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There is a strange scheduling anomaly for Duke basketball’s non-conference meeting against Illinois.
This season, the Blue Devils’ non-conference schedule is going to be quite demanding.
Up until now, the St. John’s Red Storm has been the only team to consistently disrupt ACC competition for the Duke basketball team. However, things seem to be about to change going into the 2024–25 season.
This season, the Blue Devils will travel to Madison Square Garden for their yearly meeting with Illinois, a non-conference game instead of a game versus Rick Pitino’s Johnnies.
Many people had assumed that the Duke vs. Illini game would take place in December, however Illinois head coach Brad Underwood clarified that this year’s game will not take place in December.
At the NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday, Underwood told Andy Katz, “We’re working on a game — it’s not finalized — with Duke in the Garden at a unique time.”
Ever since defeating St. John’s, 91-61, in Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2019 thanks to 29 points from Zion Williamson, the Blue Devils have not played a non-ACC game after January 1.
Actually, January 2, 2013, against Davidson, was the last non-conference game Duke played after January 1 that wasn’t against the Red Storm; however, that game took place before ACC play started.
