The Duke Blue Devils will have no shortage of marquee games through their non-conference schedule.
Duke's non-conference slate this season is one of the most daunting in the country and could be the toughest under head coach Jon Scheyer so far, which is saying something given the slates the Blue Devils have dealt with in the past.
Duke could face four to five top-10 teams by the new calendar year. Michigan State, Illinois, UConn, and Florida are already in that boat; Texas Tech could have one of the best rosters in the sport entering the year, depending on Darrion Williams' and Donovan Atwell's ultimate eligibility status.
It's no secret that Duke's road game with Florida in the ACC/SEC Challenge could be the game of the year in college basketball, and a win could provide a little added boost for the Blue Devils.
A Duke Road Win Over Florida Could Be Best Win of Year
There's a pretty good chance that Duke and Florida enter the 2026-27 season as the top two teams in college basketball, in whatever order. The Blue Devils will head to Gainesville to face the Gators on Dec. 1, so both teams could still be the top two teams in the sport by that time.
Obviously, a true road win over a presumed national title contender would be a huge resume booster for the Blue Devils. However, Duke taking down Todd Golden's Gators at their place could end up being the best win of any team all year.
Sure, the contest is in December, but it's hard not to imagine Florida remaining one of the best teams in college basketball all season long. Depending on how the rest of the regular season goes, a win for Duke could be a big needle mover come NCAA Tournament seeding time.
Last year, Duke's neutral-site victory over Michigan in February had a similar effect. Duke and Michigan were arguably the two best teams in college basketball at that point, and it felt like whoever won that game would be on the fast track to earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils won 68-63 in Washington, D.C., and after both teams won their respective conference regular-season titles, Duke's win gave it an edge in earning the top overall seed.
Now, Michigan didn't win the Big Ten Tournament, and Duke won the ACC Tournament, but Scheyer and Co. defeating the then-No. 1 team in the land on a neutral floor was arguably the best win of the year.
It's hard not to imagine Florida is one of the best teams in college basketball all season long. It is returning six of its top seven scorers from a team that earned a 1-seed in the Big Dance, and Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on UF's 2025 national title team, could also be back.
There's a good chance that come Selection Sunday, Duke and Florida are the projected top two seeds. At the very least, both could certainly be in the mix for a 1-seed at all. So, even though Duke will take on Florida early in the year, a road win could end up being the victory that propels the Blue Devils to the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance again.
The Rest of Duke's Schedule Obviously Matters
This isn't to say the rest of Duke's schedule comes second to the bout against the Gators, but Florida will probably be the best team Duke will face all year, and the game comes in a true road environment. A team can't really get a better resume-boosting opportunity than that.
Still, even if Duke takes down Florida and both programs are on track to earn 1-seeds in the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils have a plethora of elite matchups in both the non-conference and ACC schedules.
We already laid out the potential top-10 teams Duke will face, and it will also play Gonzaga in February in Detroit. Mark Few also has a few notable fifth-year signings, namely Javon Bennett, Chauncey Wiggins, and Xaivian Lee, who, if eligible, could propel the Bulldogs into a true contender.
The ACC also could be the deepest it's been in any of the last few seasons. Duke has gone 36-2 in the league in the past two years and won both regular-season and tournament crowns. The path likely won't be as easy in 2026-27.
The Blue Devils will have a ton of big-time resume-boosting opportunities this season, but likely none bigger than a true road win against Florida.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Added Bonus Duke Basketball Win at Florida Could Provide.