Preseason basketball buzz: Inside my journeys to Rutgers, Duke, UNC

The guys’s college basketball regular season begins Nov. 4, and teams are currently hitting the practice courts in preparation for the 2024-25 season. In expecting how the college basketball season impacts the 2025 NBA draft, I went on the road for a university trip, eventually hitting 4 programs that are sure to impact the college season and the draft.All eyes will be

on Duke’s Cooper Flagg, a freshman who is predicted to be the No. 1 pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft, along with two top-five predicted potential customers in Dylan Harper and Airious “Ace” Bailey at Rutgers. Drake Powell, a 6-foot-6 wing at North Carolina, will undoubtedly be a forecasted top-10 pick in our next mock draft. And let’s not ignore the defending champs UConn Huskies, who have three prospective first-rounders in Liam McNeeley, Jaylin Stewart and Alex Karaban.I talked with

players, coaches, officers and scouts along the way, and here’s what I found out:

Dive to a group’s notes:
Rutgers: NBA eyes on Piscataway
Duke: Lotto choices in Durham
UNC: Scouts are back in Chapel Hill
UConn: Three-peat in Storrs?
2025 NBA mock draft|Way-Too-Early Top 25

Place: Piscataway, New Jersey
Date visited: Friday, Sept. 27

How will the Scarlet Knights be various from last year’s group?