Duke women's basketball 2025-26 Season Preview: Projected starting lineup, impact players and rotation explored

Duke's women's basketball squad came up four points shy of the Final Four, but Kara Lawson will have to do some significant offseason tinkering. Of note, the Blue Devils lost four players to the transfer portal and added (as of this date, anyway) none. There's some star power back, but not as much depth as Lawson might love. Here's an early rundown on Duke.

Duke women's basketball season preview 2025-26

Guard Ashlon Jackson is one of four returning Duke starters on the squad. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Starting Lineup

Duke may be unique across the power conferences with five projected returning starters. Four players started a season ago, and the fifth is the top returning scorer, so this isn't exactly hard to figure out.

Guard: Taina Mair

Mair, in her second year at Duke after starting her career at Boston College, averaged 6.7 points and 3.6 assists per game. She's a steady, experienced point guard.

Guard: Jadyn Donovan

Donovan averaged 5.1 points and 6.4 boards per game for Duke and has started for the last two seasons. She's an unusual starting guard as she has never attempted a collegiate 3-pointer. Donovan is mostly out there for defense and rebounding, but it's hard to bench somebody who has started for two seasons.

Guard: Ashlon Jackson

A 6-foot guard, Jackson is the top returning backcourt player from a year ago. She has started for the last two years and averaged 12.4 points per game last year while connecting on 37% of her 3-point attempts. Jackson has made 162 3-pointers in three college seasons, so she'll be the main perimeter threat for the Blue Devils.

Forward: Toby Fournier

The top scorer off last year's team, Fournier averaged 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, all while coming off the bench and playing barely 20 minutes per game. She'll move into a starting role this year as a sophomore and obviously has all-ACC potential. Keeping Fournier around was pivotal for coach Kara Lawson.

Forward: Delaney Thomas

A 6-foot-3 foward, Thomas averaged 7.1 points and 4.9 boards per game last season as a starter. She's a solid post defender who is notable for her good work on the defensive end of the floor. Thomas could blossomg into a 12-and-7 type player in her junior season, which would certainly help Duke.

Rotation Players

Here's where things get dicey. Duke has 11 players listed on the roster. 6-foot-4 forward Jordan Wood (4.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg) is the only remaining player who played a significant role last season. Redshirted Maryland transfer Riley Nelson could help at guard, or redshirted post player Arianna Robertson could buy some minutes down low. Guard Emilee Skinner is the lone true freshman on the roster.

Impact Players

The one advantage here is having four-fifths of the starting lineup back, but Fournier, as the new starter, is probably the key. Duke doesn't have a ton of offensive punch and it'll be important for Fournier to be a reliable scoring option. Likewise, Ashlon Jackson's perimeter shooting will be pivotal for a team without a ton of pure shooters.

What do you think of Duke's squad? Share your take below in the comments section!