 If there is one thing Jon Scheyer isn't doing with Duke Basketball, it's taking the easy road to March. Duke's 2026-27 non-conference schedule is absolutely loaded with big-time matchups, tough road environments and games that should have a national spotlight.
We are talking UConn in Las Vegas, Florida in Gainesville, Illinois inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, Michigan State in the Champions Classic and Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden. Somehow, a February matchup against Gonzaga in Detroit doesn't even crack my top five. Think about that for a second. When a game against Gonzaga, played in the same city that will host the 2027 Final Four, doesn't make the list, you know Duke has put together one heck of a non-conference schedule. That's before we even get to the preseason. Duke will welcome Tennessee to Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 20 for an exhibition after beating the Volunteers 83-76 in Knoxville last preseason. Five days later, the Blue Devils will travel to one of college basketball's bucket-list venues, Allen Fieldhouse, for an October 25 exhibition against Kansas. Scheyer isn't hiding this team from anybody. He's putting together a gauntlet that should have the Blue Devils tested and ready when March rolls around. With so many great games to choose from, here are my top five Duke non-conference games for the 2026-27 season. 5. Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden December 21 | Madison Square Garden | New York City You could easily convince me to flip No. 4 and No. 5 on this list, but I'm putting Texas Tech at No. 5. There is definitely some unfinished business here. Duke entered last season's matchup with Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden undefeated. For a while, it looked like the Blue Devils were going to stay that way. Texas Tech stormed back and stunned Duke 82-81, handing the Blue Devils their first loss of the season. Christian Anderson scored 27 points for the Red Raiders, while Duke's final attempt at the buzzer wouldn't fall. Now we get the rematch. Same opponent, same month and the same building. Madison Square Garden has almost become a second home for Duke Basketball over the years. Duke fans have even given it the nickname "Cameron North." You can bet the Blue Devils will remember exactly what happened there against Texas Tech last December. A rematch against the team that handed Duke its first loss last season, played at Cameron North? That's more than enough to make my top five. 4. Michigan State in the Champions Classic November 10 | United Center | Chicago The Champions Classic always seems to deliver. Duke, Michigan State, Kansas and Kentucky are four of the biggest brands in college basketball, and putting them together on the same night creates one of the first major events of every college basketball season. This year Duke draws Michigan State at the United Center in Chicago, and this could easily be one of the first major measuring-stick games of the season for the Blue Devils. Tom Izzo will have his Spartans ready. That's basically a guarantee. Michigan State is expected to once again be one of the better teams in the country, which gives you an idea of the type of matchup we could be looking at in Chicago. Depending on where the preseason polls land, this could potentially be a Top 10 matchup. Duke versus Michigan State. Scheyer versus Izzo. The Champions Classic in Chicago. There is a lot to like about this one, and I could easily see it moving higher on my list once November arrives. 3. Illinois at Cameron Indoor Stadium November 17 | Cameron Indoor Stadium | Durham I expect Cameron Indoor Stadium to be absolutely rocking for this one. Illinois isn't just another quality Big Ten opponent coming into Durham. The Illini are coming off a trip to the 2026 Final Four and are expected to be right back among the best teams in college basketball this season. ESPN currently has Illinois ranked No. 3 in its Way-Too-Early Top 25. There is also some recent history between these two programs. Duke absolutely dominated Illinois 110-67 at Madison Square Garden in February 2025, winning by 43 points in what became the largest Duke victory ever at the Garden. That game was two seasons ago, but I would imagine Brad Underwood and the Illini haven't completely forgotten about it. Now Illinois gets another shot at Duke, but this time the Illini have to walk into Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coming off a Final Four appearance and currently projected as one of the top teams in the country, Illinois should give the Cameron Crazies plenty to get excited about. This is exactly the type of non-conference home game I love seeing Duke schedule. ESPN currently has Duke No. 2 and Illinois No. 3. If those expectations hold, we could be looking at one of the biggest non-conference games at Cameron. Cameron could be absolutely electric. 2. Duke at Florida December 1 | Gainesville, Florida | ACC/SEC Challenge Remember last year's game? Florida came into Cameron as the defending 2025 national champion, and Duke escaped with an incredible 67-66 victory. Cameron Boozer scored 29 points, and Isaiah Evans buried the go-ahead three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining. It felt like March basketball in December. At the time, I remember thinking we could be watching a preview of a possible NCAA Tournament showdown between Duke and Florida. That rematch never happened in March, but we're getting another shot at it this season. The big difference is that this time Duke has to go into Gainesville. Florida should once again be loaded. ESPN currently has the Gators ranked No. 1 in its Way-Too-Early Top 25, with Duke sitting right behind them at No. 2. Think about what we could have here. Duke at Florida. No. 1 versus No. 2. ACC versus SEC. A rematch of last season's one-point thriller at Cameron. Obviously, a lot can happen between now and December 1, but the potential is there for this to be one of the biggest games of the entire non-conference college basketball season. Duke won round one in Cameron. Now the Blue Devils have to head into Gainesville and try to do it again. 1. Duke vs. UConn in Las Vegas November 25 | T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas There wasn't much debate for me at No. 1 because there are simply too many layers to this game. Duke versus UConn in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving Eve would already be one of the biggest games on Duke's schedule. Add what happened in Washington, D.C., last March and this one hits a little differently. Duke fans don't need much of a reminder. The Blue Devils were one victory away from the Final Four in the 2026 Elite Eight and appeared to be in complete control against UConn. Duke led by 15 points at halftime and at one point pushed the lead to 19. Somehow, the season still ended that night. UConn fought all the way back before Braylon Mullins hit a stunning 35-footer in the final second, giving the Huskies a 73-72 victory and sending UConn to the Final Four. That's the type of loss Duke fans aren't going to forget anytime soon. The history between these programs goes much deeper than one night in Washington. Those of us who have followed Duke Basketball for several decades remember 1999. Duke entered the national championship game 37-1 and riding a 32-game winning streak before UConn stunned the Blue Devils 77-74 for the national title. Then came 2004. Duke led UConn late in the national semifinal before the Huskies rallied for a 79-78 victory. UConn went on to win another national championship. Now you can add 2026 to the list. Like it or not, I'm calling UConn what it is. The Huskies are a blue blood. UConn has won championships across multiple eras and has become one of the defining programs in modern college basketball. Duke and UConn have history, heartbreak and championships between them, and now another chapter is coming. Dan Hurley has never exactly been shy when it comes to Duke, either. Just in case this matchup needed another storyline, former Blue Devil Nik Khamenia transferred to UConn during the offseason. Khamenia played in all 38 games for Duke last season before making the move to Storrs. UConn has had Duke's number in some enormous NCAA Tournament moments. There was 1999, then 2004 and now 2026. Duke finally gets another shot at the Huskies, only this time we're trading March Madness for Sin City. T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Thanksgiving Eve. Two blue bloods. A recent Elite Eight heartbreak. A former Blue Devil wearing UConn colors. There are just too many storylines for any other game to take the top spot. I expect Duke to be hyped for this one, and that's why Duke versus UConn in Sin City is easily my No. 1 non-conference game of the season. Gonzaga Didn't Even Make My Top Five Maybe the best way to explain just how loaded Duke's non-conference schedule is this season is to look at the game that didn't make my list. On February 20, Duke will play Gonzaga at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. That's a major national matchup on its own, but there's another interesting part to this game. The 2027 Final Four will also be played in Detroit at Ford Field. Getting an opportunity to play a major neutral-site game in the same city that will host the Final Four certainly can't hurt. Gonzaga isn't exactly a tune-up, either. Yet somehow I'm leaving this game outside my top five. That tells you everything you need to know about this schedule. Scheyer Is Building Duke for March There's a bigger picture to all of this. Before the regular season even begins, Duke will face Tennessee at Cameron and travel to Allen Fieldhouse to play Kansas in preseason exhibitions. Once the games start counting, Duke will see Michigan State, Illinois, UConn, Florida, Texas Tech and eventually Gonzaga. That's not scheduling to protect an undefeated November record. That's scheduling to find out what your team is made of. Duke will play elite teams at Cameron. The Blue Devils will go into hostile road environments. They'll play major neutral-site games in Chicago and Las Vegas. They'll return to Madison Square Garden, a building that has become a second home for the program. Then in February, they'll head to Detroit, the same city where every team in college basketball hopes its season eventually ends. Jon Scheyer has built a non-conference gauntlet. With a schedule like this, there may be some bumps along the way. That's almost unavoidable. But Duke's goal isn't to be perfect in November and December. The goal is to be ready in March. If the Blue Devils eventually find themselves back in Detroit for the 2027 Final Four, we may look back at this brutal non-conference schedule as one of the reasons they were ready when they got there.
