Duke Blue Devils news and notes:
Duke is closing in on landing 5-star SF Asa Montgomery
Jon Scheyer and Duke took another step toward landing 5-star SF Asa Montgomery on Thursday. The Georgia native visited Duke at the beginning of this month and looks to have made that his final visit, with a decision on the horizon.
Montgomery cancelled upcoming trips to Arizona and Louisville, paving the way for Scheyer and the Blue Devils to reel in the 5-star prospect.
Duke picked up a prediction on 247 to land Montgomery, and at this point, it appears to be a matter of when, not if, he announces his commitment to the Blue Devils.
With the early signing period next month, it looks like Duke is going to add its third prospect in the 2027 cycle. Duke already holds commitments from 5-star Kager Knueppel and Australian point guard Luke Paul.
Scheyer has the Blue Devils positioned well for 2028 No. 1 recruit Colton Hiller, too, and he is eyeing a potential reclassification into the 2027 class.
Duke star RB Nate Sheppard remains questionable ahead of North Carolina game
Star RB Nate Sheppard remains questionable for the North Carolina game this weekend, per the ACC's updated availability report. Sheppard tweaked his ankle in last week's loss to Georgia Tech, though he returned to the game and gutted it out.
He will probably try to gut it out against North Carolina this weekend, too, but if he's less effective than usual, that's still a big blow to Duke's offense. The Blue Devils figure to have a big advantage up front against a UNC defense that gives up over 170 yards per game on the ground. Neutralizing that advantage is a big deal and could make Duke's path to a victory at home on Saturday much trickier.
Duke has won the last two meetings in this series, and the last four have all been decided by one possession. Chances are, this matchup will follow suit, and Manny Diaz needs Sheppard out there to give his team the best chance of executing down the stretch and keeping the Victory Bell with them in Durham.
Other Duke sports in action this weekend:
- Duke men's golf to compete in Georgia Collegiate Invitational in Alpharetta Friday-Sunday.
- Women's golf to compete in Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill Friday-Sunday.
- No. 6 women's soccer faces off against SMU in Dallas on Friday.
- Men's soccer seeks its first ACC win of the season at home against Virginia on Friday.
- Volleyball faces No. 3 Louisville on Friday and then Notre Dame on Sunday in road matchups.
- Swimming and diving faces North Carolina on Friday.
- Women's tennis to compete in the ITA Regionals in South Carolina from October 16-20.
- Cross country has two races this weekend: Friday in the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana, and then Saturday at the Upstate Invitational in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
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