagg -- the nation's No. 1 recruit of the 2024 class and projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft -- announced his commitment to the Blue Devils. His signing raised the stakes for Jon Scheyer's third season at the helm of his alma mater, which climbed even higher when Duke lost to ACC rival NC State in the Elite Eight five months later.
Sheyer knew in order to make a deeper run this season, he would have to find the right players -- not necessarily the most talented ones -- to complement his superstar freshman.