The question at the heart of Insider's College Basketball Future Power Rankings project is simple: Which college hoops programs will have the most success over the next three seasons (2013-14, '14-15, '15-16)?
To come up with the answer, we had our panel of experts rate programs on a 1-to-10 scale in five different categories: Coaching, Current Talent, Recruiting, Program Power and Stability. We compiled the results and weighted the categories (for a more in-depth description of the category weighting and the methodology behind the rankings, see the inline at right or click here) to produce the top 25 rankings you see below.
Our panel: Paul Biancardi, Jay Bilas, Fran Fraschilla, John Gasaway, Jeff Goodman, Seth Greenberg, Andy Katz and Miles Simon. In addition to voting, each contributed to the team write-ups.
Here you have it -- our top 25 ranking of the teams best positioned for success over the next three seasons (including a surprise at the top, at No. 25 and at several spots in between).
1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
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The bar graphs reflect the average rating given by the voters for each category.
Category averages are weighted by importance to generate overall score.
Why they're here: The Blue Devils received high marks in every category. Mike Krzyzewski is a Hall of Famer and considered one of the top X's and O's coaches in the country. Duke is a top-10 team heading into this season, and the Blue Devils are in position to land two of the top players in the 2014 class. There is no shortage of tradition at Duke, and while Krzyzewski is 66, he's not only going strong, he also decided to continue to coach the U.S. Olympic team in 2016, a clear sign that he isn't going to retire soon. The Blue Devils could face some significant roster turnover after this season, but the program is in position to withstand the early draft departure of Jabari Parker and even that of Rodney Hood and/or Rasheed Sulaimon. --Jeff Goodman
What could change: There isn't much that could cause the Blue Devils to fall too far down these rankings in future seasons -- and that's even if Krzyzewski were to retire sometime soon after the 2016 Olympics. In that case, there would likely be a bit of a carryover from his tenure, regardless of the next coach. For Duke to take a recruiting hit, it would have to take some time. Don't be surprised to see the Blue Devils in the mix for ACC and national titles for at least the next six seasons. --Andy Katz
Name to know: Jahlil Okafor. The potential package deal of big man Okafor and point guard Tyus Jones (No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in ESPN RecruitingNation's 2014 rankings) would be an enormous win for Duke on the recruiting trail, and both players are strongly considering the Blue Devils (and have said they'd like to go to the same school). Their arrival would set Duke up very well for 2014-15 and beyond. --Paul Biancardi