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Duke Basketball: Blue Devils Release Details for Preseason Exhibition Abroad

By Chris Brown

Mar 16, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski speaks to the media during practice for the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski speaks to the media during practice for the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Duke Basketball will head to the Dominican Republic for two preseason exhibition games to prepare for the upcoming college basketball season.

Earlier this summer, it was reported that the Duke Basketball program will take a preseason trip abroad to the Dominican Republic. The Blue Devils recently finalized the plans for their upcoming trip and announced the official details.

Duke will travel to the Dominican Republic from August 17-24 to compete in two exhibition games against the DR national team. The first game will be on August 20th in Santiago and the second one will be August 23rd in the capital city Santo Domingo. The team will also be able to tour the country and take part in cultural activities during their off time.

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The Dominican Republic National Team will be using these exhibitions to prepare for the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup for a chance to potentially qualify in the FIBA World Cup and the Olympic games. Meanwhile, Duke will be preparing for the upcoming NCAA season. The Blue Devils will lose seven key players from last season, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski hopes to use this as an opportunity to gain team chemistry and bond as a team saying:

"“The Dominican Republic is a good team, and we’re going to see who our guys are during these practices and games. We lost seven of our top eight scorers from last season; this is almost an entirely new team. No matter how much you work out or practice, you really don’t know about a team until you see it in competition. This will be an unbelievable bonding experience for our group and we’ll also get to see how they play together before we start practice at the end of September”"

Duke Basketball will have a very young team next season, adding six freshmen recruits. The Dominican Republic trip will be crucial to helping the younger players get acclimated and learn how to play together. Specifically for incoming freshman Trevon Duval, who is expected to come in right away and start at point guard and run the offense.

Next: ESPN Announces Big Ten-ACC Challenge Opponents

This will be the Blue Devils’ first trip abroad since visiting China and Dubai for the Friendship Games in 2011. The NCAA allows teams to travel internationally once every four years. Stay tuned to more Duke Basketball schedule news and updates here on Ball Durham.

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