Duke’s place near the top of ESPN’s latest Way Too Early Top 25 didn’t move much, and that says plenty about how the Blue Devils are being viewed heading into 2026-27.
ESPN kept Duke at No. 2 in its updated rankings, a spot that reflects both the talent coming in and the expectations that follow Jon Scheyer’s program every year. After a season that ended with an ACC regular-season title, an ACC tournament championship and a No. 1 overall seed, Duke is once again being treated like a heavyweight.
That run looked built for a deep NCAA Tournament push until UConn stopped it cold. The Blue Devils were up 19 points before the Huskies stormed back and stunned them, leaving Duke with another painful finish despite all the hardware it collected beforehand.
Now the attention shifts to what comes next, and the roster picture is loaded. Duke is bringing in the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class, adding a strong transfer portal group and getting back some important pieces. That combination is enough to keep the Blue Devils firmly in the preseason spotlight.
ESPN pointed to John Blackwell as the newcomer most likely to make an immediate difference. The outlet highlighted his production at Wisconsin last season, where he was an All-Big Ten player who averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 39% from 3. Duke, ESPN noted, did not have a true perimeter scorer of that caliber last season, and Blackwell is expected to fill that role right away.
That kind of addition gives Scheyer a roster with both experience and upside. The freshmen class brings star power, while the returning players and portal additions give Duke a more complete look as the Blue Devils try to reset after the way last season ended.
Scheyer has already built a strong track record in Durham. In his first four seasons, Duke has reached the Elite Eight three times and made one Final Four. The next step is turning all that talent into a finish that matches the preseason billing.
The rest of the ACC also showed up in ESPN’s updated top 25, with Louisville at No. 13, Virginia at No.
14, Miami at No. 18 and North Carolina at No. 25.
But at the top of the league conversation, Duke still stands out as the team everyone else is chasing.
In Other News...
Duke Freshman Suddenly Looks Ready For A Much Bigger Role
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje has spent the summer piling up hardware, and the 7-foot Duke commit has done it while looking every bit like a player who can impact the game on both ends. After earning MVP honors at the Adidas Next Generation EuroLeague earlier in the summer, he added another major accolade by leading Team USA to gold at the FIBA U17 World Cup, a run that reinforced why his blend of shooting touch and rim protection has so much appeal for Duke.
For a program that always values size with skill, Boumtje Boumtjes rise is hard to ignore, especially with next season approaching and the expectation that he will have a significant role. The bigger question now is how quickly that summer production translates once he arrives in Durham, where the Blue Devils will be looking for him to bring the same versatility and presence that made him one of the most decorated young players in international play. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes ACC Follow-Up Suddenly Feels Far More Fragile
Dukes ACC title run last season came with a surprising backdrop, as Manny Diaz guided a 7-5 team to the league crown behind quarterback Darian Mensah. But the roster that made that climb has been heavily reshaped, with Mensah and 17 other players moving on in the offseason and veteran quarterback Walker Eget arriving from San Jose State to help stabilize the most important spot on the field.
The concern now is less about whether Duke can compete and more about how much of last years formula is still intact. With so many new faces and a schedule that offers little margin for error, analysts are already wondering if the Blue Devils can keep pace with the momentum they built a year ago or if the follow-up to that unexpected breakthrough will be much more difficult than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]