0 Comments
 The calendar may only say August, but it’s never too early to start looking ahead to another season of Duke Basketball. Duke released its complete 2026-27 non-conference schedule, and once again Jon Scheyer isn’t exactly taking the easy road to get his Blue Devils ready for March. From Cameron Indoor Stadium to Chicago, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Gainesville, Madison Square Garden and eventually Detroit, Duke will see plenty of big stages before postseason basketball arrives. And that doesn’t even include a pair of pretty interesting exhibition games. It Starts Before the Games Even Count Duke will get things started with three exhibition games in October, beginning with Belmont at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 8. Things get a little more interesting after that, with Tennessee coming to Cameron on October 20 before Duke heads to Lawrence on October 25 to face Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse. Yes, it’s only an exhibition game. But Duke-Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse is still Duke-Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse. For a Duke team trying to figure out exactly what it has before the regular season begins, Scheyer should learn quite a bit before the first game even counts. The Schedule Gets Serious Quickly After opening the regular season at home against Army on November 2 and Coastal Carolina on November 5, Duke won't have to wait long for its first major test. Michigan State in the Champions Classic awaits on November 10 in Chicago. SIU-Edwardsville comes to Cameron three days later before what could be one of the best home games on Duke's schedule when Illinois visits Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 17. Then comes one of the more interesting stretches of the non-conference schedule. Duke will head west to face Washington State in Palm Springs on November 21 before traveling to Las Vegas to take on UConn on November 25. That's a pretty good way to spend Thanksgiving week if you're a college basketball fan. Scheyer Is Taking Duke on the Road One thing that really jumps out when looking at this schedule is just how much of the country Duke will see. Chicago. Palm Springs. Las Vegas. Gainesville. New York. Detroit. There are plenty of games inside Cameron, but Scheyer is also giving his team opportunities to play away from home in different environments against some really good basketball teams. The December schedule includes perhaps the toughest true road game of the bunch when Duke travels to Gainesville to face Florida on December 1. Harvard comes to Cameron on December 4 before Duke heads north for the first of two trips to a familiar building. A Couple Trips to “Cameron North” Duke fans will get plenty of opportunities to see the Blue Devils in one of their favorite home-away-from-home venues, Madison Square Garden. Duke will make two trips to Madison Square Garden during the non-conference schedule, beginning with Georgia in the Jimmy V Classic on December 8. After home games against Campbell and Grambling State, Duke heads right back to New York to face Texas Tech at MSG on December 21. And wouldn't you know it, Madison Square Garden will also be the home of the East Regional of the 2027 NCAA Tournament, with the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight being played there March 26 and 28. Or as Duke fans have called it over the years, Cameron North. Obviously, there is no guarantee Duke's NCAA Tournament path will run through New York. But you have to like what Scheyer is doing with this schedule. His team will get two opportunities to play under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden months before the NCAA Tournament arrives there. And MSG isn't the only city on Duke's schedule that could become pretty important next spring. Could Duke See Detroit Twice? There's one non-conference game sitting way out there in February that is hard to overlook. Duke will face Gonzaga in Detroit on February 20 at Little Caesars Arena. By then the Blue Devils will be deep into the ACC schedule, making a late-season non-conference game against Gonzaga an interesting change of pace. But take a look a little further down the calendar. The road to the 2027 National Championship will eventually end in Detroit, with the Final Four and National Championship game being played at Ford Field in April. Coincidence? Maybe. But there is certainly something to be said for getting your players comfortable traveling to these cities, staying in the hotels, playing in NBA arenas and experiencing the atmosphere that comes with big-time neutral-site basketball. Scheyer has shown he isn't afraid to put Duke in those environments during the regular season. If everything breaks right for Duke next March, perhaps the Blue Devils will make three trips to New York and two trips to Detroit before the season is over. The first trips will be during the regular season. Duke would certainly love the reason for the return trips. Another Schedule Built for March Scheyer has never seemed particularly interested in building a non-conference schedule just to pile up wins. This one certainly isn't that. There are manageable games mixed throughout, but there are also trips to Allen Fieldhouse and Gainesville, neutral-site games against Michigan State, Washington State, UConn, Georgia, Texas Tech and Gonzaga, plus Illinois coming into Cameron. It's a schedule that will take Duke all over the country and put the Blue Devils in plenty of uncomfortable situations. That's probably exactly the point. Somewhere between October and February, Scheyer should learn just about everything he needs to know about his basketball team. And if Duke is where it wants to be when March rolls around, the Blue Devils may look back at this schedule as part of what got them there. They may even find themselves returning to a couple of these cities along the way.  ACC Football Stock Market: Which Teams Are Bull Stocks, Bear Stocks, and Worth Buying in 2026?8/5/2026  It has been a while since I've updated Blue Devils Blog.
Summer break was a short one this year, but it was packed with some incredible memories. I managed to squeeze in several hikes, plus an unforgettable trip to Philadelphia for the FIFA World Cup match between Brazil and Haiti. That trip alone was worth it. Seeing the Rocky Statue, catching a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, and grabbing an authentic Philly cheesesteak at Reading Terminal Market made for an awesome sports weekend. But the main event was Brazil vs. Haiti at Lincoln Financial Field. The atmosphere was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Soccer fans are some of the most passionate fans in the world. After Brazil's victory, my wife and I rode the subway back to downtown Philadelphia packed shoulder-to-shoulder with Brazilian fans singing, dancing, and celebrating the entire ride. It is one of those sports memories that will stay with me forever. ...But enough about fútbol. We're here to talk football. More specifically... ACC Football. Unfortunately, I had to miss Duke's day at ACC Kickoff because I had to leave town early to close a business deal. Sometimes life gets in the way. Fortunately, I caught up on everything by watching ACC Kickoff coverage afterward and listening to several podcasts. And while I'm at it... If you're an ACC football fan and you're not listening to Ovies & Giglio, you're missing out. They do a tremendous job covering ACC athletics and are definitely worth adding to your podcast rotation. Now... It's time to get back on the Duke Report beat. For this article, I decided to combine two things I enjoy: Investing and ACC Football. A few weeks ago I submitted my official ACC preseason ballot. I'll be revealing my predicted order of finish, Duke's projected record, and my first bowl projection for the Blue Devils in upcoming articles. Today, though... We're looking at the conference through a completely different lens. If ACC football programs were publicly traded companies on Wall Street... Which teams would you buy? Which teams would you sell? Which teams are worth holding onto for the long haul? I selected ten ACC football programs and assigned each one a stock rating. 📈 Bull Stock — A program I'm bullish on for this season and/or the future. 📉 Bear Stock — A program trending in the wrong direction or carrying significant risk. ⚖️ Bull/Bear Stock — A program with enough positives and question marks that investors could make a convincing case either way. So grab your portfolio... The opening bell is ringing. Let's open the ACC Stock Exchange. 