Duke women’s basketball has a non-conference schedule that includes games against Baylor, South Carolina and LSU.
The Blue Devils return starters from last year’s 29-8 squad in Jadyn Donovan, Toby Fournier and Ashlon Jackson, while welcoming the nation’s No. 4 freshman in Emilee Skinner. Head coach Kara Lawson is entering her sixth season at the helm.
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The Blue Devils claimed the ACC tournament title last season and made it to the Elite Eight for the 12th time in program history.
Duke is scheduled to host Countdown to Craziness on Oct. 3 and will officially opening its season a month later on Nov. 3 vs. Baylor at Adidas Arena in Paris, France in the Oui-Play Paris 2025 event.
Here’s a breakdown of Duke’s top non-conference games and a look at the full list of non-conference opponents:
Duke women’s basketball opens its season vs Baylor in Paris
To open its 2025 campaign, Duke will travel to Paris to compete in the Oui-Play Paris 2025 event. It opens its season in Paris against Baylor on Nov. 3. Baylor is 1-0 overall against Duke, winning the one and only match-up 51-48 in 2010.
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Duke takes on South Carolina, Dawn Staley in Las Vegas at Player’s Era Women’s Championship
In Las Vegas as part of the Player’s Era Women’s Championship, Duke is set to take on Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks on Nov. 26 in what will be a rematch of last year’s Elite 8. South Carolina owns a 9-2 record overall against Duke. Following South Carolina, the Blue Devils will then take on either Texas or UCLA — two more teams who appeared in last year’s Final Four — in Las Vegas on Nov. 27.
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Duke hosts LSU, Kim Mulkey in ACC/SEC Challenge
Kim Mulkey and company will make a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 4. Duke is 3-2 overall against LSU, and 1-0 against it at home, winning the last two match-ups in 2006 and 2010.
Blue Devils close non-conference at Belmont
To close their non-conference slate, Duke will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, on Dec. 20 to take on Belmont, the 2025 Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) runner-ups. The Blue Devils are 2-0 overall against Belmont, most recently winning 79-47 last season at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke women’s basketball non-conference schedule 2025-26
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Oct. 3 Countdown to Craziness
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Nov. 3 vs. Baylor (Paris, France)
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Nov. 26 vs. South Carolina (Las Vegas, 2025 Players Era Women’s Championship)
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Nov. 27 vs. Texas/UCLA (Las Vegas, 2025 Players Era Women’s Championship)
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Dec. 4 vs. LSU (2025 ACC/SEC Challenge)
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Dec. 18 vs. South Dakota State
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Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke women’s basketball: Non-conference schedule, top games in 2025-26 season
