# 2018–19 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by 39th-year head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils played their home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Led by tournament MVP Zion Williamson, they won Duke's 21st ACC tournament title. They received the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and reached the Elite Eight, where they lost 68–67 to Michigan State. Duke finished #1 in the nation in the final RPI rankings.

## Previous season

The Blue Devils finished the 2017–18 season 29–8, 13–5 in ACC play to finish in second place. They defeated Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament before losing to North Carolina in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region. There they defeated Iona, Rhode Island, and Syracuse to advance to the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, they lost to No. 1 seed Kansas in overtime.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Grayson Allen | SG | 6'5" | 205 | Senior | Jacksonville, Florida | Graduated; Declared for 2018 NBA draft |
| Marvin Bagley III | PF | 6'11" | 234 | Freshman | Phoenix, Arizona | Declared for 2018 NBA draft |
| Wendell Carter Jr. | C/PF | 6'10" | 259 | Freshman | Atlanta, Georgia | Declared for 2018 NBA draft |
| Trevon Duval | PG | 6'3" | 186 | Freshman | Wilmington, Delaware | Declared for 2018 NBA draft |
| Gary Trent Jr. | SG | 6'6" | 209 | Freshman | Columbus, Ohio | Declared for 2018 NBA draft |
| Jordan Tucker | F | 6'7 | 220 | Freshman | White Plains, New York | Transferred to Butler after fall 2017 semester |

### 2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Tre Jones PG | Saint Paul, MN | Apple Valley HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 13, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| Cam Reddish SF | Norristown, PA | Westtown School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | Sep 1, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Joey Baker SF | Fayetteville, NC | Trinity Christian | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 29, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 ||||||
| RJ Barrett SF/SG | Mississauga, ON | Montverde Academy (FL) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 10, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Zion Williamson PF | Spartanburg, SC | Spartanburg Day School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 272 lb (123 kg) | Jan 20, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 1 Rivals: 1 ESPN: 1 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017. ||||||

## Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | Marques Bolden | Javin DeLaurier | Antonio Vrankovic |
| PF | Zion Williamson | Jack White | Justin Robinson |
| SF | Cam Reddish | Joey Baker | |
| SG | RJ Barrett | Alex O'Connell | Brennan Besser |
| PG | Tre Jones | Jordan Goldwire | Mike Buckmire |

