The full 2025-26 Duke basketball schedule is set.
The Blue Devils host Countdown to Craziness on Friday, Oct. 3, and have two exhibition games against UCF (Oct. 21) and Tennessee (Oct. 26) before officially opening its season on Tuesday, Nov. 4, vs. Texas in Charlotte. Duke opens its conference slate more than a month later against Georgia Tech on either Dec. 30 or 31 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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Duke returns six members from its 2024-25 squad while bringing in the nation’s top-rated recruiting class for the second straight season along with two transfer portal additions. Duke is coming off a 35-4 season, claiming the regular season and ACC tournament titles while making a trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Here is a breakdown of the 2025-26 Blue Devils’ schedule as Duke enters its fourth season under Jon Scheyer.
FULL 2025-26 SCHEDULE: Duke men’s basketball schedule: ACC games for Jon Scheyer, Blue Devils in 2025-26 season
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS: Ranking Duke basketball’s 2025-26 non-conference opponents from toughest to easiest
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Early non-conference gauntlet
Duke opens its season against Sean Miller and the Longhorns in a neutral site game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The Blue Devils then open play at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 8 vs. Western Carolina before hitting the road to West Point, New York, to take on former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s alma mater. Duke then has one game at home, hosting Indiana State on Nov. 14, before a prime time matchup against Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 18.
Stretch from Thanksgiving to ACC kickoff
After the Brotherhood Challenge at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke heads to Chicago to face John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks on Thanksgiving Day as part of the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic. It then returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium to host the reigning national champions Florida on Dec. 2 as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge before traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, for the first time since 2019 to face Michigan State and Tom Izzo on Dec. 6. Duke comes home to host Lipscomb on Dec. 16 but is quickly back on the road four days later, back in the Big Apple to take on Texas Tech on Dec. 20. This marks Duke’s final non-conference game before it opens ACC play on either Dec. 30 or 31 against Georgia Tech in Durham.
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Back-to-back games on the west coast
Following ACC games at Florida State (Jan. 3) and Louisville (Jan. 6/7), Duke returns home to host SMU on Jan. 10 before hitting the road again, this time out west to take on Cal (Jan. 13/14) and Stanford (Jan. 17). The good news, the Blue Devils have a week off following their California trip to recover and prepare for their next stretch of ACC play.
Monday night showdown vs Louisville
Duke’s second meeting against Louisville in 2025-26 comes on Jan. 26 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Following that, the Blue Devils are on the road in Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on the Hokies in Cassell Stadium, which has been a site of upsets before, with the Hokies taking down Duke, 78-75, in what was Scheyer’s first season.
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February stretch
The first installment of the Duke vs. UNC rivalry takes place in Chapel Hill on Feb. 7 following Duke hosting Boston College a few days prior. The Blue Devils stay on the road, heading to Pennsylvania to take on Pittsburgh Feb. 10/11. Duke finally returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium to host Clemson on Feb. 14, which was Duke’s lone ACC loss last season. Duke closes that home stretch with a visit from Adrian Autry and Syracuse on Feb. 16.
Back into non-conference before it closes out conference play
Duke plays its final non-conference game against Michigan in Duel in the District in Washington D.C. on Feb. 21. From there, it takes a trip to Notre Dame to face the Irish on Feb. 24/25, returning home to host Virginia on Feb. 28. The Blue Devils close out their conference slate against none other than Triangle teams, traveling to NC State on March 2 before it hosts UNC on March 7.
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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.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball: Breaking down the Blue Devils’ 2025-26 schedule