📈 Duke Football — Bull Stock: A Growth Stock to Buy and Hold Let's start with the team many of you probably came here to read about... Duke Football. I'm bullish on the Blue Devils and view Duke as one of the ACC's best long-term growth stocks. The foundation built in Durham over the past several seasons is real, and I don't see it disappearing anytime soon. Duke is coming off a season to remember, capturing the ACC Championship with a win over Virginia in Charlotte before finishing the year with a victory over Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. Success like that doesn't happen by accident. It starts with leadership. As long as Manny Diaz is leading the program, David Feeley continues pushing players "through the sewer" with one of the nation's premier strength and conditioning programs, and Nina King remains committed to investing in Duke Football, I believe the Blue Devils are positioned to continue building on their recent success. Now before anyone says this is simply the Duke fan in me talking... Let's look at the investment objectively. Back-to-back nine-win seasons under Diaz have changed expectations around Duke Football. Simply making a bowl game is no longer considered a successful season. The standard has been raised. Duke now enters every season expecting to compete near the top of the ACC. Yes, the Blue Devils lost several key contributors from last year's championship team. That's modern college football. Every program is dealing with roster turnover. The difference is Duke has shown it can develop players, recruit high school talent, and use the transfer portal effectively enough to reload instead of rebuild. I'm not ready to reveal my official game-by-game predictions just yet. But I will say this... I fully expect Duke to be playing football again this December. More importantly... I believe Duke Football is building something sustainable rather than simply enjoying one magical season. 📈 Stock Rating: BUY and HOLD Duke may not be the ACC's flashiest stock... But it is one I'd be comfortable investing in for years to come. ⚖️ Clemson Tigers — Bull/Bear Stock: The Blue-Chip Company Trying to Prove It Still Has Value If there is one stock in the ACC that perfectly fits the phrase "Buy? Sell? Or Hold?" It's Clemson. Few programs in college football have built the résumé Clemson has under Dabo Swinney. Since 2015, the Tigers have become one of the sport's elite brands, winning two national championships, making seven College Football Playoff appearances, and capturing eight ACC Championships. That kind of success creates confidence. The Clemson brand still carries tremendous value. 📈 The Bull Case Even after a disappointing 7-6 season in 2025, the ACC media still projected Clemson to finish fourth in the 2026 preseason poll while receiving seven first-place votes. That tells me investors haven't completely abandoned the stock. The Tigers still have Dabo Swinney. They still recruit at a high level. They still have championship expectations. And Death Valley remains one of college football's toughest environments. 📉 The Bear Case This is where things become interesting. Clemson is no longer the automatic favorite it once was. Programs like Miami, SMU, and others have embraced NIL and the transfer portal more aggressively, while Clemson has remained committed to its traditional approach. Can that philosophy still win championships? Maybe. But for the first time in over a decade, investors are asking legitimate questions. Is Clemson still the company leading the market... Or is it living off its previous success? ⚖️ Stock Rating: HOLD (High Volatility) If you're investing based on history, recruiting, coaching stability, and championship pedigree... Clemson is an easy Buy. If you're investing based only on recent performance and the changing landscape of college football... There are enough warning signs to make you think twice. Clemson may be the ACC's only true Bull/Bear stock. A blue-chip company with an elite track record... Trying to prove its best days aren't behind it. 📈 Miami Hurricanes — Bull Stock: The ACC's Blue-Chip Investment If I am building my ACC stock portfolio... Miami is one of the very first stocks I am buying. And I'm buying as much as I can. The Hurricanes have everything investors look for: A national brand. Elite recruiting territory. Major financial resources. And a fan base that expects championships. After years of trying to return to national relevance, Miami finally looks like a program that has positioned itself to make a serious run. Us Duke fans know exactly who Miami added this offseason. The Hurricanes landed Darian Mensah at quarterback and picked up Cooper Barkate from last year's ACC Championship-winning Duke team as the transfer portal clock was winding down. Losing two championship-caliber players is never easy for Duke fans to see. But as a college football fan... You have to see what Miami added. Mensah gives the Hurricanes a quarterback with tremendous upside, while Barkate brings proven production from a Duke offense that helped lead the Blue Devils to an ACC Championship. Combined with the rest of Miami's roster... The Hurricanes have all the offensive firepower needed to compete with anyone in the country. The biggest reason I like this stock, though, is the schedule. Miami has one of the clearest paths to the College Football Playoff in the ACC. The biggest obstacle may come in early November when the Hurricanes travel to Notre Dame. That game will tell us plenty about Miami. But I don't view it as a must-win. Even with a loss in South Bend, I believe Miami would still have an excellent chance to reach the College Football Playoff if they simply take care of business throughout the rest of the ACC schedule. Once they reach the postseason... They have the roster capable of making a deep run. The other reason this stock is so valuable is Miami's brand. If conference realignment ever reshapes college football again, Miami will almost certainly be one of the ACC's most attractive programs for either the SEC or Big Ten. The Hurricanes have everything those conferences value. History. Recruiting. Television appeal. Resources. For now, though... Miami doesn't need to worry about conference realignment. They need to worry about winning football games. And I think they're going to win a lot of them. 📈 Stock Rating: STRONG BUY and HOLD Miami is one of the ACC's fastest-rising investments. If everything comes together... This stock could be headed straight for the College Football Playoff. 📈 SMU Mustangs — Bull Stock: A High-Risk, High-Reward Investment SMU is one of the ACC stocks I'm buying. Since joining the ACC, the Mustangs have wasted little time proving they belong. Instead of simply trying to survive in a new conference, SMU immediately challenged for the top of the league, reaching the ACC Championship Game in its first season as a member and showing it has both the coaching and financial resources to sustain success. What separates SMU from many programs isn't just the talent on the field. It's the commitment behind the scenes. The Mustangs have one of the strongest booster bases in the country, and that financial backing has allowed the program to invest aggressively in recruiting, facilities, and the transfer portal. In today's college football landscape... Resources matter. And SMU has plenty of them. Because of that, I believe the Mustangs have a legitimate chance to return to the ACC Championship Game this season and remain one of the conference's premier programs for years to come. But every stock has risk. For me, the biggest question surrounding SMU isn't football. It's conference realignment. If the ACC eventually loses schools to the SEC or Big Ten, where does SMU fit into the next version of college football? The Mustangs have the money. They have the ambition. They have a football program trending upward. But they don't yet carry the same national brand recognition as Clemson, Miami, or North Carolina. Would another power conference come calling? Or would SMU be left trying to find its place in a reshaped landscape? That is the one question that gives me pause. For now, though... I'm buying the stock and holding onto it. The upside is simply too great to ignore. 📈 Stock Rating: BUY and HOLD SMU is a high-upside investment with moderate long-term risk—not because of what happens on the football field, but because of what could happen around it. 📈 Virginia Tech Hokies — Bull Stock: The Turnaround Investment Ready to Rise Virginia Tech is one of my favorite sleeper stocks in the ACC. I'm buying this stock... And I'm expecting a return sooner rather than later. Even if the payoff doesn't fully come this season, I'm still investing in Virginia Tech for the long haul because I believe in the direction of the program under James Franklin. When you combine a proven head coach, a passionate fan base, and a community that lives and breathes Hokie football... The ingredients are there for a major turnaround. Let's not forget what Virginia Tech football was not that long ago. During the Frank Beamer era, especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Blacksburg became one of the toughest places to play in college football. The Hokies were winning ACC championships, playing in major bowl games, and competing on the national stage. That tradition has never disappeared. The passion surrounding Virginia Tech football remains one of the strongest in the ACC. The Blacksburg community, Southwest Virginia, and Hokie fans across the country continue to support this program at a solid level. The biggest question has simply been whether the football product can catch up to the passion. I believe James Franklin has the opportunity to change that. It may not happen overnight. It may not happen this season. But I believe Virginia Tech has the foundation to become a major player in the ACC again. And when Virginia Tech is winning... There may not be a better atmosphere in college football. Soon enough, I believe we'll hear "Enter Sandman" shaking Lane Stadium again—not just because it's one of the greatest entrances in sports, but because it will be backed up by a football team capable of competing at the highest level. I was confident enough in the Hokies that I voted Virginia Tech No. 5 on my ACC preseason ballot. 