Duke Men’s Basketball is ready to tip off the season under Head Coach Jon Scheyer, with a roster boasting the nation’s top recruit Cooper Flagg and a mix of experienced transfers. To prepare them for a deep NCAA Tournament run, Scheyer has crafted a demanding non-conference schedule.
The Blue Devils will face five teams from major conferences, all familiar with the NCAA stage. Highlighting the schedule are three marquee neutral-site matchups: Kentucky in Atlanta’s Champions Classic (Nov. 12), Kansas in Las Vegas (Nov. 26), and Illinois at Madison Square Garden (Feb. 22).
Duke also travels to Arizona on Nov. 22 and hosts Auburn (Dec. 4) as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge. The season officially opens on Nov. 4 against Maine at Cameron Indoor Stadium, following the Oct. 4 Countdown to Craziness event and an Oct. 19 exhibition against reigning CIAA champion Lincoln (Pa.).
Fans can catch the Blue Devils at home against Army (Nov. 8), Wofford (Nov. 16), Seattle (Nov. 29), Incarnate Word (Dec. 10), and George Mason (Dec. 17). The full ACC schedule with dates and TV assignments is yet to be finalized, but with the addition of Stanford, California, and SMU, the league expands to 18 teams with a 20-game conference slate (10 home, 10 away).
Duke’s conference opponents include North Carolina, Wake Forest, Miami, Cal, Florida State, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Stanford, and Virginia Tech at home. Road trips will see them face North Carolina, Wake Forest, Miami, Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, SMU, Syracuse, and Virginia.
Including conference matchups, Duke faces 10 teams who participated in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Building on two consecutive 27-9 seasons under Scheyer, the Blue Devils return guards Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster. Flagg, projected as the top NBA Draft pick in 2025, joins a highly-rated freshman class that includes Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, Patrick Ngongba, Isaiah Evans, and Darren Harris.
Transfers like Mason Gillis (Purdue), Sion James (Tulane), Maliq Brown (Syracuse), and Cameron Sheffield (Rice) further bolster the roster.
This challenging schedule promises an exciting season for Duke fans as Coach Scheyer preps his talented team for March Madness glory.
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