Duke Blue Devils Basketball 2026-27 Preview

The Duke Blue Devils will look to continue their fantastic run under Jon Scheyer in 2026-27. As usual, Scheyer had to retool the Blue Devils’ roster this offseason after losing Cam Boozer, Isaiah Evans and Maliq Brown to the NBA.

While replacing a legendary coach is generally not ideal, Scheyer has done a banged up jobl since succeeding Mike Krzyzewski after the 2021-22 campaign. In his four seasons, Scheyer has compiled a 124-25 record, including back-to-back 35-win seasons in the last two years. He also has led the Blue Devils to back-to-back ACC regular-season and conference titles (2024-2026). Despite their success in the regular season, the Blue Devils are in search of their first national title since 2014-15, though they reached the Final Four in 2025.

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Duke is coming off a 35-3 season, which marks the seventh time that the Blue Devils have won at least that many games. The Blue Devils won the ACC regular season by two games over Virginia with a 17-1 record and have won 36 of their last 38 regular-season conference games. The Blue Devils also claimed their 29th ACC tournament title and reached the Elite Eight, falling to UConn (72-71) as a result of a mistake by Cayden Boozer — despite being shorthanded most of the postseason. Overall, the Blue Devils lost five of their top nine players from that team as reserves Nik Khamenia (UConn) and Darren Harris (Indiana) transferred.

Blue Devils Basketball Returning Players

On the positive side, Duke’s returning players are extremely talented. NBA prospects Patrick Ngongba and Dame Sarr lead six returnees. Caleb Foster, Sebastin Wilkins, Brock Davis and Cayden Boozer are the others.

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Ngongba, the consensus No. 24 recruit in 2025, is expected to take another step in his development this coming year. Ngongba is an outstanding offensive rebounder, a highly efficient vertical spacer, and a defensive anchor. The 6-11 center also improved as a passer in his sophomore campaign and is a solid screener. He scored in double figures on 20 occassions and produced one double-double.

Sarr was one of the best perimeter defenders in the ACC this past season and enters the season as a candidate for ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Sarr excels as a point-of-attack defender who can guard 1-4. While the 6-8 sophomore wing struggled offensively this season, he thrives in transition and showed the capability of being a volume 3-point shooter as a freshman.

While Foster hasn’t necessarily lived up to the hype of being the No. 17 consensus recruit in 2023, he had his best season in 2025-26 and is one of the Blue Devils best shooters. Foster is not a true point guard, but he can organize the offense and doesn’t make many mistakes.

His decision-making mistake in the final seconds of the UConn Elite Eight game notwithstanding, Cayden Boozer came on strong late last year and was a major reason why the Blue Devils reached the Elite Eight. Boozer is at his best when getting to the rim and is a decent facilitator. He is also a solid on-ball defender.

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Wilkins, the consensus No.48 recruit in 2025, redshirted in 2025-26. Wilkins figures to be in the mix for some minutes off the bench this year due to his athleticism, length and defensive versatility. Offensively, he is a connector with the ability to defend 2-4.

Duke’s Newcomers

Scheyer brought another fantastic recruiting class with three transfers and five freshmen. Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell, who tested the NBA draft waters, was one of the top players in the NCAA portal this summer. Blackwell is a bucket-getter who produced games of 30+ points five times this past season. He is a three-level scorer, thrives shooting off the dribble, and is a career 37% shooter from deep.

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Drew Scharnowski is an athletic 6-10 forward with a high motor and is highly efficient around the rim. Scharnowski is a solid rebounder, a good short-roll passer, and a shot-blocker. He projects to be part of Scheyer’s second unit behind Ngongba and freshman Cameron Williams.

Speaking of Williams, he and 2026 classmate Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje are consensus five-star recruits and crown jewels of the No. 2-rated recruiting class in the country. Both players project to be impact players this year, with Williams slated to start at power forward.

Williams is a face-up scorer with 3-point range, though he is at his best attacking the rim. The 7-footer has excellent mobility and is also a good rebounder and rim-protector. He was Arizona’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

Boumtje-Boumtje, the son of former NBA second-round pick Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, is a 17-year-old who stands at 7-2 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a 146-inch vertical reach. Boumtje-Boumtje is a three-level scorer with outstanding footwork and is a natural rim-protector. He played for Spanish Club Barcelona’s U18 squad this past season and led Team USA’s U17 team to a World Cup gold medal this summer.