The 2026-27 Duke basketball team looks built to open the season near the very top of the AP Poll, and the Blue Devils are already sitting as the media favorite to win the ACC after the conference’s preseason honors dropped Tuesday.
Jon Scheyer has plenty to work with. His fifth Duke team brings together a high-end freshman class in Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Deron Rippey Jr., Bryson Howard, Cameron Williams, and Maxime Meyer, plus a veteran group that helped power a 35-win 2025-26 season.
That returnee list includes Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster, Patrick Ngongba II, and Dame Sarr. Sebastian Wilkins is back too after redshirting last season, and the roster also picked up proven transfer help in John Blackwell and Drew Scharnowski.
At ACC Tipoff in Charlotte last week, Scheyer spent a lot of time answering questions about the way he put this roster together ahead of Duke’s regular-season opener at home against Army on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
One of his clearest explanations centered on the roles he expects from his veterans and newcomers. Scheyer pointed to the steadiness Duke got from older players during a 70-7 run over the past two seasons, then drew a line between that dependable base and the upside he believes the rest of the roster can bring.
"In 77 games the last two years, we're in every game partly because of our team, obviously, but also because of those [veterans]," Scheyer explained. "So, I think for us, we need our vets to give us that floor.
That's Pat, that's Dame, that's Cayden and Caleb, that's Jon, and that's Drew. They have to give us that floor of consistency.
"And then, I think the rest of the team can give us that ceiling of where we can get to as well. So, that's going to be different in finding that."
Scheyer also made it clear that this Duke team should look different on offense. Last season, freshman standout Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 overall draft pick, led the Blue Devils with 22.5 points per game and outscored everyone else by more than seven points a night. This group, Scheyer said, will need production from more places.
"We're going to have to score in different ways," Scheyer noted. "I think our offense is going to be different.
A lot of last year was built around Cam, as it should have been. And this year, obviously Pat is going to be a hub of how we play, but guard scoring is going to be different...
"I could go down the list. It's going to be more collective in that sense."
Duke will keep testing that depth in its exhibition against Tennessee in Durham on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
In Other News...
Duke's ACC Push Suddenly Looks Much Tougher Before North Carolina
Dukes path through the ACC got a lot steeper after a recent loss, and the timing could hardly be worse with North Carolina coming to Durham in a game that now feels even more important to the Blue Devils championship hopes. The setback on the field was compounded by injuries to starting kicker Cosme Salas and linebacker Elliott Schaper, both of whom will miss the rest of the 2026 season, leaving the staff to sort through some late-season uncertainty before one of the rivalry games that always carries extra weight.
The good news for Duke is that the linebacker room has enough depth to absorb Schapers absence, even if it is still a significant loss for a defense trying to stay steady in ACC play. The bigger adjustment may come on special teams, where rookie kicker Gavin Strange is now the next man up, and his spot under the spotlight arrives at exactly the wrong time if the Blue Devils want to keep their league title chase intact. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Suddenly Faces Major Pressure In Rivalry Game With North Carolina
A stumble against Georgia Tech changed the mood around Duke in a hurry, turning what had been a promising start into a stretch where every remaining game carries a little more weight. The Blue Devils now have to regroup quickly, because the margin for error in the ACC has shrunk and the next few weeks will say plenty about whether this team can still keep pace after its first loss of 2026.
North Carolina is waiting next, and the rivalry setting only sharpens the pressure on Manny Diaz and his team. The Tar Heels just survived a close one against Pittsburgh, a game in which Pitt was missing its starting quarterback, and Duke will be expected to answer with a better showing at home if it wants to steady itself and stay in the conference conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Duke's Early Hype Faces A Real Defensive Test Against Tennessee
Duke opened its preseason with a solid showing against Belmont, giving the Blue Devils an early glimpse of what this group can look like when the defense is active and the offense is flowing. Now the attention turns to October 20, when Tennessee comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium for an exhibition that should tell a lot more about where Duke stands in the second year of its buildup.
Tennessee arrives with a roster rebuilt through the transfer portal and the kind of offensive ceiling that can expose gaps before the games start counting. For Duke, the matchup is less about the final score than the stress test it provides, especially for a defense that looked sharp in the first scrimmage but has not yet seen a challenge with this much size, skill and firepower. [Read more 🡒]