📈 Stock Rating: BUY Virginia Tech is a true growth stock. The return may not come overnight, but the combination of James Franklin, recruiting potential, tradition, and one of college football's strongest fan bases gives this stock tremendous upside. And if the Hokies start winning again... Don't be surprised if the momentum shifts back quickly in the Commonwealth Cup rivalry and Virginia Tech once again becomes the program everyone in Virginia has to deal with. 📈 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets — Bull Stock: A Rising Growth Stock With Market Risk Georgia Tech is one of the more fascinating stocks in the ACC market. A few years ago, this was a program many investors had written off. Today... That conversation has changed. Under head coach Brent Key, Georgia Tech has quietly become one of the ACC's best turnaround stories. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a strong 9-4 season, including an appearance in the always entertaining Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU. Although the season ended with a loss, the bigger story was the continued improvement of a program that had been searching for consistency. The previous two seasons before that, Georgia Tech finished with seven wins. The arrow is clearly pointing upward. The biggest reason I'm buying this stock is simple. Brent Key has changed the culture. After spending time on Georgia Tech's coaching staff before taking over as head coach, Key understood exactly what needed to change in Atlanta. He brought back an identity built on toughness, physical football, and player development. In a relatively short period of time, Georgia Tech has gone from a team searching for answers to one that believes it can compete with anyone in the ACC. But just like every investment... There is risk. The biggest concern for Georgia Tech this season is the schedule. The Yellow Jackets face one of the tougher schedules in the conference. It begins with a tough Tennessee after playing Colorado. Ends with Georgia in Athens. And includes ACC games against Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Louisville, and Clemson. That difficult path is why I placed Georgia Tech No. 12 on my ACC preseason ballot. However... The ACC media clearly sees something different. The Yellow Jackets were projected around fifth in the conference preseason poll, showing that many around the league believe this program is ready to take another step. That difference of opinion is exactly what makes Georgia Tech such an interesting investment. If the Yellow Jackets navigate this schedule and continue winning... This stock could rise quickly. Another successful season would prove last year's breakthrough wasn't a one-year spike. It would show Georgia Tech is building something sustainable. And if there is one coach capable of preparing his team for a difficult schedule... It just might be Brent Key. 📈 Stock Rating: BUY and HOLD Georgia Tech is a growth stock with real upside. I'm not quite ready to call the Yellow Jackets an ACC Championship contender. But they're no longer trying to become relevant. They're becoming a team the rest of the ACC has to respect. The stock is climbing. And smart investors are paying attention. ⚖️ Virginia Cavaliers — Bull/Bear Stock: A Momentum Stock Under Review Virginia may be the hardest stock to evaluate in the entire ACC. Are the Cavaliers a rising program ready to become a yearly contender? Or was last season simply the perfect combination of an experienced roster, a favorable schedule, and timely wins? That's why Virginia lands squarely in my Bull/Bear category. There is no denying what the Cavaliers accomplished. Virginia finished with an impressive 11-win season, reached the ACC Championship Game, and capped the year with a Gator Bowl victory over Missouri. No matter how you slice it... Eleven wins is eleven wins. Tony Elliott deserves plenty of credit for getting Virginia football back into the national conversation. Of course, Duke fans remember how that ACC Championship Game ended. The Blue Devils walked away with the trophy. But now the question becomes... Can Virginia do it again? When I looked back over last year's schedule, I couldn't help but notice the Cavaliers benefited from a fairly favorable path. Now, good teams are supposed to beat the teams on their schedule. Virginia did exactly that. But can they repeat that success against a more difficult slate? That is what investors are trying to determine. The ACC media certainly believes Virginia is trending upward, voting the Cavaliers 6th in the preseason poll. I wasn't quite as bullish. I placed Virginia 8th on my preseason ballot. The schedule should answer a lot of questions early. The season opener against NC State in Charlottesville immediately caught my attention. I believe the winner of that game has a legitimate chance to become one of the ACC's surprise contenders. Then comes one of the games I'm looking forward to most. A Friday night showdown in Charlottesville against Duke. A rematch of last year's ACC Championship Game. We'll find out very quickly whether Virginia has truly closed the gap. And then... The season ends with one of college football's most underrated rivalries. The Commonwealth Cup in Blacksburg. If Virginia Tech continues trending upward under James Franklin, that rivalry could become must-watch football again. ⚖️ Stock Rating: HOLD / Cautious BUY I'm not selling Virginia. The Cavaliers have momentum. They have confidence. They have stability. But I also want to see one more season before I'm ready to declare them a true long-term Bull Stock. This investment still has something to prove. 📉 North Carolina Tar Heels — Bear Stock: Sell... Unless You're Playing the Long Game If you're looking for a quick return... I'm selling North Carolina stock. And I'm selling fast. Year one of the Bill Belichick era turned into exactly the kind of volatility investors hate. The preseason hype surrounding the "33rd NFL team" quickly disappeared after a disappointing 4-8 season. The wins never came. The headlines never stopped. Whether it was the attention surrounding Belichick and Jordon Hudson... His sometimes uncomfortable relationship with the media... Or the recent news surrounding General Manager Michael Lombardi... It seemed like North Carolina could never stay out of the spotlight. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels... Most of that spotlight wasn't about football. From an investment standpoint, UNC is easily one of the ACC's most volatile stocks. If you're investing over the next year or two... I'm selling. There are simply too many unanswered questions surrounding the coaching situation, the direction of the program, and whether the Belichick experiment ultimately succeeds. But... If you're thinking three, five, or even ten years down the road... The conversation changes. North Carolina remains one of the premier brands in college athletics. Outstanding facilities. Excellent recruiting territory. A recognizable national brand. And if conference realignment reshapes college football again... I believe UNC will be one of the very first ACC schools the Big Ten or SEC calls. That alone gives the stock value. Personally... I don't think the current circus defines North Carolina football forever. Whether Belichick lasts one more season or five... Eventually someone else will lead this program. And when that happens... UNC has every resource needed to become nationally relevant again. 📉 Stock Rating: SELL if you're investing short term. HOLD if you're investing for the next decade. 📈 California Golden Bears — Bull Stock: The Investment My Heart Refuses to Sell Every investor has that one stock. The one that maybe doesn't make perfect sense. But you refuse to sell because... You just like it. For me... That's California. Maybe it's the Calgorithm. Maybe it's Berkeley. Maybe it's the uniforms. Maybe it's simply because I still laugh every time I remember California is somehow playing football in the... Atlantic Coast Conference. Or should I say... The All Coast Conference. Whatever the reason... I'm buying Cal stock. Now let's be honest. This isn't necessarily the safest investment in the ACC. There are probably ten safer football investments. But investing isn't always about spreadsheets. Sometimes... It's about believing in potential. And there are football reasons to like this team. First... Never underestimate Cal After Dark. Those late-night games in Berkeley are going to create problems for ACC teams flying nearly 3,000 miles across the country. The travel. The time zones. The atmosphere. Everything favors California. And then there's quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Every successful stock needs a catalyst. I think Cal found theirs. A difference-maker at quarterback can completely change a football program. I believe Sagapolutele alone wins California a couple of games they otherwise might have lost. Can Cal win the ACC? Probably not. Can they ruin someone else's season? Absolutely. I compare California to owning Chipotle stock. I eat there more than I probably should. Even when the stock dips... I never sell. Because I believe in it. That's California football. 📈 Stock Rating: BUY and HOLD Not because my head says so... Because my heart does. 