Duke · Preseason expectations
What to expect from Duke in 2026–27
The starter projections, graded all season on the projection tracker. Below: what the exhibitions showed.
Starter projections
Exhibitions are not graded.
Exhibition signals
Exhibition
Duke 102, Belmont 62
October 8 · vs. Belmont
Exhibition Duke 103, Tennessee 64
October 20 · vs. Tennessee
Exhibition Duke 90, Kansas 84
October 25 · at Kansas
| Player | Starter projection PPG | Exhibition PPG | Exh. MPG | Exh. FGA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Blackwell | 15.0 | 19.3 | 24.7 | 10.0 |
| Patrick Ngongba II | 14.5 | 15.3 | 23.0 | 7.0 |
| Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje | 11.0 | 12.0 | 23.0 | 9.3 |
| Cayden Boozer | 9.0 | 6.7 | 22.3 | 5.0 |
| Caleb Foster | 8.2 | 2.0 | 15.0 | 6.0 |
| Dame Sarr | 6.0 | 15.3 | 27.0 | 8.0 |
| Deron Rippey Jr. | 6.0 | 11.7 | 18.7 | 6.7 |
| Drew Scharnowski | 2.2 | — | — | — |
| Cameron Williams | 2.0 | 1.3 | 11.0 | 2.0 |
| Sebastian Wilkins | 2.0 | 8.7 | 21.0 | 6.3 |
| Bryson Howard | 2.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 3.7 |
| Jacob Theodosiou | 1.9 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| Maxime Meyer | 1.5 | 3.5 | 11.5 | 3.0 |
- Same starting five in both games: Sarr, Boumtje Boumtje, Blackwell, Boozer, Ngongba.
- Leading scorer: John Blackwell, 19.3 PPG in 24.7 minutes.
- Biggest minutes swing: Cameron Williams, 18 min, then 2 min.
- One appearance: Foster (at Kansas), Arnold (vs. Tennessee), Davis (vs. Tennessee).
- Availability: Caleb Foster returned from an ankle injury and played 15 minutes at Kansas; Drew Scharnowski did not appear in any of the three exhibitions.
- Bench minutes: 6 and 8 and 5 reserves played in the games.
All numbers are recorded by hand from the official goduke.com box scores linked on each game page.