Duke’s Case for Preseason No. 1 With Other Top Contender

Heading into the 2026-27 college basketball season, Duke and Florida probably have the top two rosters in the country, and rightfully so.

Both Jon Scheyer and Todd Golden did fantastic jobs utilizing winning roster-building tactics in today’s era of college basketball: retention and the transfer portal. But which of the two programs will be ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll?

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The best part about this discussion is that we will get a matchup between the Blue Devils and Gators on Dec. 1 in the 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge. In the meantime, let’s make the case for which program should earn the No. 1 ranking when the regular season begins.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on from the bench against the UConn Huskies during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Case for Duke

Scheyer and Co. probably couldn’t have had much more of a successful offseason.

It starts with who Duke brought back. Three starters from last season’s team that earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles are returning: Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, and Patrick Ngongba. Additionally, Duke returns rotation guard Cayden Boozer and redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins.

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Almost every key rotation piece Scheyer and Co. could’ve brought back, they did. Sarr is turning into one of the biggest breakout candidates in America, Foster is the Type A lead guard for a championship team, and Ngongba will be the defensive anchor for a squad that has the personnel to be the best defensive team in the sport.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) dribbles during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters…

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Publish date : 2026-08-10 13:58:00

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