Duke Basketball Looks to Extend Impressive Winning Streak in Openers

It's been beyond a quarter century since the Duke basketball program suffered a defeat in the first game of a regular season.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

One year ago, Duke basketball honored freshman sensation and Maine native Cooper Flagg with a home game against the Maine Black Bears to tip off the Blue Devils' 2024-25 campaign. Flagg & Co. prevailed in Cameron Indoor Stadium, 96-62, to begin Jon Scheyer's third season at the helm on a high note. The victory marked the program's 25th straight in regular season openers, with four of those outings taking place on a neutral court.

ALSO READ: Blue Devils Highlight Star Newcomer's Remarkable Leadership

The Streak

Now 93-27 overall in regular-season openers since the program's first year of existence in 1905-06, the 38-year-old Jon Scheyer and his No. 6-ranked Blue Devils aim to make it 26 straight such victories when they face the unranked Texas Longhorns in Charlotte's Spectrum Center at 8:45 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer smiles during the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Duke's last loss in a regular season opener didn't even take place this century, as the 1999-00 Blue Devils fell to the Stanford Cardinal on a neutral court in overtime, 80-79, on Nov. 11, 1999.

Speaking of undefeated marks this century, the Blue Devils are 5-0 versus Texas since 2000. All five of those meetings took place on a neutral court.

The most recent game in the series, an 85-78 Duke basketball win in Portland, Ore., was on Nov. 24, 2017. And the previous matchup, a 74-69 victory in Greensboro, N.C., was in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in 2009, coinciding with Scheyer's junior season as a Blue Devil guard under then-head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Scheyer was an assistant under Coach K for the win over Texas in 2017).

Mar 21, 2009; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Nolan Smith and Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer and Elliot Williams and Texas Longhorns guard Damion James and Dogus Balby react near the end of the game the Blue Devils 74-69 victory over the Longhorns during the second round of the 2009 NCAA mens basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Texas is entering its first season under the command of former Xavier and Arizona head coach Sean Miller.

Following the bout against the Longhorns, the 2025-26 Duke basketball squad will return to Durham for a home contest against the unranked Western Carolina Catamounts at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday (The CW). As for the significance of that game in terms of the program's winning streaks, it's worth pointing out that the Blue Devils haven't dropped a home opener in any of the past 43 seasons.

Behind eye-popping double-double performances by five-star freshman forward Cameron Boozer, Duke tallied a 2-0 clip in exhibition outings. The Blue Devils prevailed at home over the UCF Knights, 96-71, on Oct. 21 before defeating the Tennessee Volunteers, 83-76, in a road bout last Sunday night.

Tennessee forward Felix Okpara (34) tries to moves the ball while guarded by Duke forward Cameron Boozer (12) in a college basketball exhibition game on October 26, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.