## Schedule and results

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Duke Canada Tour |||||||||
| August 15, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Ryerson | W 86–67 | – | 34 – Barrett | 13 – Williamson | 4 – Williamson | Paramount Fine Foods Centre (5,490) Toronto, ON |
| August 17, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Toronto | W 96–60 | – | 35 – Barrett | 9 – Barrett | 5 – White | Paramount Fine Foods Centre (5,490) Toronto, ON |
| August 19, 2018* 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. McGill | W 103–58 | – | 36 – Williamson | 13 – Williamson | 10 – Barrett | Place Bell (10,098) Laval, QC |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 23, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 4 | Virginia Union | W 106–64 | – | 29 – Williamson | 6 – Tied | 9 – Tied | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| October 27, 2018* 4:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 4 | Ferris State | W 132–48 | – | 32 – Barrett | 10 – Williamson | 10 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 9:30 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | vs. No. 2 Kentucky Champions Classic | W 118–84 | 1–0 | 33 – Barrett | 11 – White | 7 – Jones | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,907) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 11, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | Army | W 94–72 | 2–0 | 27 – Williamson | 15 – Williamson | 7 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| November 14, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 1 | Eastern Michigan | W 84–46 | 3–0 | 21 – Williamson | 9 – Williamson | 8 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| November 19, 2018* 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 1 | vs. San Diego State Maui Invitational tournament quarterfinals | W 90–64 | 4–0 | 20 – Barrett | 8 – White | 5 – Barrett | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 20, 2018* 8:30 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | vs. No. 8 Auburn Maui Invitational Tournament semifinals | W 78–72 | 5–0 | 18 – Tied | 9 – Tied | 6 – Jones | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 21, 2018* 5:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | vs. No. 3 Gonzaga Maui Invitational Tournament championship | L 87–89 | 5–1 | 23 – Barrett | 10 – Williamson | 3 – Tied | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 27, 2018* 9:30 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | Indiana ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 90–69 | 6–1 | 25 – Williamson | 9 – Barrett | 8 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| December 1, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | Stetson | W 113–49 | 7–1 | 26 – Barrett | 9 – White | 7 – Tied | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| December 5, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | Hartford | W 84–54 | 8–1 | 27 – Barrett | 15 – Barrett | 6 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| December 8, 2018* 5:30 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | Yale | W 91–58 | 9–1 | 30 – Barrett | 12 – White | 6 – Barrett | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| December 18, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 2 | Princeton | W 101–50 | 10–1 | 27 – Barrett | 10 – Williamson | 6 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| December 20, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 2 | vs. No. 12 Texas Tech New York Showcase | W 69–58 | 11–1 | 17 – Williamson | 13 – Williamson | 5 – Jones | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| January 5, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | Clemson | W 87–68 | 12–1 (1–0) | 25 – Williamson | 10 – Williamson | 9 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| January 8, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at Wake Forest | W 87–65 | 13–1 (2–0) | 30 – Williamson | 10 – Williamson | 7 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (14,268) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 12, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at No. 13 Florida State | W 80–78 | 14–1 (3–0) | 32 – Barrett | 8 – Williamson | 6 – Jones | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,675) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 14, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | Syracuse | L 91–95 $^{OT}$ | 14–2 (3–1) | 35 – Williamson | 16 – Barrett | 9 – Barrett | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| January 19, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | No. 4 Virginia ESPN College GameDay | W 72–70 | 15–2 (4–1) | 30 – Barrett | 9 – Williamson | 3 – Barrett | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| January 22, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at Pittsburgh | W 79–64 | 16–2 (5–1) | 26 – Barrett | 9 – Bolden | 7 – Williamson | Petersen Events Center (12,881) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 26, 2019 12:00 pm, Raycom | No. 2 | Georgia Tech | W 66–53 | 17–2 (6–1) | 24 – Barrett | 11 – Barrett | 6 – Reddish | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| January 28, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at Notre Dame | W 83–61 | 18–2 (7–1) | 26 – Williamson | 9 – Tied | 5 – Jones | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| February 2, 2019* 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | St. John's | W 91–61 | 19–2 | 29 – Williamson | 14 – Barrett | 7 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 5, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | Boston College | W 80–55 | 20–2 (8–1) | 24 – Reddish | 17 – Williamson | 3 – Tied | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 9, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at No. 3 Virginia ESPN College GameDay | W 81–71 | 21–2 (9–1) | 26 – Barrett | 7 – Barrett | 7 – Jones | John Paul Jones Arena (14,629) Charlottesville, VA |
| February 12, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | at No. 16 Louisville | W 71–69 | 22–2 (10–1) | 27 – Williamson | 12 – Williamson | 4 – Barrett | KFC Yum! Center (22,046) Louisville, KY |
| February 16, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | NC State | W 94–78 | 23–2 (11–1) | 32 – Williamson | 11 – Barrett | 10 – Barrett | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 20, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN/Raycom | No. 1 | No. 8 North Carolina Rivalry/ESPN College GameDay | L 72–88 | 23–3 (11–2) | 33 – Barrett | 13 – Barrett | 5 – Jones | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 23, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 1 | at Syracuse | W 75–65 | 24–3 (12–2) | 30 – Barrett | 8 – Bolden | 7 – Barrett | Carrier Dome (35,642$^†$) Syracuse, NY |
| February 26, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | at No. 20 Virginia Tech | L 72–77 | 24–4 (12–3) | 21 – Barrett | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| March 2, 2019 4:00 pm, CBS | No. 3 | Miami (FL) | W 87–57 | 25–4 (13–3) | 19 – Barrett | 10 – Barrett | 7 – Barrett | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| March 5, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | Wake Forest | W 71–70 | 26–4 (14–3) | 28 – Barrett | 10 – White | 4 – Barrett | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| March 9, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 3 North Carolina Rivalry/ESPN College GameDay | L 70–79 | 26–5 (14–4) | 26 – Barrett | 12 – Barrett | 7 – Jones | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | (3) No. 5 | vs. (6) Syracuse Quarterfinals | W 84–72 | 27–5 | 29 – Williamson | 14 – Williamson | 8 – Jones | Spectrum Center (19,691) Charlotte, NC |
| March 15, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN | (3) No. 5 | vs. (2) No. 3 North Carolina Semifinals/Rivalry | W 74–73 | 28–5 | 31 – Williamson | 11 – Williamson | 7 – Barrett | Spectrum Center (20,116) Charlotte, NC |
| March 16, 2019 8:30 pm, ESPN | (3) No. 5 | vs. (4) No. 12 Florida State Championship | W 73–63 | 29–5 | 21 – Williamson | 9 – Barrett | 6 – Jones | Spectrum Center (19,691) Charlotte, NC |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2019* 7:10 pm, CBS | (1 E) No. 1 | vs. (16 E) North Dakota State First Round | W 85–62 | 30–5 | 26 – Barrett | 14 – Barrett | 4 – Jones | Colonial Life Arena (16,219) Columbia, SC |
| March 24, 2019* 5:15 pm, CBS | (1 E) No. 1 | vs. (9 E) UCF Second Round | W 77–76 | 31–5 | 32 – Williamson | 11 – Williamson | 4 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (16,332) Columbia, SC |
| March 29, 2019 9:45 pm, CBS | (1 E) No. 1 | vs. (4 E) No. 16 Virginia Tech Sweet Sixteen | W 75–73 | 32–5 | 23 – Williamson | 7 – O'Connell | 11 – Barrett | Capital One Arena (20,006) Washington, D.C. |
| March 31, 2019* 5:05 pm, CBS | (1 E) No. 1 | vs. (2 E) No. 5 Michigan State Elite Eight | L 67–68 | 32–6 | 24 – Williamson | 14 – Williamson | 6 – Barrett | Capital One Arena (20,125) Washington, D.C. |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
† Record for the largest on-campus attendance in college basketball history.

## Ranking movement

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 4 (4) | 1 (48) | 1 (53) | 3 (1) | 3 (1) | 2 (4) | 2 (5) | 1 (35) | 1 (35) | 1 (37) | 1 (36) | 2 (11) | 2 (12) | 2 (12) | 2 (24) | 1 (58) | 3 (3) | 4 (1) | 5 | 1 | Not released |
| Coaches | 3 (4) | 3^ (4) | 1 (32) | 3 | 3 | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 2 (9) | 1 (10) | 2 (8) | 2 (6) | 2 (2) | 2 (1) | 2 | 2 (2) | 1 (28) | 2-T | 4-T | 5 | 1 | 4 |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll. *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings