Preseason games are no longer for the light-hearted.
On Wednesday, Duke announced that the Blue Devils will take part in three preseason games leading up to the 2026-27 basketball season, and the schedule includes two doozies: Tennessee and Kansas.
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Jon Scheyer’s squad will start the preseason on Oct. 8 with a scrimmage against Belmont before matching up with the SEC-member Volunteers on Oct. 20 and the Jayhawks on Oct. 25.
The Volunteers made it to the Elite Eight last season before losing to eventual national champion Michigan, while Bill Self’s Kansas squad exited the tournament early in the second round after an upset loss to St. John’s.
In ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 for next season, Tennessee is four places behind No. 2 Duke at No. 6. The Vols added a key piece in Juke Harris from Wake Forest this offseason after he averaged 21.4 points as a sophomore for the Demon Deacons last year.
Kansas will look to replace Darryn Peterson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft after an up-and-down freshman season with the Jayhawks.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Duke announces two marquee preseason matchups
