Duke basketball‘s non-conference slate for the 2025-26 season is officially set, the school announced on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
The Blue Devils‘ schedule is loaded with marquee matchups including Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, Texas Tech and Michigan State. They’ll also make two appearances at Madison Square Garden and face Arkansas in Chicago on Thanksgiving.
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Jon Scheyer’s team brings back key contributors from last year’s Final Four run – including Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans – while adding the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class headlined by Cameron Boozer, son of former Duke and NBA star Carlos Boozer. The Blue Devils went 35-4 overall in 2024-25, winning both the ACC regular season and tournament titles while making its 18th appearance in the NCAA Final Four.
Duke is scheduled to host Countdown to Craziness on Friday, Oct. 3 and has two exhibition games against UCF (Oct. 21) and Tennessee (Oct. 26) before officially opening its season on Tuesday, Nov. 4 vs. Texas in Charlotte. The Blue Devils’ conference schedule is set to be announced at a later date.
Here’s a breakdown of Duke’s top non-conference games and a look at the full list of non-conference opponents.
Duke basketball opens its season vs Texas in Charlotte
To officially open its 2025-26 campaign, the Blue Devils will travel to Spectrum Center in Charlotte in the Dick Vitale Invitational to take on Texas on Tuesday, Nov. 4. It will be the sixth meeting between the two programs but the first since the 2017-18 season. Duke is 5-0 against the Longhorns, with all their meetings coming at neutral sites.
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Blue Devils make two trips to Madison Square Garden
Duke will be making two trips to Madison Square Garden in 2025-26, with the first coming against Kansas on Tuesday, Nov. 18. It marks the Blue Devils’ third time facing the Jayhawks at Madison Square Garden. Duke is 8-7 overall against Kansas, coming off a 75-72 loss last season.
The Blue Devils then return to Madison Square Garden Saturday, Dec. 20, to take on Texas Tech. It will mark the third meeting between the two programs and second in the Big Apple as Duke owns the series 2-0. The Red Raiders are coming off a 28-9 season, finishing second in the Big 12 and making a trip to the Elite Eight.
Duke meets John Calipari, Arkansas in Chicago for CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic
Duke is set to take on John Calipari and Arkansas at Chicago’s United Center on Thanksgiving Day for the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic. It will be Duke’s first time facing the Hogs with Calipari as their head coach, with the Blue Devils 2-3 overall against Arkansas. It will be the first meeting between the programs since Nov. 29, 2023, with Arkansas winning the last contest 80-75.
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Florida comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium for ACC/SEC Challenge
The reining national champions Florida Gators will travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 2, for a meeting with the Blue Devils in the ACC/SEC Challenge. It marks the Gators’ second trip to Durham, with their first coming with a Duke 116-86 win in 1998. Duke is 5-2 overall against Florida, with their last meeting being an 97-84 Duke win on Nov. 26, 2017.
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Duke faces Michigan in Washington D.C. to end its non-conference slate
To end its non-conference slate, Duke travels to Washington, D.C. to take on Michigan at the Capitol One Arena on Feb. 21. Duke is 21-7 overall against Michigan, with their last meeting coming in 2013, with Duke winning 79-69. The Blue Devils have won their last three match-ups against the Wolverines.
Duke basketball non-conference schedule 2025-26
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Oct. 3 Countdown to Craziness
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Oct. 21 vs. UCF (Exhibition)
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Oct. 26 vs. Tennessee (Exhibition)
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Nov. 4 vs. Texas (Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte)
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Nov. 8 vs. Western Carolina
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Nov. 11 at Army West Point
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Nov. 14 vs. Indiana State
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Nov. 18 vs. Kansas (State Farm Championship Classic at Madison Square Garden)
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Nov. 21 vs. Niagara (Brotherhood Run)
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Nov. 23 vs. Howard (Brotherhood Run)
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Nov. 27 vs. Arkansas (CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic)
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Dec. 2 vs. Florida (ACC/SEC Challenge)
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Dec. 20 vs. Texas Tech (Madison Square Garden)
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Feb. 21 vs. Michigan (Duel in the District, Washington D.C.)
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball: Non-conference schedule, top games in 2025-26 season
