The Duke basketball program put together a vastly successful 2025-26 season and has serious potential to improve on that in 2026-27.
This past season, the Blue Devils posted a 35-3 record and captured the ACC regular-season and tournament titles for the second consecutive year. Duke finished 19-3 in Quadrant 1 games, 11-2 against AP Top 25 opponents, and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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However, the season was considered a bit of a failure by many, as the Blue Devils were knocked out in the Elite Eight despite being arguably the most talented team in the sport. This was the second year in a row that Duke saw its season end in heartbreaking fashion, despite being in control for most of the game.
Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on from the bench against the UConn Huskies during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
This offseason, Jon Scheyer and his staff reloaded, and they now have the most championship-ready team Scheyer has had since he took over in Durham.
Duke will emphasize veteran leadership and continuity next season, as the program returns four of its top six scorers from a season ago and adds two high-profile transfers in John Blackwell from Wisconsin and Drew Scharnowski from Belmont.
Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) goes to the basket against UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Patrick Ngongba, Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, and Cayden Boozer are the Blue Devils’ returning key pieces from last year’s squad. Redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins is also back with the program.
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On top of that, the No. 1 overall 2026 recruiting class is headed to Durham, sealing Duke as potentially the deepest team in college basketball and a heavyweight national title contender.
Feb 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Sebastian Wilkins (5) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Duke already has several marquee non-conference matchups on its schedule for next season, but two key games offer perfect revenge opportunities for the program.
Let’s break down the Blue Devils’ two biggest revenge games next season.
1. at North Carolina
Given that this is the biggest rivalry in the sport, obviously, this will be a highly anticipated contest. However, Duke will be looking to avenge itself in Chapel Hill after a disastrous close to last season’s road date with the Tar Heels.
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Duke was in full control against the Heels for the majority of the way, holding a 41-29 lead at half and clearly looking like the better team on both sides of the ball.
Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) dribbles the ball against the VCU Rams in the first half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
The Blue Devils remained in control for a good portion of the second half, holding a double-digit lead with under 16 minutes to go. Then, North Carolina made its way back.
UNC slowly crept back in, and eventually Ngongba fouled out with under seven minutes to go. With Duke’s elite interior defensive presence gone, UNC’s frontcourt of Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar took advantage.
Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) celebrates after a play against the VCU Rams in the second half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
North Carolina closed the gap, bringing the tally to 68-68 with just over a minute to go. Cameron Boozer missed a layup to take the lead, and UNC had a chance to make this matchup an instant classic.
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The Heels brought it up the floor, and Derek Dixon kicked it out to Seth Trimble with just a few seconds left, who knocked down a dagger three to hand the Tar Heels a 71-68 victory.
It was a pretty ugly collapse from Duke, and in a rivalry like that, it hurt even more. The Blue Devils will look to flip the script next season.
Apr 6, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts after a play against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half in the national championship of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament between the and the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
2. vs. UConn in Las Vegas
Duke will face the Huskies at T-Mobile Arena in November next season with a perfect get-back chance after UConn sent the Blue Devils packing in the Elite Eight. This was the second straight season Scheyer’s squad suffered a monumental collapse in the NCAA Tournament.
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Similar to Duke’s road date in Chapel Hill, it was in control for the majority of the game. Duke held a 44-29 lead heading into the halftime break. Before this collapse, NCAA Tournament 1-seeds that held halftime leads of 15 points or more were 134-0.
UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) walks off the court as time ticks off the clock Monday, April 6, 2026, during the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Blue Devils held a 17-point lead with 17 minutes left, an 11-point lead with under eight minutes to go, and a five-point lead with under two to play. Still, the Blue Devils couldn’t get it done.
UConn slowly crept back throughout the second half, and the score eventually got to 72-70 after Silas Demary Jr. knocked down a free throw for the Huskies.
With 10 seconds left, all Duke had to do was inbound the ball and wait to get fouled. Instead, the ball found Cayden Boozer, who attempted to float it over half-court to Ngongba. The ball was tipped back into UConn’s favor, found Braylon Mullins, who knocked down a triple from the logo just before time expired to hand UConn a 73-72 win.
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The Huskies held two leads in this game: 2-0 and 73-72.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as 2 Biggest Revenge Games for Duke Next Season.