📉 Stanford Cardinal — Bear Stock: The Million-Dollar Company That Forgot About Football First off... Nothing but love for the West Coast. I enjoy visiting California. And Stanford is one of the most prestigious universities anywhere in the world. But when it comes to ACC football... I have to call it like I see it. Stanford is a stock I'm looking to sell. Or at the very least... One I'm keeping on a very short leash. The biggest question is simple. What exactly is Stanford's long-term plan? When Stanford, California, and SMU joined the ACC, college football officially entered its "nothing makes sense anymore" era. A school sitting nearly 3,000 miles away is now competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. From a football standpoint... The investment hasn't paid off. What's fascinating is Stanford has resources that most universities can only dream about. One of the largest university endowments in America. A world-famous academic brand. Elite facilities. Prestige. Everything... Except consistent football success. That's what makes this stock so frustrating. The potential is enormous. If Stanford ever decides to fully invest in football... The ceiling is incredibly high. Maybe that's exactly what the ACC was betting on when it invited the Cardinal into the conference. Maybe the conference wasn't buying today's football team. Maybe it was buying the Stanford brand. Even now... Someone in the ACC media believed enough to give Stanford a first-place vote lol! So there are still believers. Personally... I'm not there yet. 📉 Stock Rating: SELL / WATCH LIST Stanford has unlimited resources. But until those resources consistently translate into football success... I'm staying on the sidelines. 🔔 Closing Bell: The ACC Stock Market Report And there you have it... The closing bell has officially sounded on my first-ever ACC Football Stock Market Report. I know... I only covered 10 ACC teams. But let's be honest... Not every stock deserves a full Wall Street analysis. Some programs are still trying to find their market value. Some are rebuilding. Some simply don't have enough information yet to make a confident investment. The ten teams I chose are the ones I believe have the biggest stories entering the 2026 season. Some are championship contenders. Some are rising growth stocks. Some are blue-chip investments. Some are turnaround stories. And a few... Well... They may leave investors wondering why they ever bought in. That's what makes college football so much fun. Unlike the stock market, where earnings reports and quarterly numbers usually tell the story... College football can change in a single Saturday. One freshman quarterback can change an entire program. One transfer portal class can reshape a roster overnight. One upset can send a team's stock soaring... Or crashing. That's why every August feels like Opening Day on Wall Street. Everyone thinks they know which stocks are about to explode. By December... We usually discover who guessed right. My ACC Portfolio 📈 Duke — My favorite long-term growth stock. 📈 Miami — The blue-chip investment I believe is headed to the College Football Playoff. 📈 SMU — The aggressive investor's dream with enormous upside. 📈 Virginia Tech — The turnaround stock I'm buying before everyone else does. 📈 Georgia Tech — The rising company quietly building momentum. ⚖️ Clemson — The former industry leader trying to prove it still belongs at the top. ⚖️ Virginia — The momentum stock I'm watching very closely. 📉 North Carolina — The volatile stock with tremendous long-term value but plenty of short-term uncertainty. 📈 California — The investment my heart refuses to sell. 📉 Stanford — The mystery stock with unlimited resources but too many unanswered questions. Now... The only thing left to do... Is play the games. Coming Soon on Blue Devils Blog This article is just the beginning. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting: 🏈 My complete ACC predicted order of finish. 🏈 My official Duke Football game-by-game prediction. 🏈 My first Duke bowl projection of the season. 🏈 ACC Championship and College Football Playoff predictions. So make sure to check back here at Blue Devils Blog as we get closer to kickoff. Until then... Keep watching the market. Because once Week 1 or Week 0 kicks off... Every ACC team's stock starts trading. Some will rise. Some will fall. And by the end of the season... We'll find out which investments paid off. Happy investing... and Go Duke! 🏈📈  Before I drop my thoughts on the Duke-Amazon deal, let’s start with the press release that landed in my inbox a week ago. This is directly from Duke Sports Information. Press release: DURHAM, N.C. — April 30, 2026 — Amazon and Duke University today announced a multiyear agreement for Prime Video to present exclusive coverage of Duke's storied men's basketball program. The agreement marks Prime Video's first college sports relationship, and starting this fall, the streamer will present three marquee Duke Blue Devils neutral-site nonconference men's basketball games per season. The series of exclusive top-tier matchups is slated to tip off in Las Vegas during the week of Thanksgiving and Black Friday on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026, when Duke faces the Connecticut Huskies in T-Mobile Arena. The action continues Monday, Dec. 21, at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, where Duke will take on the Michigan Wolverines. Prime Video's inaugural college basketball showcase culminates in early 2027 on Saturday, Feb. 20, with the Blue Devils squaring off against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Detroit's Little Caesars Arena. All games will be produced by Prime Video, with exact times and other coverage details to be announced later. That is the core of the announcement, and it sets the stage for what is really a pretty significant shift in how college basketball content is being distributed. NOW FOR MY THOUGHTS As a sports media guy for 13 years, a business owner for 20 plus years, and a business teacher for 24 years, this deal hits all the areas I love to follow: sports, business, and finance. And at first glance, it doesn’t take much more than even a paper classes degree from UNC (that’s my one shot at the rival) to see what these three games have in common: Duke and Amazon are the headline act. THE BUSINESS BEHIND IT This is a fascinating move, and honestly, it feels like another example of Duke staying ahead of the curve in college athletics. From Rachel Baker's leadership in Duke basketball's general manager role to Nina King's steady hand guiding Duke athletics into the modern era, this is another signal that Duke is not reacting to change, it is helping lead it. We are long past the cable bundle era. Streaming has taken over, and sports are the last true live content that still pulls massive real-time audiences. That’s why every major platform is fighting for it. Amazon already has the NFL on Thursday nights. Netflix has dipped into NFL Christmas games. Paramount has gone all-in on UFC. The streaming wars are no longer about scripted shows. They are about live sports rights. Now Amazon is stepping into college basketball with one of the most valuable brands in the sport: Duke. WHY DUKE? Why not Duke? Duke is one of the few programs that consistently delivers national ratings year after year. You can almost count on them appearing in multiple top-viewed games every season. From a business standpoint, that matters more than almost anything else. For Amazon, this is the perfect entry point. If you want to test how college basketball performs on a streaming-first platform, you do it with a brand that already moves the needle. For ESPN, this is also a smart play. As the press release notes, Duke’s flexibility in this Amazon series comes with future commitments to additional ESPN-controlled neutral site events in 2027-28 and 2028-29. ESPN still gets what it values most: Duke in big-stage matchups that drive ratings. So in reality, this feels like a three-way win. Amazon gets premium inventory. ESPN protects future content. Duke expands its reach and brand globally. And I imagine there will be a lot of data collected from these games that every network, conference, and athletic department will be watching closely. THE BIG TEN ANGLE Now of course, this is where things get interesting. I’ve already seen some chatter about the Big Ten not being thrilled. I’m not going to pretend to break down legal contracts here, I’ll leave that to someone with a law degree. But let’s be real, if Duke vs. Illinois from 24/25 season or other Big Ten matchups have already been in the rotation on Fox, then the idea of Duke expanding into its own streaming package isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere. And honestly, if one matchup like vs Michigan doesn’t work, there’s no shortage of programs willing to step in. Duke at Cameron North... I mean Madison Square Garden is not exactly a hard sell. At the end of the day, I think the bigger picture is what conferences are really watching: how does a blue blood like Duke perform when it is partially outside the traditional TV model? Because if this works, you can bet not just your blue bloods in college basketball... but also your football powers are paying attention too. Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, all of them. THE GAMES THEMSELVES The schedule itself is also very intentional.
