Duke is starting the 2026-27 women’s basketball season right where the blue bloods belong: inside the top five.
The Associated Press ranked the Blue Devils No. 4 in its preseason poll, giving Duke its highest preseason placement since it was slotted second entering the 2013-14 season. It also marks the program’s highest ranking at any point since week 14 of that same year.
At the top of the AP preseason list, South Carolina claimed the No. 1 spot with 23 first-place votes. UConn checked in at No. 2, followed by USC at No. 3.
Duke comes into the year with plenty of momentum after being picked as the preseason ACC favorite. The Blue Devils are set to see plenty of familiar elite competition, too, with nine matchups against AP Top 25 teams on the schedule, including five against teams in the top seven.
The roster outlook is just as strong. Duke returns three starters and nine players from last season’s ACC championship team, the one that brought home both the regular-season and tournament titles for the first time since 2013. The group also gets back 2025 fourth-ranked recruit Emilee Skinner after her injury.
Toby Fournier, who earned AP All-American honors as a sophomore, was named to the preseason All-ACC team. Bella Flemings and Autumn Fleary both landed on the conference’s preseason All-Freshman squad. Duke also added Texas transfer Aaliyah Crump, the No. 5 recruit in the 2025 class, along with a freshman group the program believes can make an impact.
The Blue Devils open the season Nov. 3 against Green Bay, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on ACCNX.
In Other News...
Duke Suddenly Has A Nate Sheppard Concern It Can't Ignore
Duke got a heavy dose of Nate Sheppard in the loss to North Carolina, and it came with a reminder that the Blue Devils may have more to monitor than just the final score. Even while not fully healthy, Sheppard was still a major factor, finishing with 77 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards and a touchdown as Duke slipped to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in ACC play.
The bigger concern is what that workload means going forward, especially with Virginia next on the schedule. Sheppards impact was obvious enough to draw praise from North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick, who called him the best running back in college football after the game, but Duke now has to balance how much it can lean on him against how well he can hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Let The Victory Bell Slip Away In Brutal Fashion
Duke turned a rivalry game that looked to be slipping away into a real live-wire finish, clawing back from a 17-point hole and finally seizing the lead late against North Carolina. Nate Sheppard was at the center of it, giving the Blue Devils a lift with 77 rushing yards and 98 receiving yards, capped by a late touchdown catch that put Duke in front and sent the sideline into celebration.
The defense had enough chances to make that lead stand, but the final minutes belonged to North Carolina, which answered with the winning touchdown under two minutes remaining in a 24-20 escape. For Duke, the frustration is not just the loss itself but how close it came after such a hard-earned rally, with a chance to own the Victory Bell slipping away in the harshest possible fashion. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Young Blue Devils Face A Huge Early Test Vs Tennessee
The young Blue Devils are getting a revealing early look at themselves before the games start to count, with an exhibition against Tennessee at Cameron Indoor Stadium set to be one of the biggest pieces of Dukes 2026-27 preseason. For a roster leaning on youth, the matchup offers an immediate measuring stick, and the recent scrimmage against Belmont gave an early glimpse of the freshmen and redshirt freshman who could shape the tone of the season.
Among the names worth watching are Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Deron Rippey Jr. and Wilkins, who are all expected to have notable roles in the game and beyond. Tennessee brings the kind of top-10 challenge that can expose inexperience fast, so this meeting should tell Duke plenty about how ready those younger pieces are to handle a higher level of pressure before the schedule turns real. [Read more 🡒]