Jon Scheyer has put together a non-conference slate that looks brutal on paper, and Duke’s two games at Madison Square Garden only underline how deep that challenge runs.
The strange part is that the Blue Devils’ trips to “The World’s Most Famous Arena” don’t come with the kind of heavyweight matchups Duke fans have grown used to seeing there. Instead, Duke is set to play Texas Tech for the second straight year on Dec. 21 and Georgia on a date still to be determined.
That’s a little ironic for a program that has treated MSG like a second home for years. Duke’s most recent game there came in December of 2025, when it dropped an 82-81 decision to Texas Tech. Last season, the Blue Devils also met Kansas and Texas Tech at the Garden, and both were viewed as stronger opponents at the time.
This time around, the Red Raiders and Bulldogs sit near the softer end of Duke’s Power Conference non-conference schedule. That doesn’t make either one a pushover.
Texas Tech has JT Toppin and could be a Big 12 threat, even if much of the roster remains unknown. Georgia, meanwhile, doesn’t arrive with much preseason buzz, though it could still end up as a tournament team.
But the bigger story is what surrounds those games. Before league play even begins, Duke is already lined up against four teams that entered the season with legitimate Final Four expectations: Michigan State, Illinois, UConn, and Florida.
There’s also Gonzaga on Feb. 20 in Detroit, though that matchup has taken a hit in terms of certainty after guard Mario Saint-Supery announced a few weeks ago that he would return to Spain and play professionally.
All of it points to the same thing: Scheyer and his staff have loaded up the schedule in a way that should test Duke early and often. If the Blue Devils are chasing a third straight No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, this kind of strength of schedule gives them a real shot to make that case.
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Kansas Freshman Is Already Trying To Set The Tone Against Duke
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Kansas will bring plenty of intrigue into that meeting, especially with highly rated freshman Tyran Stokes arriving as the kind of player who can change the tone of a game before the season even starts. With the Jayhawks also dealing with significant roster turnover, the exhibition offers an early measuring stick for both programs, and a reminder that these preseason dates can feel a lot more serious than the label suggests. [Read more 🡒]