And if you zoom out, Jon Scheyer is again quietly building something interesting here. That February game in Detroit also sits just over a month before the 2027 Final Four, which is in Detroit. The East Regional is also at Madison Square Garden that year. Coincidence or not, that’s a pretty solid non-conference schedule so far... FINAL THOUGHT This feels like one of those deals where everyone gets something. Duke gets even more global exposure with the Amazon deal and another step forward in modern college athletics. Amazon gets a high-profile entry into college basketball. ESPN keeps its long-term relationship and future inventory. And the rest of college sports? They’re going to be watching closely. Because this might not just be a streaming deal. It might be another step toward what college sports looks like next.  Saturday’s Blue & White Game for the Duke Blue Devils football team inside Wallace Wade Stadium felt like more than just a spring scrimmage. It felt like a small preview of what’s coming this fall. And first things first, it was hot. Not just warm, but that early-season North Carolina heat that reminds you summer is not waiting around. That’s part of why the 10 AM kickoff made all the sense in the world. Even then, fans quickly figured it out and started packing into the upper sections of the home side just to get some shade. Cold drinks were flowing, schedule posters and roster cards were out, and everybody was doing their best to stay comfortable while still getting a first look at the 2026 Blue Devils. From a media perspective, I bounced around the stadium throughout the morning. I started down in the second-row media area, moved up into the shaded fan sections, and eventually made my way to the Devils Deck, which is still one of the best spots in Wallace Wade to just take everything in. Different views, different energy, same feeling that football is getting closer. On the field, the defense came away with a 26–17 win over the offense, thanks to a handful of turnovers and disruptive plays that swung momentum their way. The offense did show flashes. Dan Mahan connected with Jaivon Solomon for an early touchdown, and later guided a strong two-minute drive that ended with a score to Brody Keefe. But the defense set the tone in between those moments with interceptions, a fumble recovery, and steady pressure that built their lead. That said, spring games are tough to take too much from. The rules are different, rotations are constant, and everything is controlled to the point where any big conclusions just don’t make a lot of sense. So if you are looking for deep player comparisons or bold expectations coming out of this, you are not going to get that here from a scrimmage in April. What you can take away is the energy around the program. Fans showed up. They grabbed their schedule posters, found their seats, and settled in with that mix of curiosity and optimism that always comes with the first look at a new team. And credit to the Duke staff too. There was a lot going on across campus with the Blue & White Game, a home lacrosse event, and the Duke Surplus Sale all happening the same day. It was a full campus Saturday, and everything seemed to run smoothly. At the end of the day, this was a reminder that we are still in April. There are a lot of hot days ahead before we get to Labor Day weekend and the opener vs Tulane on Saturday, September 5 back at Wallace Wade. But days like this help bridge that gap. Soon I will be dropping my next piece, “Six Saturdays That Could Shape Duke’s 2026 Season,” where I will take a deeper look at the schedule and where things could really swing this year. Until then, stay cool my friends.  I’ve covered Duke games from a lot of different spots over the years. Cameron Indoor Stadium. Wake Forest. Virginia Tech. Virginia. North Carolina. Las Vegas. Chicago. NCAA Tournament games. Even that 2015 Final Four run. Usually, when I’m covering Duke at Cameron, I’m sitting across the court looking toward the Duke bench. You can still see plenty from there, obviously, but last weekend in Greenville gave me a completely different perspective, and honestly, one I won’t forget anytime soon. For Duke’s NCAA Tournament weekend in Greenville, I had my media credential spot behind the basket. But my wife also came through with a great set of seats to the right side behind the Duke bench. And let me say this right now: I owe her a thank you, because getting to take in two March Madness games from that view was a treat not just as a media guy, not just as a Duke fan, but as a sports fan. From behind the bench, you notice everything. You notice how locked in the entire operation is from start to finish. Jon Scheyer. Chris Carrawell. Emanuel Dildy. Evan Bradds. Tyler Thornton. The managers. The staffers behind the bench. The guys doing jobs most fans probably never even think about during the game. Everybody is engaged. Everybody knows their role. Everybody is working the moment. And the biggest thing that hit me was this: Duke basketball is run like a well-oiled machine. This wasn’t the first time I’ve had seats behind the bench, but it had been a while. And sitting there again reminded me just how impressive that side of it really is. There’s constant communication. Constant teaching. Constant awareness. Even during the chaotic moments, there’s purpose. No wasted motion. No panic. Just people doing their jobs at a high level. That point only got driven home more by the way Duke had to survive and advance last weekend. The opener against Siena on Thursday was anything but comfortable. Duke trailed 43-32 at the half and faced a 13-point deficit in the second half, the largest deficit the Blue Devils had faced all season. But even with the pressure rising and the bracket madness of March suddenly feeling very real, the bench never looked rattled. Duke responded with poise, defense, rebounding, and toughness, eventually closing on an 11-0 run in the final eight minutes to escape with a 71-65 win. The Blue Devils held Siena to just 22 points in the second half, outrebounded the Saints 30-13 after halftime, and showed exactly the kind of composure you need to have in March. Cameron Boozer posted 22 points and 13 rebounds, Cayden Boozer delivered a career-high 19 points with five assists and zero turnovers, and Isaiah Evans added his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. That’s what stood out to me from my angle behind the bench. Yes, the game got uncomfortable. Yes, Siena absolutely threw a punch. But nobody on that sideline looked like the moment was too big. Nobody looked shaken. The operation just kept working. And then on Saturday, Duke looked much more like Duke. The Blue Devils beat TCU, 81-58, to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16, and once again, from that vantage point behind the bench, you could see how organized and connected everything was. It wasn’t a perfect first half, with Duke leading only 38-34 at the break, but the response after halftime was exactly what you’d expect from a team that has an identity and trusts it. Cameron Boozer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and finished with his 21st double-double of the season. Isaiah Evans had 17. Dame Sarr added 14 and hit four threes. Patrick Ngongba II returned and gave Duke an emotional lift. And when the Blue Devils finally seized control, they did it with the same formula they’ve leaned on all year, defending, rebounding, and delivering a knockout run. That second-half burst against TCU was classic Duke. The Blue Devils outscored the Horned Frogs by 19 after the break, turned a tight game into a 23-point win, and advanced to the second weekend for the third straight season under Scheyer. But again, the score only tells part of the story. From behind the bench, you could see the details. The communication after dead balls. The constant instruction. The assistants tracking everything. The players staying connected. The staff behind them staying alert and working. It all matters. And when you see it from that close, you come away appreciating that this thing is bigger than just what happens when the ball goes through the hoop. That’s why I keep coming back to the same phrase: well-oiled machine. Because that’s exactly what it looked like. And in a strange way, the Siena game may have emphasized it even more than the TCU game did. When everything is rolling and the margin is growing, of course a team looks sharp. But when things get tight? When the pressure ramps up? When a No. 1 seed is getting pushed way harder than anybody expected? That’s when you really learn what an operation is made of. What I saw from that seat was a Duke program that stayed in the moment and kept working. Scheyer stayed composed. The assistants stayed active. The bench stayed engaged. The managers and support staff kept doing the little things. There was no drift. No unraveling. Just a group doing everything it could to give the Blue Devils the best chance to win. That’s not accidental. That’s culture. That’s preparation. That’s habit. And now Duke heads to Washington, D.C., for a Sweet 16 showdown with St. John’s on Friday at Capital One Arena. There’s another interesting layer here too: Scheyer’s scheduling has once again put Duke in position to be comfortable before the moment arrives. The Blue Devils already played in Capital One Arena on February 21 and beat Michigan, 68-63, in that building. So while the stage gets bigger, the setting won’t feel brand new. That matters this time of year, and it’s another example of how this staff seems to think through everything. That doesn’t guarantee anything against a hungry St. John’s team, of course. March never works that way. But if there’s one thing Greenville reinforced for me, it’s this: Duke has talent. Duke has star power. Duke has versatility. But Duke also has structure. And sitting behind the bench last weekend gave me a fresh reminder that structure is one of this team’s greatest strengths. So yes, I’ll remember the comeback against Siena. I’ll remember the second-half surge against TCU. I’ll remember the Greenville atmosphere, the tournament buzz, and the chance to watch Duke survive and advance in person. But I’ll also remember the view. Because from behind that bench, you could see exactly why this team has a chance to keep dancing. You could see the machine working.    