Duke Basketball’s 2025–26 ACC Schedule Revealed: Rivalries, Road Tests, and Season-Defining Clashes

The calendar may still say early September, but in Durham, basketball never takes a back seat. On Tuesday, Duke and the ACC officially unveiled the 2025–26 conference schedule, giving Blue Devil fans a first look at the path Jon Scheyer’s squad will have to navigate if they want to defend their ACC crown and push for another Final Four run.

This season comes with a slight change to the conference slate: the ACC is dialing things back from 20 league games to 18. The adjustment trims the marathon grind just a bit, but the Blue Devils’ schedule still features plenty of marquee showdowns, road challenges, and rivalry games that will test even one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country.

Familiar Rivalries, Fresh Challenges

As always, the home-and-home showdowns jump off the page immediately. Duke will play two games each against North Carolina and Louisville, guaranteeing fireworks.

• The UNC rivalry speaks for itself — two matchups that will once again command national attention and perhaps have major implications in the ACC standings.

• Louisville, under its revamped program, presents another tricky opponent. The Cardinals have been steadily rebuilding, and a pair of clashes with Duke could become statement games for both sides.

These doubleheaders alone would be enough to keep Blue Devil fans circling dates on the calendar, but the rest of the slate ensures there will be no easy stretches.

The Home-Only Slate: Defending Cameron Indoor

Duke will only see some of its ACC foes once — and those matchups will take place inside the walls of Cameron Indoor Stadium, where the Blue Devils will try to maintain their legendary home-court advantage. This year’s home-only games include:

• Boston College

• Clemson

• Georgia Tech

• SMU

• Syracuse

• Virginia

• Wake Forest

On paper, the list features a balance of rising programs and perennial contenders. Syracuse and Virginia always bring a layer of tactical intrigue, while Clemson has quietly become one of the ACC’s toughest outs. Wake Forest, led by a hungry roster and fan base, will look to play spoiler in Durham.

Road-Only Gauntlet: Testing Duke’s Mettle

If Duke wants to repeat as ACC champions, they’ll need to prove themselves away from home. The road-only matchups could easily define their season. They include:

• California

• Florida State

• NC State

• Notre Dame

• Pittsburgh

• Stanford

• Virginia Tech

Trips to the West Coast stand out here — back-to-back showdowns with Cal and Stanford highlight the ACC’s expansion footprint. A late-January swing to Palo Alto won’t just be about basketball; it’s a test of focus and conditioning.

Closer to home, NC State and Virginia Tech represent two hostile environments where Duke can expect nothing less than full-throttle intensity from the opposing crowds. Florida State in Tallahassee is always a physical battle, and Pittsburgh has turned into a deceptively difficult place to steal a win.

Key Dates to Remember

Here are a few contests every Duke fan should highlight:

• Dec. 30/31 – Georgia Tech (Durham, N.C.): The Blue Devils open ACC play at home, setting the tone for the new year.

• Jan. 6/7 – at Louisville (Louisville, Ky.): First meeting with the Cardinals, a matchup that could have early ACC standings implications.

• Jan. 26 – Louisville (Durham, N.C.) [ESPN]: The rematch comes under the bright lights, nationally televised.

• Feb. 7 – at North Carolina (Chapel Hill, N.C.): Rivalry game number one. Expect fireworks.

• Mar. 7 – North Carolina (Durham, N.C.): Rivalry game number two — Senior Day in Cameron Indoor. Few atmospheres in sports compare.

• Mar. 10–14 – ACC Tournament (Charlotte, N.C.): The regular-season battles funnel into the Spectrum Center for the conference crown.

The Big Picture

The 2025–26 schedule reinforces two things about this era of Duke basketball:

1. No easy nights — Between traditional powerhouses, expanding rivalries, and tricky road trips, the Blue Devils will need focus and depth to avoid letdowns.

2. All eyes on Scheyer’s squad — After back-to-back Final Four runs, Duke is not just another team in the ACC. They are the team everyone wants to beat, and this schedule ensures they’ll have to prove themselves again and again.

With the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class arriving and key veterans returning, Duke looks well-equipped for the journey. But as history shows, ACC play is never predictable — it’s a gauntlet, and this year’s version is no exception.

Bottom line: From rivalry clashes with UNC to coast-to-coast road trips, Duke’s 2025–26 ACC schedule is filled with season-defining tests. How the Blue Devils navigate the grind will say everything about whether this group has what it takes to hang another banner in Cameron Indoor Stadium.