Duke and UNC Approaching Non-Con in Completely Different Ways

The Duke Blue Devils will once again go through one of the more difficult non-conference schedules of any team in college basketball.

Head coach Jon Scheyer seeks out elite competition each year to best prepare his squads for the postseason. In 2025-26, the Blue Devils boasted arguably the best overall resume in all of college hoops.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Duke went 19-3 in Quadrant 1 games, tied for the second-most Quad 1 victories of any team in the nation. Additionally, it went 11-2 against AP Top 25 opponents, sealing not only the most ranked victories of any team in college basketball last season, but also tying the record for the most wins over ranked opponents in the AP Poll era.

The Blue Devils already have several stellar non-con matchups on the docket for the 2026-27 season, giving the squad a chance to once again put together an elite body of work to ultimately help with NCAA Tournament seeding.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) dribbles the ball against St. John's Red Storm guard Dylan Darling (0) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

On the other hand, North Carolina is in a different boat. It's been a chaotic offseason for the Tar Heels, firing head coach Hubert Davis and bringing in former NBA Champion Michael Malone.

UNC lost eight of its top 10 scorers from a season ago, including Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, who formed one of the most productive frontcourt units in college basketball. However, Malone has done a solid job in the portal, bringing in high-profile additions to keep the Heels relevant on a national scale.

Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reacts towards referee Danielle Scott (87) in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

But one thing is for sure. Duke and North Carolina are approaching the non-conference portion of the season in totally different ways.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Breaking Down Duke's Non-Conference Schedule

As it currently stands, Duke will go through arguably the most difficult non-conference schedule of any team in the nation next season. Below is each marquee game currently on the slate.

Opponent	Location	Date
Michigan State	United Center	Nov. 10
Illinois	Cameron Indoor Stadium	Nov. 17
UConn	T-Mobile Arena	Nov. 25
Michigan	Madison Square Garden	Dec. 21
Gonzaga	Little Caesars Arena	Feb. 20
ACC/SEC Challenge	TBD	TBD

The Blue Devils will face off against three of this past season's Final Four teams, including both programs that reached the National Championship, UConn and Michigan.

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke recently agreed to a home-and-home series with Illinois that will begin at Cameron Indoor Stadium in November. However, the most anticipated matchup will likely be Duke's bout with UConn, which ended the Blue Devils 2025-26 season in crushing fashion in the Elite Eight.

The matchups against UConn, Michigan, and Gonzaga are part of Duke's groundbreaking broadcast deal with Amazon, which allows the streaming service to exclusively air three neutral-site, non-conference games for the Blue Devils each season. Although, Duke's game against the Wolverines is in jeopardy.

Michigan head coach Dusty May watches the Jumbotron during the NCAA national championship trophy after the team beat Connecticut at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday, April 6, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After it was reported that Amazon would broadcast Duke's matchup against the reigning National Champions, the Big Ten Conference said it had the rights to broadcast what could be a bout between the two best teams in college basketball.

The ACC and ESPN agreed to allow Amazon to broadcast the game, but it was Duke's responsibility to find an opponent. Typically, it becomes the opponent's job, in this case Michigan, to handle the TV rights.

Apr 6, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May watches One Shining Moment after the National Championship of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There is a possibility that Duke needs to find a new opponent for that game. Regardless, the Blue Devils' slate looks vastly different than the Tar Heels'.

Mar 12, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

North Carolina Staying Conservative With Non-Conference Schedule

As of now, the only marquee non-conference game for North Carolina is against Kentucky, a program that greatly underachieved in this offseason's portal cycle and doesn't look nearly as scary heading into 2026-27 as its name would suggest.

Aside from the Wildcats, the only other Power Conference contests on UNC's schedule are against Georgia and Georgetown. Aside from that, North Carolina will meet Western Carolina, Wofford, Wyoming, Marshall, and The Citadel.

Mar 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone following a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

With new head coaching hires, it isn't too wild to see a program schedule a cupcake non-con slate in his first season. However, for a brand like North Carolina, this is strange.

Obviously, there is still time for the Heels to add to their slate, but as of now, there isn't much to boost their resume heading into ACC action.

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