Duke Announces Breaking Future Home-and-Home Series

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer stands on the court 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 Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Duke Announces Breaking Future Home-and-Home Series

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Hugh Straine | Last updated May 13, 2026 11:56 AM ET

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Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer always seeks to give his guys a tough non-conference schedule to best prepare them for postseason action.

The 2026-27 campaign will be no different, as the Blue Devils have several marquee matchups on the slate thanks to Duke's groundbreaking broadcast deal with Amazon, which allows the streaming service to exclusively broadcast three neutral-site, non-conference games a year for Duke.

Now, the Blue Devils have added a stellar home-and-home series for the future.

Duke Seals Home-and-Home Series With Illinois

According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Duke and Illinois have agreed to a home-and-home series that will begin on Nov. 17 in Durham. An official announcement is expected soon.

This automatically gives Duke, once again, one of the toughest non-con slates in all of college hoops, as the Fighting Illini will enter the 2026-27 as a top-five team in the land, as will the Blue Devils.

NEWS: Duke and Illinois will start a home-and-home series on November 17th in Durham, according to a source.

Return game in Champaign on December 4th, 2027.https://t.co/Q6AQRftpd4
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 13, 2026

Illinois is coming off a run to the Final Four in 2026 and is bringing back star guard Andrej Stojakovic and forward David Mirkovic from that club, arguably the team's top two players.

Brad Underwood is establishing a national title contender in Champaign, and this gives Duke another opportunity to build an elite resume next season.

This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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