Exhibition Game Preview: Duke vs. Tennessee

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 • 7:00 p.m. ET
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) • Durham, N.C.
TV: ACC Network
Radio: Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD

Duke basketball returns to action Tuesday to face the Tennessee Volunteers in the second exhibition for both teams. The top-10 exhibition contest features the only two programs to play in the Elite Eight in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments.

Duke finished the 2025–26 season with a 35–3 overall record and a 17–1 mark in ACC play, winning both the ACC regular-season championship and the ACC Tournament title under head coach Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight, defeating Siena, TCU and St. John’s before suffering a heartbreaking 73–72 loss to UConn in the East Regional Final. Duke spent much of the season ranked among the nation’s top teams and finished No. 4 in the final AP poll. The Blue Devils’ dominant campaign included a second consecutive ACC regular-season title and their second straight No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed.

Jon Scheyer begins his fifth season as head coach of the Blue Devils and his 14th season on the Duke coaching staff. Scheyer’s 124 wins and 25 victories over AP-ranked opponents are the most by a Division I coach in their first four seasons. The Blue Devils have won 32 consecutive home games, including 19 straight against conference opponents, while posting a 63-3 (.955) home record under Scheyer. In 2025-26, the Blue Devils made the program’s 26th Elite Eight appearance, captured Duke’s 24th ACC Tournament title, claimed the conference regular-season championship for the 22nd time, and achieved a 35-win season for the second straight season with an overall record of 35-3. The win total of the last two seasons (70) is the best two-year stretch in Duke history, exceeding the 69 victories posted from the 1997-98 (32) and 1998-99 (37) campaigns. Duke is the only program in the country with 70 wins in the last two seasons. Only Duke has advanced to the Elite Eight in each of the last three years with a Final Four appearance. The only other school to play in the Elite Eight in each of the last three years is Tennessee.

Last Time Out

Duke began preseason action with a scrimmage against Belmont on Oct. 8, as the Blue Devils moved past the visiting Bruins, 102-62, with five different Duke players scoring in double-figures. Sophomore Dame Sarr and freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje led the way with 19 points each, while Boumtje Boumtje was joined by Patrick Ngongba II with a team-high seven rebounds apiece. Sarr and Sebastian Wilkins were close behind on the glass, reeling in six caroms each, and Ngongba II led the team in assists with four dimes. John Blackwell tallied 15 points, including a perfect 5-for-5 night at the charity stripe. Cayden Boozer scored 12 points, and Deron Rippey Jr. rounded out the double-digit scoring with 11 points. The Blue Devils shot 23-of-27 overall from the free-throw line, highlighted by Sarr’s 9-of-10 night from the stripe.

On defense, Duke limited Belmont to just 20-of-58 (.345) shooting and forced 17 turnovers, fueled by eight different Blue Devils registering at least one steal.

Tennessee finished the 2025–26 season with a 25–12 overall record and an 11–7 mark in SEC play, tying for fourth in the conference under head coach Rick Barnes. The Volunteers earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to their third consecutive Elite Eight, defeating Miami (Ohio), Virginia, and Iowa State before falling to Michigan, 95–62, in the Midwest Regional Final. Tennessee finished the season ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, marking its fifth consecutive season with at least 25 wins.

Tennessee and Duke have split their 16 all-time meetings, with the Volunteers winning the most recent matchup, a 65-52 victory in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Tennessee last played at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 1975, earning an 86-80 win, and enters the matchup with a roster heavily rebuilt through the transfer portal. The Vols added nine transfers who combined for 3,880 points last season, including seven players who averaged a combined 15.3 points per game at their previous schools. Six of those seven led their former teams in scoring, while four incoming transfers made at least 50 three-pointers last season.

Last Time Out

Tennessee opened its 2026-27 season with an 86-70 loss to Xavier after surrendering a 10-point second-half lead. Terrence Hill Jr. led the Volunteers with 22 points, while Juke Harris added 15 and Jalen Haralson finished with 10. After trailing by eight at halftime, Xavier took control with a 13-2 run early in the second half before closing the game on a dominant stretch in which it scored 31 of the next 40 points. The difference came from beyond the arc, as Xavier shot 57.1% from three-point range in the second half while Tennessee managed just 1-of-12 shooting.

The intriguing matchups for me are going to be firstly how Dame Sarr does against Juke Harris, as we saw last season Harris is a scoring machine. Harris averaged 21.4 ppg last season in the ACC, and I can only assume that Sarr will get that assignment, as Harris will have the ultimate green light. The other will be the power forward matchup between Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje and second-year forward DeWayne Brown II. While both are listed around 250 lbs, I would give Brown the advantage in strength. I am curious to see how JBB does with guarding him and conversely how Brown guards a more perimeter-oriented JBB.

For the Blue Devils, I think it comes down to winning the battle on the glass. Xavier was able to do that against TN in the first exhibition by 14 including a 13-9 advantage on the offensive glass, which they used to score 17 second-chance points vs. just 7 for the Volunteers. Duke also, defensively, needs to keep the Volunteers off the 3-point line. Despite not shooting well against Xavier, Ames, Harris, and Hill can get hot. Hill and Ames each shot 37% last season, while Harris is only at 32.5% for his career—he can score the ball in bunches and can get to the free throw line using his size on smaller defenders.

At the end of the day, it’s just an exhibition, and I fully expect both teams to tinker with situations and lineups. Duke is still without 2 probable starters, so only so much can be gleaned from these early games, but it definitely gives coaches the opportunity to learn, try things, and assess.