After two preseason contests, the Duke basketball program looks like one of the top-tier teams in college basketball and has validated all expectations heading into the year.
It's still extremely early, but it's hard not to be highly impressed with this Blue Devils club. They have now scored over 100 points in each of their two preseason games and have clearly been the better team for all 40 minutes in both outings.
Duke looks like it could be the best defensive team in college basketball, and the sheer amount of offensive options it has is telling. Here are three key areas where the Blue Devils already look vastly improved from last season.
Three-Point Shooting
In 2025-26, the Blue Devils had the personnel to be a good three-point shooting team, but that didn't come to fruition. Duke ranked 132nd nationally in three-point shooting percentage (34.7) last season, according to KenPom. After two exhibition games, the perimeter looks like the area where Duke could potentially make the biggest statistical jump from last season to this year.
Against Belmont on Oct. 8, the Blue Devils knocked down 11-of-25 (44%) from beyond the arc, and seven different guys knocked down a triple. Against the Vols, Duke shot 12-of-33 (36.4%) from three-point range, and seven different players knocked one down once again. One thing that stood out offensively for Duke against Tennessee was that there were no forced shots. The Blue Devils took what was given to them from the perimeter, but knocked down clean looks at a high level.
Free-Throw Shooting
The charity stripe was a major Achilles' heel for the Blue Devils last season. They ranked 175th at KenPom in team free-throw percentage (72.9). Similar to the three-point line, the Blue Devils have been highly efficient from the free-throw line through two preseason games.
Against the Bruins, Duke went 23-of-27 (85.2%) from the line. Against Tennessee, it went 19-of-21 (90.5%) from the charity stripe. Not only are the Blue Devils knocking their free throws down, but they are getting to the line at a high rate. The Blue Devils got 19.7% of their total points last season from the free-throw line, which ranked 180th at KenPom. It also ranked 100th in free-throw attempts per game (22.1).
Missed opportunities at the charity stripe cost the Blue Devils at times last season, and they have both gotten to the line at a high rate and knocked them down over their two preseason contests so far.
Forcing Turnovers
Now, this isn't at all to say that Duke wasn't an elite defensive team in college basketball last season. It ranked third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom and has ranked in the top five in each of the last two years. However, the Blue Devils didn't force turnovers at a premium in 2025-26, ranking 132nd nationally in defensive turnover percentage (17.3).
The Blue Devils got out and ran against the Vols on Tuesday night, turning 13 Tennessee turnovers into 15 points. Duke forced 17 turnovers against Belmont and turned them into 20 points. This Duke team looks special defensively, but the points it gets off turnovers look much improved.
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