4 Duke Players Who Won't Be Back Next Season

The Duke Blue Devils suffered a stunning 75-64 loss to ACC foe NC State in the Elite Eight, falling short as big favorites after building a six-point halftime lead.

It was not the ending Blue Devils fans hoped for or expected, as things fell apart quickly in the second half as the Wolfpack scored 55 points in dominant fashion. Despite the disappointing result, Duke coaches will need to quickly turn around and scour the transfer portal to build next season's roster.

While Duke has the No. 1 ranked recruiting class highlighted by Cooper Flagg, the roster will be a lot different in next season with several key players likely moving onto the NBA. With that in mind, let's have a look at four players who won't be back

4 Duke Players Who Won't Be Back

1. Kyle Filipowski

While Kyle Filipowski still has eligibility remaining, he's widely projected as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and feels likely to make the jump to the pros with Flagg waiting in the wings. It's a disappointing end for the Second-Team All-American, fouling out after scoring just 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

He struggled to contain NC State big man DJ Burns, who scored 29 points while making 13 of his 19 shots in a dominant display. Filipowski's defensive chops will be tested at the next level, though he's still an offensive force after averaging 16.6 points on over 51% shooting while adding 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game this season.

An Elite Eight appearance is nothing to scoff at, but in a game the Blue Devils had in their grasp, it's a result that'll sting for quite a while. Filipowski is one of the better Duke players in recent memory, though his tenure may now be remembered for the postseason shortcomings after bowing out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

It'll be interesting to see where he winds up in the draft. Filipowski projects as a rotational big man and seems like an ideal fit for the modern NBA thanks to his improving shooting ability.

By making nearly 36% of his three-pointers on over three attempts per game, he can stretch defenses to space the floor with a wide variety of post moves to score inside. It's unfortuante that we didn't see Filipowski achieve more success at Duke, but he's got a bright future regardless.

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