Duke is back at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday for a scrimmage against Belmont, and the setting comes with a familiar edge: Jon Scheyer is entering his fifth season leading the Blue Devils, and the program keeps stacking numbers that are hard to miss.
Scheyer has already put together 124 wins in his first four seasons, the most by a Division I coach in that span. He has also racked up 25 victories over AP-ranked opponents, another mark that sits alone at the top of Division I through four years. Duke’s home dominance under Scheyer has been just as loud - 32 straight home wins, including 19 in a row against conference foes, and a 63-3 record in Durham during his tenure.
The last two seasons have been especially blistering. Duke finished 35-4 in 2024-25 and 35-3 in 2025-26, giving the Blue Devils 70 wins across that stretch, the best two-year run in school history.
That total beats the previous high of 69 set over the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. It also makes Duke the only program in the country with 70 wins over the last two years.
The postseason resume has been just as steady. Duke has reached the Elite Eight in each of the last three seasons, with a Final Four trip in 2025.
The Blue Devils made their 26th Elite Eight appearance in 2025-26, won their 24th ACC Tournament title, captured the league regular-season crown for the 22nd time and finished with back-to-back 35-win seasons for the first time in program history. They also posted 13 top-25 victories last season, including 11 in the regular season - the most in ACC history and tied for the most in a regular season in AP poll history.
Last season’s profile was balanced at the highest level. Duke was the only team in the nation ranked in the top five in both offensive efficiency, at 122.0, and defensive efficiency, at 95.4, according to KenPom.
The Blue Devils now turn to a 2026-27 roster that brings back six players: Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster, Patrick Ngongba II, Dame Sarr, Sebastian Wilkins and Brock Davis. Four of last year’s top six scorers are back in Boozer, Foster, Ngongba and Sarr, and that group combined for 141 games played, 99 starts, 1,131 points, 533 rebounds and 311 assists in 2025-26. Duke’s top two scorers from last season, Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans, were selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The newcomers add depth in a hurry. Duke’s nine additions include transfers John Blackwell, Drew Scharnowski and Jacob Theodosiou, along with freshmen Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Bryson Howard, Maxime Meyer, Deron Rippey Jr., Cameron Williams and Nick Arnold.
The schedule is loaded, too. Duke’s 2026-27 nonconference slate features six opponents that were at least a No. 5 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and finished in the final Associated Press top 25: Michigan State on Nov.
10, Illinois on Nov. 17, Connecticut on Nov.
25, Florida on Dec. 1, Texas Tech on Dec. 21 and Gonzaga on Feb.
- Seven of Duke’s 14 nonconference games will be away from Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Belmont arrives with its own storylines. First-year head coach Evan Bradds spent last season as an assistant on the 2025-26 Duke staff before returning to his alma mater. Bradds is Belmont’s NCAA Division I era all-time leading scorer with 1,921 points.
The Bruins bring back six players from their 2026 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship team: Isaiah West, Jabez Jenkins, Eoin Dillon, Cooper Haynes, Jack Smiley and Graydon Lemke. Belmont went 26-6 last season and ranked among the nation’s top 50 in 11 statistical categories in 2025-26, including first in effective field goal percentage. The Bruins are entering their fifth season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Thursday’s matchup will be the third meeting between Duke and Belmont. Duke beat Belmont 71-70 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament in Washington, D.C., when Gerald Henderson scored the winning basket with 11 seconds left and Jon Scheyer, then a sophomore guard, scored 13 points. The Blue Devils also edged Belmont 77-76 in the 2011 Maui Invitational at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with a late 3-pointer from Andre Dawkins providing the difference.
In Other News...
Duke Defense Faces Its Biggest Identity Test Yet At Georgia Tech
A bye week often gives a coaching staff time to sharpen the details, and for Jonathan Patke, Dukes defensive coordinator, it has also meant reinforcing something less tangible: the soul of the unit. The Blue Devils have taken real steps forward on defense this season, sitting near the top nationally in scoring and total defense, and Manny Diaz has pointed to the groups cohesion and its ability to keep opponents from generating easy chunk gains as a major reason.
Georgia Tech brings a different kind of test after making changes on offense, with a new play caller and a new quarterback steering the operation. For Duke, the matchup is less about matching stats than proving its identity holds up when the pictures change, the pace shifts and the game asks the defense to communicate on the fly. The next step for this unit is about whether those improvements still look the same when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Undefeated Duke Faces Another Chance To Prove This Start Is Real
Duke heads into its conference trip to Georgia Tech with an undefeated record and a growing sense that this start is more than a hot spell. Manny Diaz has made clear the Blue Devils know what is waiting in Atlanta, where winning is rarely simple and respect for the opponent is part of the preparation. So far, Duke has leaned on a strong defense and a balanced offense, with transfer quarterback Walker Eget and running back Nate Sheppard helping steady the attack.
Georgia Tech comes in off a bye looking for a reset after a difficult season, and Brent Keys team will try to build around first-year starter Alberto Mendoza. For Duke, the broader question is not just whether it can stay unbeaten, but whether it can keep answering the same test on the road, against a team still searching for traction and a setting that has made this matchup tricky before. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Frontcourt May Hinge On One Underrated Newcomer
Jon Scheyer keeps circling back to Drew Scharnowski as one of the more intriguing pieces in Dukes offseason haul, and not just because the Belmont transfer arrives with a reputation for bringing size and versatility to the frontcourt. The Blue Devils are trying to sort out a rotation that can hold up once games start counting, and Scharnowskis presence was always going to matter because of how he fits with returning big man Patrick Ngongba and the younger forwards trying to earn minutes.
For now, though, Duke is waiting. Scharnowski is dealing with a knee injury and will not be available for the exhibition against Belmont, which at least delays the first look at how the frontcourt might take shape. Scheyer has indicated the two big men could share the floor often, and there is even a path for Scharnowski to push into the starting mix, a development that would not only change the look of Dukes lineup but also ease the pressure on freshmen Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams as they learn on the fly. [Read more 🡒]