DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke men’s basketball program unveiled the team’s complete non-conference schedule for the 2025-26 season on Tuesday. Highlighted by previously announced marquee matchups with Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan State, Texas Tech and Michigan, the Blue Devils are set to face one of the nation’s most competitive slates, including two contests at Madison Square Garden and a Thanksgiving showcase in Chicago.
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer, Duke opens the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in Charlotte against Texas as part of the Dick Vitale Invitational. The Blue Devils then return home for the first of six non-conference games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, hosting Western Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Following a Nov. 11 road trip to Army West Point, Duke hosts Indiana State on Friday, Nov. 14, then heads back to New York for a State Farm Champions Classic showdown with Kansas on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils then welcome Niagara (Nov. 21) and Howard (Nov. 23) to Durham as part of the Brotherhood Run before traveling to Chicago to meet Arkansas in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic on Thursday, Nov. 27.
The December slate begins with an ACC/SEC Challenge home contest versus Florida on Tuesday, Dec. 2, followed by a road trip to Michigan State on Saturday, Dec. 6. Duke concludes its December out-of-league home schedule against reigning Atlantic Sun Conference tournament champion Lipscomb on Tuesday, Dec. 16, before returning to Madison Square Garden to take on Texas Tech on Saturday, Dec. 20. The non-conference schedule wraps on Saturday, Feb. 21, when the Blue Devils face Michigan in Washington, D.C.
Duke’s 2025-26 non-conference lineup features eight opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago (Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan State, Lipscomb, Texas Tech, Michigan). Of those teams, five advanced to the Sweet 16, with three reaching the Elite Eight. The preseason features the program’s annual Countdown to Craziness on Friday, Oct. 3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, along with an exhibition against UCF in the Brotherhood Run on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and a road exhibition at Tennessee on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Duke enters the 2025-26 campaign coming off its 18th Final Four appearance, 23rd ACC Tournament title and 21st ACC regular-season championship. The Blue Devils finished 35-4 overall last season, marking the 17th 30-win season in program history. Scheyer’s squad returns six players from last year, while also welcoming the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class.
The ACC schedule will be announced at a later date. Duke’s 18-game conference slate will feature home-and-home series with North Carolina and Louisville, with the remaining 14 conference games for the Blue Devils consisting of seven home-only opponents and seven away-only opponents. Duke hosts Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, SMU, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium, while traveling to California, Florida State, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Stanford and Virginia Tech.
