Duke Prepares for Major Change After ACC Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated May 7, 2025 2:10 PM ET

After being stunned in the 2025 Final Four by the Houston Cougars, coach Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils have already undergone some major changes.

Duke lost numerous stars to the NBA draft, including likely No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, ACC Tournament MVP Kon Knueppel and center Khaman Maluach, among others.

But the Blue Devils have compensated nicely for their losses, adding Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the twins of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, and five-star forward Nikolas Khamenia.

The ACC will also undergo some major changes starting in the 2025-26 season that could have a big impact on Duke and other programs in the conference.

According to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, the ACC has approved a scheduling change that will reduce the conference slate from 20 games to 18 per season. It will go into effect next season.

"Sources: ACC ADs have officially approved moving to an 18-game schedule in basketball, sources tell @CBSSports," Norlander wrote on X. "League had been on a 20-gamer since 2019-20 (save the COVID year). Decision was made in part because the ACC only sent four of its 18 teams to the men’s NCAAT this yr."

Sources: ACC ADs have officially approved moving to an 18-game schedule in basketball, sources tell @CBSSports. League had been on a 20-gamer since 2019-20 (save the COVID year). Decision was made in part because the ACC only sent four of its 18 teams to the men’s NCAAT this yr.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 7, 2025

As Norlander mentioned, the scheduling shift is a direct result of the ACC sending only four teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2025, despite having a program in the Final Four in each of the past three years.

The change could allow Duke to add up to two more high-profile opponents to its November and December schedule. However, with 18 teams in the ACC, the door also is open for major rivalries, like Duke vs. North Carolina, to be played only once per season instead of twice.

"This frees up the likes of Duke, Carolina, Louisville, Virginia, etc. to add at least one more notable/high-profile game to their dockets this Nov/Dec," Norlander added.

Similarly, the SEC and Big 12 play 18 conference games each season, whereas the Big East and Big Ten remain at 20.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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