The Duke Blue Devils are heading into the offseason sooner than anticipated after suffering one of the most shocking collapses in college basketball history against second-seeded UConn in the Elite Eight.
Duke built a commanding 19-point lead in the first half and went into halftime ahead 44–29. However, the Huskies dominated the second half, outscoring them 44–28 to secure a dramatic 73–72 comeback victory.
Entering Sunday, 1-seeds in the NCAA Tournament that held leads of 15 points or more heading into the halftime break were 134-0. That record is now 134-1.
Nonetheless, Scheyer and his staff still have to hit the offseason button to rebuild for next season with several key pieces expected to be gone. The Duke program is in a very interesting offseason this time around, as several rotational pieces face tough decisions about returning to Durham, entering the NBA Draft, or hitting the transfer portal.
Here are three Blue Devils who could hit the transfer portal this offseason
Darren Harris
Darren Harris has dealt with a confusing two seasons with the Blue Devils, but he has seldom seen consistent time on the floor. Coming in as a part of Scheyer and Co.’s No. 1 overall 2024 recruiting class, Harris averaged 6.0 minutes across 21 appearances as a rookie.
The second go-around wasn’t much different. Harris averaged 3.4 points as a sophomore in 9.9 minutes across 35 appearances. The Virginia native tallied double-digit minutes in 15 games and played a total of 18 minutes across the Blue Devils’ four NCAA Tournament contests.
Harris is the most likely guy to hit the portal in search of an extended role.
Nik Khamenia
Khamenia, one of the five-star recruits in Duke’s top-ranked 2025 class, played heavy minutes as a rookie, but didn’t have the freedom to score and impact the game in many ways. In 37 appearances and five starts, Khamenia averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 19.7 minutes.
The Los Angeles native entered the college game as a talented outside shooter with a high basketball IQ, but mainly saw the floor due to his defense and effort. The 6’7″ wing tallied six double-digit scoring outings and shot 33.3% from three on the year on 2.8 attempts a game.
Khamenia would be a key piece for most Division I teams, so there’s a chance he looks for a new home where he can have the ball in his hands more often.
Cayden Boozer
With Cameron Boozer headed to the NBA and five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. on his way to Duke, Boozer could look to be the lead guard elsewhere.
This season, Boozer averaged 7.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 49.3% shooting from the floor and 29.2% shooting from deep. However, he proved he could run the show during Caleb Foster’s extended absence.
With Foster sidelined and Boozer thrust into the starting lineup, the 6’4″ point guard averaged 13 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and 5-of-15 (33.3%) shooting from the perimeter across the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. Boozer totaled 25 assists to 14 turnovers in that span.
He played at least 36 minutes in every game Foster missed. Foster’s return will likely play a major role in Boozer’s decision, but with a potential Foster comeback and Rippey on his way, Boozer could look to run the backcourt for another program.
