The 2026-27 college basketball season is still a few months away, however, the excitement for the Duke Blue Devils is very high. Despite a disappointing loss in the Elite Eight to UConn, seeing the Huskies overcame a 19-point deficit, Duke still has high expectations.
And rightfully so.
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Once again Jon Scheyer and his staff have put together an impressive roster, landing the top overall recruiting class for 2026. They also welcome back some key players from last season’s roster as well as a good transfer portal class. While there is no superstar like a Cooper Flagg or a Cameron Boozer, this could be one of Scheyer’s best overall teams.
So it’s not surprising to see a lot of analysts high on the Blue Devils. But they aren’t the only ones.
As it stands right now, Duke and Florida are the co-favorites in Las Vegas to cut down the nets next April. Some places have them as co-favorites while some offer a slight advantage to either team.
CBS Sports broke down why Duke and Florida are considered the co-favorites:
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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Florida and Duke have the best odds to win the national title. Those teams will more than likely open the season as the top-two ranked teams in the preseason AP Top 25 poll later this fall. While Florida has the inside track to be the preseason top-ranked team, Duke won’t be far behind.
Why is Duke the co-favorite? Well, that’s also pretty simple. The Blue Devils opened as the favorite to cut down the nets in 2027 due to a combination of expected returners coupled with a loaded incoming recruiting class. Since the initial odds were released, Duke added Wisconsin star John Blackwell via the transfer portal and Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje to its high school recruiting class. Boumtje-Boumtje will have to play two seasons of college basketball due to the NBA Draft’s age requirement, but should be a strong contender to go No. 1 overall in 2028.
Duke and Florida will be picked by many to win it all. Both will be challenged throughout the season as Duke has a very tough non-conference schedule and Florida is in a really good SEC.
The two teams are set to meet on December 1 when Duke heads to Gainesville to face off against the Gators. That’s a game that is going to be must-see for any college basketball fan.
