Overview
- Duke announced Friday, Aug. 7, that its full 2026‑27 nonconference schedule is complete and includes three preseason exhibitions against Belmont, Tennessee and at Kansas.
- The regular‑season slate features marquee neutral‑site matchups such as Michigan State in the Champions Classic (Chicago), Illinois at Cameron Indoor, UConn in Las Vegas, Florida in the ACC/SEC Challenge (Gainesville), Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden and Gonzaga in Detroit.
- Scheyer has said the difficult early slate is deliberate to prepare the team for ACC play and the NCAA Tournament, and national outlets and sportsbooks already project Duke among the country’s title favorites.
- The program returns much of last season’s 35‑3 core and adds top incoming talent, including a No. 2 247Sports recruiting class and transfers led by John Blackwell alongside returners like Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster.
- The packed neutral‑site itinerary will raise Duke’s strength‑of‑schedule and national exposure, shape preseason rankings and give fans a string of early tests that could influence NCAA seeding next March.