No. 7 Duke Gears Up for Top-20 Showdown in Paris Season Opener

Monday, November 3

Paris, France

12 p.m.

Duke University

Baylor

Tickets

Photo by: Nat LeDonne / Duke Athletics

No. 7 Duke Gears Up for Top-20 Showdown in Paris Season Opener

11/2/2025 11:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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THE OPENING TIP

Duke opens the 2025-26 regular season Monday, Nov. 3, in the City of Lights, squaring off against Baylor in the Oui-Play Paris event. Tipoff is slated for noon ET, with the game airing live on ESPN.
Duke is 43-10 all-time in season openers – including six consecutive victories – and 5-0 under head coach Kara Lawson. The Blue Devils are 9-4 all-time when playing at a neutral site to open the year. Monday's matchup marks the first season opener in program history held outside of the United States.
Lawson was tapped to serve as head coach of the USA Basketball Women's National Team through 2028. She will lead the USA women at the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. She will also coach at qualifying tournaments, training camps and exhibitions throughout the Olympic cycle.
Through her first five seasons, Lawson has compiled a 97-41 (.703) overall record. She has spearheaded Duke's resurgence into one of the nation's premier programs, leading the Blue Devils to three consecutive 20-win seasons and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Blue Devils enter 2025-26 following a 29-8 campaign that included their 12th Elite Eight appearance and ninth ACC Tournament title. All three feats marked program bests dating back to 2012-13.
Duke boasts a veteran squad this season, returning four starters, 10 letterwinners and nearly 70 percent of its scoring from a year ago. The Blue Devils are led by All-ACC Second Team selection Ashlon Jackson, reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Toby Fournier and three returning starters – ACC All-Defensive Team honoree Jadyn Donovan, Taina Mair and Delaney Thomas.
Duke supplements its experienced core with three newcomers, including 2025 McDonald's All-American Emilee Skinner. Redshirt sophomore Riley Nelson and redshirt freshman Arianna Roberson, who were also McDonald's All-Americans and top-20 recruits, add incredible depth as they make their Duke debuts this season.
The Blue Devils come into the year as a consensus preseason top-10 team. Among the preseason lists, Duke is No. 7 in the Associated Press poll, sixth in the USA Today Coaches rankings and No. 9 according to ESPN.
Duke was picked to finish first in the ACC's predicted order of finish, while Fournier, Jackson and Skinner earned preseason all-conference accolades.
The Blue Devils will play nine regular season games against preseason AP top-25 opponents, including two of the top four – No. 2 South Carolina and either No. 3 UCLA or No. 4 Texas – at the inaugural Players Era Women's Championship. Duke's schedule also features matchups with No. 5 LSU, No. 9 NC State, No. 11 North Carolina (twice), No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 16 Baylor and No. 20 Louisville.

PARIS EXPERIENCE OFFERS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY DUKE:

Opening the 2025-26 season in Paris has provided the Duke women's basketball team a unique opportunity to experience one of the world's most historic cities. The Blue Devils have explored iconic landmarks, sampled French cuisine and immersed themselves in the City of Lights' rich culture and art.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience reaches beyond basketball. It's also about giving back to the game that has given them so much.
On Saturday, Duke stepped beyond competition to host a joint clinic with Baylor for Parisian youth programs. The hands-on exchange gave local children the chance to learn from top Division I athletes while fostering connections through the shared love of basketball.

READY FOR TIPOFF

Duke has won its past six season openers and is 43-10 all-time. Under head coach Kara Lawson, the Blue Devils are 5-0 in opening games.
In program history, Duke is 8-4 when tipping off the season at a neutral site, with Monday's matchup marking the first neutral-site opener in nearly two decades.
Monday's game is also historic, signifying the first season opener in program history to be played outside the United States.

A GLANCE AT THE 2025-26 BLUE DEVILS

Entering the 2025-26 season under sixth-year head coach Kara Lawson, Duke features a veteran roster with 10 returning players from a squad that finished 29-8 overall, claimed the program's ninth ACC Tournament title and advanced to its 12th Elite Eight. The Blue Devils return nearly 70 percent of the team's offense, 64 percent of its rebounding and 63 percent of their assist totals from a season ago.
Duke is led by All-ACC Second Team selection Ashlon Jackson, reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Toby Fournier and three returning starters - ACC All-Defensive Team honoree Jadyn Donovan, Taina Mair and Delaney Thomas.
The Blue Devils supplement their experienced core with three newcomers, including 2025 McDonald's All-American Emilee Skinner. Redshirt sophomore Riley Nelson and redshirt freshman Arianna Roberson, who were also McDonald's All-Americans and top-20 recruits, add incredible depth as they make their Duke debuts this season.

USA! USA! USA! LAWSON NAMED HEAD COACH FOR USA BASKETBALL WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM

Three-time Olympic champion Kara Lawson was named head coach of USA Basketball's Women's National Team Sept. 22, 2025.
Lawson, who has earned 13 combined gold medals as a player and coach with USA Basketball, will lead the U.S. women at the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup (Berlin) and at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Additionally, she will coach at qualifying tournaments, training camps and exhibitions throughout the Olympic cycle.
This past summer, Lawson served as head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile, leading the Americans to a 7-0 record and the gold medal.

MUST WATCH TV:

Duke women's basketball continues to command the national spotlight, leading all Power Four programs with the most nationally televised games this season.
The Blue Devils will appear on national television 24 times during the regular season – four more than a year ago. Duke edged out South Carolina (23), North Carolina (22), Iowa (20), NC State (20) and UCLA (20) to claim the top spot among Power Four programs.
The only team with more national TV appearances than Duke this season is UConn, with 31.
Duke will appear on the ESPN family of networks 21 times. The confirmed slate includes seven games on ESPN or ESPN2, 10 contests on ACC Network, two on ESPNU and one on ABC. Duke's game against Notre Dame (Jan. 4) will air on either ACCN or ESPN.
The Blue Devils' two games during the Players Era Women's Championship will air on truTV, while the Feb. 8 matchup against SMU will be broadcast on the CW.
The growing spotlight reflects the program's rising profile under head coach Kara Lawson, with the Blue Devils' blend of elite talent and star power making them must-see TV.

To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel by searching "DukeWBB."

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