Duke, Illinois agree to home-and-home series starting in 2026

Duke has shown in the past that it isn’t afraid to schedule some of the top teams in college basketball to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. For Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils, that will be the case again next season as they have added yet another marquee matchup against Illinois.

The two schools have agreed to a home-and-home series beginning this upcoming season, with the Blue Devils and Fighting Illini meeting in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 17, and Duke making the return trip to State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill., on Dec. 4, 2027.

Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois made the Final Four for the first time since 2005 this past season, ultimately falling to UConn in the national semifinals. The matchup between Duke and Illinois could be an early top-five matchup, as ESPN’s Way-Too-Early rankings have the Blue Devils at No. 2 and the Illini at No. 4.

Brad Underwood brings back essentially his entire frontcourt rotation, securing the return of David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic and Jake Davis without much drama, and Andrej Stojakovic remains likely to return despite entering his name in the NBA draft at the deadline. Of course, the Illini also had to replace their starting backcourt with and moving on, but talented Providence transfer and fast-rising top-30 recruit Quentin Coleman are viable options on the perimeter.