Duke basketball’s annual Countdown to Craziness is set at Cameron Indoor Stadium, marking the unofficial start of another highly anticipated season in Durham. Coming off a Final Four run, head coach Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils enter the 2025-26 campaign with sky-high expectations — and plenty of new faces.
Scheyer and his staff landed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, led by five-star phenom Cameron Boozer. But despite the elite incoming talent, this Duke team will look very different from a year ago. The Blue Devils lost their entire starting five from the 2024-25 squad and will lean heavily on freshmen and untested players as they chase another deep March run.
Still, few programs can match Duke’s combination of talent and pedigree. As the season approaches, Scheyer remains confident that his young group has what it takes to compete for a national title — even if it’ll take some time for them to grow into their potential.
In a recent conversation with On3’s Jamie Shaw, Jon Scheyer shared his early impressions of this year’s Duke team — one that’s still finding its identity heading into the 2025-26 season.
“I think it’s still being shaped,” Scheyer said. “We haven’t had our full team together at one time this year yet. Maliq [Brown] is still out, and hopefully we get him back really soon. But I think the thing that’s consistent with this year’s group is versatility, size, and skill. They’ve shown a really good competitiveness so far. How we come together beyond that, time will tell. We’re still working on it, but that versatility and the ability to be a really sound defensive team is what stands out to me.”
With an entirely new starting lineup and one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, the Blue Devils will need plenty of time on the floor together to develop chemistry.
Scheyer acknowledged the growing pains that come with such a young roster but emphasized the quality of the group he’s assembled. “Each year it may vary,” he added. “Ideally, we’re not as young as we are this year — that’s not the goal. But for me, the challenge and the character of the people we were able to recruit outweighed the fact that you would want more experience. That’s the fine line.”