It's that time of year when hardcore college basketball fans as well as casual fans come together for the NCAA Tournament. March Madness is one of the most popular sporting events and unique in its own way. Unlike college football, that had a four team playoff for years to now a 12 team playoff for these last two seasons, to possibly a 14 team or more playoff in the future, college basketball has arguably the most pure and fair form of a tournament in all of sports. The NCAA selection committee picks the top 68 teams to go dancing. There is talk out there of expanding the tourney.. but hopefully the powers that be don't ruin what is arguably the best tournament to exist. Also unlike college football - if you win your conference tournament in basketball, you go to the NCAA Tournament. It doesn't get much fairer and to the point than that. Even if you don't win your tourney, if you play a tough schedule and pull off a lot of wins, you still go dancing. There is no perfect process to pick teams, but the NCAA tournament is as close as you can get. Now that the bracket has been released, you will see people from all walks of life, gathering at the office water cooler, or at a sports bar, or maybe even meeting in a group Zoom meeting to discuss strategies on picking their bracket. You will have the person who spends hours and hours analyzing data such as college basketball conference standings, KenPom rankings, strength of schedules, as well as other data and statistics only to see his/her bracket get busted when a Cinderella pulls off an upset. You will also have that one person who makes picks based on team colors or mascots end up winning the office pool. March Madness has a unique way of bringing together the hardcore and casual fan. Once Thursday gets here, you will have fans watching games from everywhere and anywhere possible. Many will take off work the first two days of the NCAA Tourney (Thursday and Friday - not the play in games) to watch games at home, a local bar or chain restaurant like Buffalo Wild Wings that display multiple TVs. At certain times in the NCAA Tourney, you can have four games going at once. You will also have many employees who don't take off work but instead watch the games at work by streaming through devices like their laptop, tablet, or iphone using the company wi-fi. This is why I have long argued that the first two days (not the First Four in Dayton) of the NCAA Tournament (but Thursday and Friday) should be an optional holiday. You don't see events like the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff, World Series, and NBA Playoffs being played during normal working hours. Employees spending time at work streaming games can have an economic impact on the workplace. A 2021 analysis report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggested " that between 23 million and 34.5 million workers would fill out brackets" for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The report also suggested the 2021 tournament could have possibly cost employers over $13 billion from their workforce. According to the report.. "that would mean 72,114,720 workers are participating in March Madness activities while at work. Using this figure multiplied by the average hourly wage, the games could cost employers $2.16 billion per hour." To see the full 2021 analysis report from Challenger, Gray, & Christmas click on the link below. Challenger, Gray, & Christmas 2021 March Madness Report The above was from a 2021 analysis. Now fast forward to 2023 NCAA Tournament... According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas the 2023 NCAA Tournament cost employers $17.3 billion dollars. That's $1 billion more than last year. Another stat - $2.55 billion dollars - Lost wages resulting from the possibility of 48% of all workers, or 76,951,200 people, spending at least one hour of one workday on March Madness activities. You can find more information and stats from their report at the link below. https://www.challengergray.com/blog/the-2023-tournament-will-cost-employers-17-3b-1b-more-than-last-year/ One would think that for this upcoming 2026 NCAA Tourney, that all those numbers and statistics will go up. March Madness attracts several viewers to the NCAA Tournament games. Several years back, the NCAA and CBS Sports teamed up to offer the March Madness on Demand web streaming service. With the app, you now can watch games from your iPhone, and tablet to go along with watching games on your laptop and TV. With just owning a few basic technology items, one could turn their living room into a mini Buffalo Wild Wings, streaming all the games being played at the same time. Check out the pics below from my 2024 and 2025 March Madness Parties to get an idea.  2024 MARCH MADNESS SETUP  2025 MARCH MADNESS SETUP In 2006, the gurus at CBS Sports took it to a new level with the famous "BOSS" button. The BOSS button allows viewers to watch games at work but quickly be able to bring up a fake email, spreadsheet, flow chart, etc.. if somebody walks by their computer. CBS Sports reported years back there were 2.77 million clicks on the BOSS button. Now that has been 20 years ago since the creation of the "BOSS" button. Times and technology have changed since then. Click on the link below to see a 2019 article from USA Today on the history of the BOSS button. History of the BOSS button To see a discrete history of the "BOSS" button click on the link below from NCAA.com www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-03-19/march-madness-boss-button-discrete-history  As you can see, March Madness has continued to embrace the use of technology.
Office pools are another popular event that goes along with March Madness. Billions of dollars will exchange hands the next few weeks as people from all walks of life will participate in office pools across the country. Filling out the bracket the Monday after Selection Sunday has become a pastime for many fans. According to a 2018 USA Today article, the American Gaming Association estimated the following… The amount that will be wagered on this (2018) year’s tournament, only $300 million of which will be done legally at sports books in Las Vegas, according to the American Gaming Association. With sports betting now legal in more than 30+ states ( I believe currently 39 states and Washington,D.C.), one would think the amount of sports betting (legal with sports books as well as office pools) on the NCAA Tournament will surely increase. CBS, Yahoo, ESPN and other sites offer up cash and/or prizes for a perfect bracket. In 2014, Warren Buffett upped the ante by offering one billion dollars to the person who had a perfect bracket. Warren Buffett is no fool when it comes to investing money. His challenge brought even more attention to Yahoo Fantasy sports, as Yahoo and Quicken Loans partnered together to launch the billion dollar bracket challenge. The challenge opened to the first 15 million qualified entrants. By late Friday of the first round of games, out of the fifteen million brackets, none were left perfect. It didn’t help that Mercer upset Duke and Dayton beat Ohio State in the first round to shatter millions of brackets. As you can see, Warren Buffett placed a safe bet that ended up bringing a lot of hype to the bracket challenge and he didn’t have to give out a dollar. Over the years Warren Buffet has then offered a bracket challenge to his employees in which they would receive one million every year for life to the employee that could pick a perfect Sweet 16. None of his employees have been able to do that. However, in 2017, one employee came very close correctly picking 31 out of the 32 games. He didn't win the one million a year for life, but did win $100,000 prize for having the best bracket. Who has scored the best March Madness bracket ever? According to an Investopedia.com article (link below) - " With 49 games accurately predicted in a row, Gregg Nigl of Columbus, Ohio, scored the best March Madness bracket ever recorded. In 2019, the neuropsychologist was the first person to reach the Sweet 16, eventually breaking the streak in its second game when two-seed Tennessee lost to three-seed Purdue. " https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/082714/what-are-odds-getting-perfect-bracket-warren-buffetts-1-billion-march-madness-bracket-challenge.asp Still trying to achieve the perfect bracket is always a challenge many fans dream of. Every year, I myself think, "yeah this is my year to finally produce the perfect bracket." Well, a quick Google search will give you the statistics of having a perfect bracket. Here are the odds from a recent NCAA article: “Jeffrey Bergen, a professor of mathematics at DePaul University, has been crunching numbers on the topic for years. And they don’t look good. Bergen says that the chances of someone filling out a perfect bracket is 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. That’s one in more than nine quintillion. To put how large that number is into proper perspective, Bergen reports that if you were to begin filling out random brackets now and stacked each of the 9 quintillion pieces of paper on top of each other, the stack would reach all the way to the sun and back…over 3,000 times by the time you finished.” You would have a better chance at winning the lottery than producing a perfect bracket. As USA Today stated, “You’d have a better chance of hitting four holes-in-one in a single round of golf.” Even with the odds NOT in your favor, fans across the country will come together at the water cooler starting Monday to discuss their strategies and why they think their bracket is going to be perfect this year. The next 3 weeks, the March Madness Effect will be everywhere. Whether it be fans attending the games at different locations across the country, co-workers discussing the games over a lunch break, friends getting together at the local sports bar to cheer on their team, or living rooms being turned into temporary sports bars to display all the games, March Madness is truly a unique sporting event that all can enjoy.   It’s that time of year again when friends and coworkers across the country are getting together to fill out brackets for March Madness. I am one of those guys who watches the selections shows, surfs different sports websites for their advice, and still buys two different newspapers... (wait... do they still make newspapers?...) to read before filling out my bracket. A couple days later, I find I can’t get through the first round undefeated. But then again, very few get through Thursday and Friday with a perfect bracket. The thing I love about March Madness is that it brings people from different walks of life together. You have your diehard sports fans filling out brackets, as well as people who don’t follow sports but love to fill out a bracket. I have had friends who don’t follow sports who make their picks based on the mascot or even team colors. Several years ago, I joined a unique March Madness office pool at work created by my buddy whose nickname is “The Flo” and have been hooked ever since. What I like about this office pool is that it is something different than your normal “fill out a bracket” office pool. It is a pool for hard-core college basketball fans as well as people who have never watched a game. You need 16 people to do the pool. After the teams are announced on Selection Sunday you take the 64 teams (the teams in the play in games are both grouped in one team slot) and split them into 4 groups. The groups below are the following: #13 - #16 seeds = High #9 - #12 seeds = Mid-High #5 - #8 seeds = Mid-Low #1 - #4 seeds = Low Look at the image below (it is from a previous March Madness year) to get an idea of how the teams are divided in groups.  Each of the 16 people in your pool each get a team out of the 4 groups listed above. You could put the teams in 4 hats and do a random draw or you could use a computer to generate the pics. It is a fair pool, since everybody ends up with a low, mid-low, mid-high, and high seed. If one of your 4 teams is the winner of the NCAA Tourney, you win the pool. For this pool, I used the old school method of cutting out the 64 teams and grouping them in the 4 seed groups. Some years I have used my 2010 Duke national championship cups :) to shake up the pieces of paper and draw out each person's picks at random. See pic below.  We here at Duke Report have created the pool with myself @Skeelow22 and 15 Twitter friends/followers who responded to a request to join. Below are the results of the random selections for the 2026 Duke Report - Next Level Pick 'Em Pool.  The last 2 years I even added a snake draft style to mix it up as I randomly chose teams from the cups.
