Duke’s non-conference slate already looks like a grind, and the late-February trip to face Gonzaga just got a lot more interesting.
The Blue Devils will meet the Bulldogs on Feb. 20 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, one of three neutral-site non-conference games Duke will play under its Amazon broadcast deal next season. By the time that one rolls around, Jon Scheyer’s team will have already gone through Michigan State on Nov.
10, Illinois on Nov. 17, UConn on Nov. 25 and Florida on Dec.
- There won’t be much easing in.
That Duke-Gonzaga matchup is now carrying a different feel after Gonzaga patched over a summer roster hit with a pair of fifth-year additions. Mark Few’s team lost rising sophomore Mario Saint-Supery, who left to sign a multi-year deal with Valencia in the EuroLeague and return to his home country of Spain. Saint-Supery was coming off a rookie season in which he averaged 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 40.3% from three-point range on 3.4 attempts per game.
Few responded by adding Dayton transfer guard Javon Bennett and Florida State transfer wing Chauncey Wiggins, both of whom received extra eligibility through court rulings. Bennett was part of a lawsuit against the NCAA in Ohio, where a judge’s injunction granted over a dozen players a fifth season of eligibility. Wiggins was granted another year by a judge in Georgia.
Bennett gives Gonzaga an immediate answer at point guard. The 5'10" guard spent the last three seasons at Dayton after beginning his college career at Merrimack, and in 2025-26 he averaged 15.8 points and 2.9 assists while shooting 39.5% from the field and 34.7% from deep on 7.0 attempts per game.
Wiggins brings a different kind of help. At 6'10", he adds length and shooting to the backcourt, and he backed that up at Florida State by hitting 38.7% of his three-pointers on 5.8 attempts a night. Over his college career, he’s a 37.5% shooter from beyond the arc on 3.2 attempts.
Before those two arrived, Gonzaga’s outlook for late February was murky. Now the Bulldogs look far more complete around an elite frontcourt pairing of Braden Huff and Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop.
Duke’s biggest opponents in 2026-27 are also leaning on the fifth-year route. Florida is trying to bring back Denzel Aberdeen, Louisville recently landed a commitment from Seth Trimble, and Texas Tech is looking to bring back Darrion Williams for a second run in Lubbock.
How all of that settles over the next several weeks is still up in the air. For now, though, it makes Duke’s schedule look even tougher.
In Other News...
Cam Williams Faces Early Doubts Before His First Duke Season
Cam Williams arrives at Duke with the sort of rsum that usually comes with instant buzz, as a five-star recruit and the top-ranked power forward in the 2026 signing class. That alone would make him a major part of the Blue Devils future plans, but his freshman season also comes with the usual expectations that follow elite newcomers to Durham, where development and draft talk tend to go hand in hand.
Still, not everyone is sold on the early NBA hype. One analyst has already raised questions about Williams defense and consistency, enough to project him outside the top-10 picks in the 2027 NBA Draft. For Duke, that only adds another layer to his first season, with a full year ahead for Williams to sharpen his game and alter the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Walker Eget Could Decide How High Dukes Offense Can Climb
Walker Eget arrives in Durham with the kind of resume that makes a quarterback room worth watching. The San Jose State transfer has already shown he can operate as a starter, and Duke is asking him to compete for the job once held by Darian Mensah, who topped the ACC in passing yards and touchdowns a year ago. With that production now gone, the Blue Devils are looking for someone who can keep the offense moving without forcing the rest of the roster to take a step back.
Eget brings experience and plenty of college snaps, but the evaluation is still unfinished as the staff sorts through the spring and summer picture. Manny Diaz has kept the competition open with redshirt freshman Dan Mahan, which means Duke is not simply choosing a replacement but deciding what kind of ceiling it can chase on offense. For a program trying to build on recent momentum, the answer could shape how high this group can climb. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Special Teams Could Decide More Than Fans Realize Early On
Special teams are getting a fresh look for Duke as the season opener against Tulane approaches, with Cosme Salas stepping in as the primary field goal kicker after Todd Pelino. Kade Reynoldson is back in his role as the starting punter, while Jayden Moore is lined up to handle both punt and kickoff returns, giving the Blue Devils a fairly clear picture of who will be responsible for the hidden-yardage battle.
For a game like this, those roles can matter more than most people realize, especially early in the year when field position and clean operation often tilt close matchups. Duke does not need special teams to steal the spotlight, but it does need that unit to be steady, and the alignment against Tulane offers an early test of how smoothly the Blue Devils can execute in the kicking game. [Read more 🡒]