Duke got a useful first look at itself in last week’s 102-62 exhibition win over Belmont, and the next checkpoint comes with far more bite.
On Oct. 20 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Jon Scheyer’s team will face Tennessee in another preseason exhibition, and this one should tell the Blue Devils a lot more about where they stand. Belmont offered some encouraging signs - Duke defended at a high level, had multiple scoring answers and played with nonstop energy - but scrimmages only reveal so much. Tennessee should be a far sharper measuring stick.
That’s because this version of the Volunteers doesn’t quite look like the familiar Rick Barnes teams that have made their name by suffocating opponents on defense. Tennessee has ranked inside the top 15 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, in each season since 2021, and inside the top five in five of those years. This group, though, appears built to win with offense.
Barnes and his staff went hard into the transfer portal this offseason and put together the nation’s No. 3-ranked portal class, according to 247Sports. The headliner is Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, who averaged 21.4 points per game on 44.4% shooting from the field last season while taking 15.1 attempts per game. Harris finished third in the ACC in scoring in 2025-26.
The rest of the haul brings more scoring punch and plenty of size. Tennessee added Jalen Haralson, who posted 16.2 points per game at Notre Dame; Tyler Lundblade, who averaged 15.6 at Belmont; Terrence Hill Jr., who scored 15.0 per game at VCU; Dai Dai Ames, who put up 16.9 per game at California; and Miles Rubin, who averaged 11.3 at Loyola Chicago.
That kind of roster overhaul makes Tennessee tough to pin down this early, but it also raises the ceiling. The Volunteers could be one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the country, and they brought in real length to match the scoring: Harris is 6'7", Lundblade is 6'6", Rubin is 6'10", Haralson is 6'7", Hill Jr. is 6'3", and Vanderbilt transfer Jalen Washington is 6'10".
For Duke, that’s exactly what makes this exhibition matter. Belmont had a hard time generating anything once the Blue Devils got locked in defensively in the half-court. Duke’s switchable size and length showed up all over the floor, and that kind of pressure is going to make life miserable for most teams.
Tennessee figures to play faster than recent Barnes teams, and that tempo could be part of the challenge for Duke. If the Vols are able to push the pace, they may create cleaner, higher-percentage looks than most opponents will find against the Blue Devils’ set defense.
Early preseason games are about finding a baseline, and that’s what Duke gets here: a real read on how elite its defense already is before the regular season starts. Tennessee may not be close to its final form on Oct. 20, but it should still be an excellent early test for a Duke team that looks every bit like one of the nation’s best on that end of the floor.
In Other News...
Dukes First Loss Exposed A Costly Problem Before North Carolina
Dukes unbeaten start ended on the road in a 28-25 loss to Georgia Tech, and the film afterward pointed to a familiar kind of self-inflicted damage. Several costly penalties put the Blue Devils in bad spots, including roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness calls that helped extend Georgia Tech drives and set up key touchdowns at moments when Duke needed cleaner football.
Now comes the harder part: regrouping in time to host North Carolina in a game that already carries plenty of weight. After a first loss exposed how quickly discipline can swing a tight contest, Duke has little margin for error if it wants to answer back against its biggest rival and keep the season headed in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Just Got An Early Title Expectation Fans Will Feel
Duke is already carrying the kind of preseason weight that tends to follow only the sports most scrutinized programs. With KenPoms early 2026-27 ratings out, the Blue Devils are sitting at No. 1 before a game has been played, a spot that instantly frames the season as one with championship expectations baked in from the start.
Florida, Houston, Illinois and Arizona round out the top five, but the familiar thing for Duke fans is how quickly the conversation turns from projections to pressure. The broader list includes perennial names like Iowa State, Michigan State, Kansas, Alabama, Texas, UConn and Kentucky, and there is even an early marquee matchup between Gonzaga and Purdue, a reminder that the race to sort out the college basketball hierarchy starts well before conference play. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Heads Into North Carolina With One Costly Decision Still Looming
Dukes trip to Georgia Tech ended with a familiar kind of frustration, the sort that lingers because the Blue Devils gave themselves a chance to leave with a win. After a late drive pulled them into position, freshman kicker Gavin Strange lined up for a 33-yard field goal that would have tied the game in the closing seconds, only for the attempt to go awry and leave Duke stuck with a narrow loss.
Mike Elkos decision to chase the tie rather than push for a touchdown in regulation is going to sit with this team for a while, especially with North Carolina ahead on the schedule. The result put the spotlight on a late-game choice that is never simple in the moment and even harder to revisit after it goes the wrong way, which makes the next matchup feel just a little heavier for Duke than it already did. [Read more 🡒]