As you can see, this is a unique office pool. I myself take a sharpie and scratch out the teams as they are eliminated from the tournament. There is no better feeling as a Duke fan than marking out North Carolina from the pool as they get eliminated. With Selection Sunday already completed, this is another pool you can do along with filling out the brackets. Winner of the Duke Report - March Madness Pick 'Em Pool will receive a small Duke prize. Enjoy March Madness and Go Duke! Want to know how to throw an exciting March Madness party? Read below for the details. It's that time of year when the brackets are out and millions of people will be filling them out in hopes of winning their local office pool. Many people will take the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament off work to watch games at home or even their favorite sports bar. I have long argued those two days should be holidays. Employees spending time at work streaming games can have an economic impact on the workplace. A 2021 analysis report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas suggested " that between 23 million and 34.5 million workers would fill out brackets" for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The report also suggested the 2021 tournament could have possibly cost employers over $13 billion from their workforce. Now fast forward to 2023 NCAA Tournament... According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas the 2023 NCAA Tournament cost employers $17.3 billion dollars. That's $1 billion more than last year. Another stat - $2.55 billion dollars - Lost wages resulting from the possibility of 48% of all workers, or 76,951,200 people, spending at least one hour of one workday on March Madness activities. You can find more information and stats from their report at the link below. https://www.challengergray.com/blog/the-2023-tournament-will-cost-employers-17-3b-1b-more-than-last-year/ A lot of people will have friends over to watch the games. It’s not that difficult or expensive to throw an exciting March Madness party. I’ve lost count of how many years I have thrown a March Madness party. Every year, we seem to up the ante and do something unique. Below are some ideas to help you throw a party your friends won’t forget. The first thing is your setup. Most households own at least 2 TVs and multiple electronic devices. CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV will be showing the games of the NCAA tourney. At some points, you can have 4 games airing at once. My basic setup consist of 3 or 4 TVs displaying games from YouTube TV and 1 or 2 laptops either streaming the other games or displaying the bracket. Over the years, we have changed the lineup. Some years I have used my iPad to display the bracket. One year, I had an iPod (remember iPods?) in the guest bathroom streaming games so that even when nature calls, you wouldn’t miss the game. As you can see, with the basic electronic items that many people own, you can set your house up to rival a Buffalo Wild Wings. The second item on the agenda is the food. Pizza, wings, and buffalo chicken dip seem to be the go-to for my party every year. Pick the food, snacks, and beverages you would like to have at your event. Some years, I have had a friend decorate a Duke themed March Madness cake for my party. As you can see, get as creative as you want with food selections.  The third item on the agenda is the extras. This includes things such as decorations, activities, or even souvenirs. Years back I have bought a 2x3 feet size bracket off Ebay to hang up in the mancave as we watch the games. We update the bracket after each game. Two years ago I up my game and I splurged and finally got the Fathead March Madness bracket. I bought the giant size bracket... and let me say... this bracket is huge! I also set up my Duke corn hole boards outside as an extra activity. One year I even had custom-made koozies for my March Madness party.  Last, but not least is to fill out the bracket and enter a March Madness bracket challenge. There are several sites such as ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS that offer a bracket competition and some offer prizes. I enter online bracket challenges as well as a few local bracket challenges and even help lead one that gives out the coveted FC LAKE2LAKE March Madness Bracketology trophy to the winner. Hosting a party with your friends all in the same bracket challenge just adds to the excitement of March Madness as you all compete to become the winner of Bracketology.  All it takes is a little creativity and you can throw an exciting March Madness party! The next 3 weeks, March Madness will be talked about everywhere. Whether it’s coworkers discussing the games over a lunch break, friends getting together at the local sports bar to cheer on their team, or living rooms being turned into temporary sports bars to display all the games, March Madness is truly a unique sporting event that all can enjoy.   from Duke Sports Information Duke captured five of the Atlantic Coast Conference's six top honors and placed multiple players on the league's postseason teams, the ACC announced Monday.
Freshman forward Cameron Boozer was voted the ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while senior forward Maliq Brown earned both Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year awards. Head coach Jon Scheyer was named ACC Coach of the Year after guiding the Blue Devils to a 29-2 overall record, the league's regular-season championship and the No. 1 ranking in the top-25 polls. Boozer was also selected to the All-ACC First Team and the All-Rookie Team. Sophomore guard/forward Isaiah Evans earned All-ACC Third Team recognition, while sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II was named All-ACC Honorable Mention. Freshman guard/forward Dame Sarr garnered All-Defensive Team honors. Boozer Earns Player and Rookie of the Year Awards Boozer becomes the fifth player in ACC history to capture the league's Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season, joining former Duke standouts Cooper Flagg (2025), Zion Williamson (2019), Marvin Bagley III (2018) and Jahlil Okafor (2015). Boozer is the 20th Blue Devil to be saluted as the ACC Player of the Year and 16th to be declared ACC Rookie of the Year. Duke's 20 Player of the Year awards, 16 Rookie of the Year recipients, 162 All-ACC selections, 42 All-Rookie Team picks and 36 All-Defensive Team merits are the most in conference history in each category. In addition, the Blue Devils have had an All-ACC First Team honoree in 18 of the last 19 seasons. Boozer is the highest rated player in the history of the KenPom Player of the Year Standings (since 2011) with a rating of 3.253, eclipsing Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin in 2015 (2.794). He is also the top-rated player by EvanMiya with a combined offensive and defensive performance rating of 15.09. The Miami native led the ACC in both scoring (705 points/22.7 points per game) and rebounding (315 rebounds/10.2 rebounds per game), while also averaging 4.1 assists and shooting 58.3% from the field. The freshman forward earned ACC Player of the Week honors five times and Rookie of the Week recognition 10 times this season. His historic campaign includes becoming the only Division I player in the last 30 seasons to record at least 700 points, 300 rebounds and 100 assists while shooting better than 50 percent from the field in a single regular season. Boozer's consistent production is demonstrated by recording at least 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 31 games this season, the longest such streak by any player (men's or women's) at any point in a Division I career this century. Brown Named Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year Brown anchored the nation's top-rated defense and was named both ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year. The senior leads Duke and ranks third in the conference with 60 steals and owns the ACC's top steal percentage (5.61%), which ranks second nationally according to KenPom. Brown has also compiled 168 deflections this season, more than 31 percent of the team's total, while helping the Blue Devils post the nation's No. 1 defensive efficiency rating. According to BartTorvik metrics, Brown's 9.1 defensive box plus-minus is the highest mark in the platform's history. Offensively, he is shooting 60.5 percent from the field, while averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Scheyer Named ACC Coach of the Year Scheyer collected 51 votes to earn ACC Coach of the Year honors after leading Duke to a 29-2 overall record and a 17-1 mark in conference play. The Blue Devils finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls and sit atop the NCAA NET rankings with 15 Quad 1 victories, tied for the most in the country. Duke leads the nation in scoring margin (+20.5) and owns the top-rated defense nationally, according to KenPom. The Blue Devils are also among the nation's elite on both ends of the floor, ranking first in defensive efficiency and fifth in offensive efficiency. Despite losing all five starters to the NBA Draft and returning just 20 percent of its offensive production from last season, Duke captured the outright ACC regular-season title for the second consecutive year and became the first team in the history of the ACC to win at least 11 regular-season games against ranked opponents. Scheyer's success has also been historic. He owns a 118-24 career record and has recorded the most victories by a Division I head coach in their first four seasons. Additional Duke Honors Evans earned All-ACC Third Team recognition after averaging 14.5 points per game, while ranking among the ACC leaders in three-point shooting and free-throw percentage. The Fayetteville, North Carolina, native has connected on 81 three-pointers this season and ranks fifth in the conference with an .868 free-throw percentage. Ngongba received All-ACC Honorable Mention after a breakout sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-11 center is averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 60.2 percent from the field. Hailing from Manassas, Virginia, he more than doubled his production from last season in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots. Sarr was selected to the All-Defensive Team after earning the reputation as a lockdown defender. The Italian freshman ranks third on the team with 30 steals, while averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. No. 1 Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC), the ACC regular-season champions, will compete in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m., facing the winner of Wednesday's Florida State versus California game. |
Author
Archives
September 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
