The wait for the 2026-27 college basketball season continues on as we are still a few months away from tip off. For the Duke Blue Devils, it will be another season of high expectations.
Jon Scheyer and his coaching staff have built a really good roster once again and should not only be the favorites in the Atlantic Coast Conference but also for the national championship. It could be Scheyer’s most complete teams so far in his tenure as they have really good depth and have welcomed some very talented players.
Early on, a lot of the national media is revealing that they are high on Duke going into this season. Now, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is buying into the hype with his latest Bracketology released on Tuesday.
Lunardi has the Blue Devils as the No. 1 overall seed and in the East Region, opening the tournament in Charlotte. Its a dream setup for the Blue Devils who could be playing a regional final in New York City.
Here is what Lunardi has to say about Duke now getting the top seed by passing Florida:
While Florida remains an overwhelming choice to begin the campaign as the nation’s top-ranked team, the Gators no longer have the inside track to the NCAA tournament’s No. 1 overall seed. The release of conference pairings and nonconference schedules shifts that distinction to Duke, which plays seven games against the top 10 teams on our seed list, including a visit to Gainesville on Dec. 1. Duke’s projected résumé is a tick ahead of Florida’s at this point, moving the Blue Devils into the East Region and slotting the Gators into a more natural South Region position.
The Gators and Blue Devils are two of the favorites going into this season, and they both will have a lot of attention on them throughout the year. When December 1 comes around, we could be in for a battle of top-5 teams potentially as well.
It’s very early and things will change as the season goes on. But it’s good to see that more media members are giving Duke respect.
