ACC , Duke MBB

No Easy Road: Duke’s Brutal Schedule Awaits After the Preseason AP Poll

Jon Scheyer and Duke “aren’t ducking any smoke” this season. Monday’s release of the preseason AP Poll underscored just how demanding the slate is: 10 regular-season games against teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, a gauntlet the source says should leave the Blue Devils “battle-tested and ready for the grind of conference play.” The schedule also comes with a “much-improved ACC.

The Ranked Opponents

Duke’s regular-season matchups against preseason Top 25 teams:

  • No. 1 Florida
  • No. 3 Illinois
  • No. 4 UConn
  • No. 6 Michigan State
  • No. 9 Virginia (twice)
  • No. 11 Louisville
  • No. 14 Miami (FL)
  • No. 15 Gonzaga
  • No. 19 Texas Tech

That is 10 games, including five against teams in the preseason Top 10. The count doesn’t include the exhibitions against No. 8 Tennessee, hosted tonight in Cameron, and No. 17 Kansas, on Sunday in Lawrence, the last game of the preseason.

Analysis: Five Top-10 opponents is a demanding load by any measure, and the source calls it “exactly the type of slate you want” for a team of Duke’s caliber.

A Front-Loaded Test

The non-conference schedule is heavy early. Before ACC play, Duke faces Florida, Illinois, UConn, Michigan State and Texas Tech. The Gonzaga game comes later, similar to last season’s matchup with Michigan.

The article also lays out the early path:

  • Army and Coastal Carolina in Durham serve as tune-up games to open the season.
  • Michigan State in Chicago on Nov. 10.
  • After that, four of the next six games are against Top 10 opponents.

Managing Expectations

The source warns that fans shouldn’t be surprised if the team takes time to find its footing and loses a few more games than they’re used to. The Blue Devils lost a combined five regular-season games over the last two seasons, and with this schedule, “just two or three regular-season losses might not be realistic.”

Analysis: The framing is useful. A loss to a top-five opponent in November wouldn’t necessarily signal a problem, and the schedule gives Duke a strong résumé if it navigates it well.

A Roster Still Coming Together

Scheyer has a lot of new pieces. Expected to play significant roles:

  • John Blackwell, Wisconsin transfer
  • Drew Scharnowski, Belmont transfer
  • Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Deron Rippey Jr. and Cameron Williams, freshmen

They’ll need time to mesh with returners Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba.

The health issue: The article hopes Scheyer can use the early games to work out kinks and get Foster and Scharnowski as close to 100% as possible, given the Top 10 stretch ahead.

Bottom Line

Duke’s schedule is built to test the team early and often. If the Blue Devils come out of November with respectable results, they’ll have a strong résumé and a team prepared for ACC play. If not, the source suggests fans should look at the competition before panicking.