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The Duke basketball program will take on Tennessee in its first exhibition game ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Blue Devils hosted Belmont for a scrimmage on Oct. 8 to open the preseason and lived up to the lofty expectations surrounding them as arguably the top roster in college basketball, cruising to a 102-62 victory over the Bruins.
Duke was dominant on the defensive end, and the Volunteers will serve as an excellent early test to measure just how elite this team already is on that side of the floor. This marks the second consecutive season that the Blue Devils have met Tennessee in an exhibition; Duke defeated the Vols 83-76 last year in Knoxville.
Before the Blue Devils' first exhibition matchup, here is everything fans need to know.
How to Watch Duke's Exhibition Game vs. Tennessee
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 20
- Time: 7:00 pm ET
- Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, NC)
- TV: ACC Network
- Listen: Blue Devil Network
Quick Preview Before Duke Faces Tennessee
Now, it's important not to read too much into a preseason exhibition game, but Tennessee will provide an early test for the Blue Devils after an elite defensive showing against Belmont. Rick Barnes assembled one of the nation's top transfer portal classes this offseason, and this year's Vols club is built to lead with offense.
Barnes brought in the No. 3-ranked portal class in the nation, according to 247Sports. The group includes Juke Harris (21.4 ppg at Wake Forest), Jalen Haralson (16.2 ppg at Notre Dame), Tyler Lundblade (15.6 ppg at Belmont), Terrence Hill Jr. (15.0 ppg at VCU), Dai Dai Ames (16.9 ppg at California), and Miles Rubin (11.3 ppg at Loyola Chicago). Not only does Tennessee have scoring all over the floor, but it also possesses a solid wealth of size.
Duke held Belmont to 34.5% shooting from the field and 23.3% shooting from three-point range on 30 attempts. It also tallied 12 steals, seven blocks, and outrebounded the Bruins 46-28. Scheyer and Co. built a rotation with switchable size everywhere, and that was clear against Belmont.
This Tennessee team has the makeup of a squad that will try to push the pace and win with a high-octane offense, giving Duke an early chance to contain a presumably prolific attack. Again, this is an exhibition. Regardless of how good or inconsistent the Volunteers are offensively on Tuesday night, they will look much different in February and March.
It's hard to take anything too seriously this early, but we'll see how overwhelming Duke can be on the defensive end of the floor. Tennessee fell 86-70 to Xavier in its first exhibition on Oct. 15.
Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI. Follow HughStraine.