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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow