Don't let it ever be said that Jon Scheyer is scared of competition. The Duke head coach isn't ducking any smoke next season for the Blue Devils, who are widely expected to be one of the best teams in college basketball again in 2026-27.
They'll have no choice but to be one of the most battle-tested teams in college basketball before even beginning ACC play.
After already scheduling matchups with Michigan, Michigan State, UConn, and Gonzaga, along with a matchup against a premier SEC opponent for the ACC/SEC challenge, Scheyer decided that wasn't enough.
On Wednesday, Duke announced a home-and-home with Illinois, with the first leg happening this November in Cameron Indoor:
Home & home locked in‼️ pic.twitter.com/L36FI2udiW
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) May 13, 2026
Jon Scheyer may have Duke facing the toughest non-conference SOS in college basketball
Duke has always scheduled tough out-of-conference games, but Scheyer is taking it a new level in 2026-27.
Good.
This is Duke. The Blue Devils should never duck smoke. It should be an "anybody, anywhere, any time" scheduling philosophy every year for Duke. Scheyer is taking that to heart this offseason.
He's also done so in a creative fashion, with a landmark agreement with Amazon to broadcast three Duke games this year against UConn, Michigan, and Gonzaga.
It shows an unbridled confidence in the roster he has put together. Scheyer has accomplished all three phases of roster-building this offseason, adding talented players in the Transfer Portal like John Blackwell and Drew Scharnowski, signing the top high school class in the country, and scoring major roster retention wins with Patrick Ngongba II, Dame Sarr, Cayden Boozer, and Caleb Foster all returning to Durham.
This loaded roster will be tested right out of the gate. With Illinois, UConn, and Michigan all on the schedule, Duke will face three of last season's four Final Four representatives. There's still time for Scheyer to make it four for four, too. I'm sure he could convince Tommy Lloyd to give the Blue Devils a home-and-home series or perhaps a neutral court matchup this year.
The ACC continues to get tougher, so ensuring you are battle-tested before that part of your schedule begins makes sense. There won't be a lot of gimme wins for the Blue Devils in 2026-27. They'll have to earn it from the moment the season starts.
That could lead to a loss or two early, but it will pay major dividends by the time the conference schedule rolls around, and Duke has been there, done that against the best teams in college basketball.
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