Three ACC Teams That Could Give Duke Issues Next Season

Over the past few seasons, the Duke Blue Devils have been the cream of the crop in the ACC.

The Blue Devils have a combined 36-2 record in league play over the last two seasons and have taken home both the ACC regular season and tournament titles in each of the last two campaigns. Duke has won three ACC Tournament crowns in four years under head coach Jon Scheyer.

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

Although, the ACC as a whole has been fairly lackluster over the last few seasons, with Duke being the only program displaying consistent success. The league got just four NCAA Tournament bids in 2025, and even with more in 2026, the conference didn’t perform well at all.

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The league sent eight teams to the Big Dance, but those teams went just 6-8 overall. Duke was the only team to make it out of the first weekend.

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

However, with transfer portal successes and retention across the ACC, there is real reason to believe the league could be back in 2026-27. As previously stated, the Blue Devils have been utterly dominant in league play over the last few years, but they could have some legitimate challengers this time around.

Let’s break down the three ACC squads that could give Duke the most issues in 2026-27.

Mar 19, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey speaks at a postgame press conference after the game against the South Florida Bulls during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images…

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Publish date : 2026-05-13 18:00:00

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