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Duke Basketball: Three Teams Duke Should Play in Non-Conference

By Kevin Connelly

OMAHA, NE - MARCH 25: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils speaks with his team against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE - MARCH 25: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils speaks with his team against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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It’s always nice to daydream, so we thought that we should come up with a list of teams that Duke Basketball should play in the non-conference part of their schedule next season.

The ACC opponents are set next season for Duke and while some conference opponents are set in stone, we would like to see the Blue Devils add some more well-known programs to their schedule.

First with the set non-conference opponents.

To kick off the season in the Champions Classic, Duke will be playing rival Kentucky. This game will kick off the start of the college basketball season.

Much like Duke, Kentucky’s roster will be looking very different from last season. According to ESPN, Kentucky has the No. 2 incoming recruiting class, behind Duke. The Cats class is made up of three, five-star recruits and one three star.

The last time Duke played Kentucky, Kentucky won 74-63 in the 2015 Champions Classic.

Another opponent that Duke will be playing next season is the St. John’s Red Storm. The Red Storm took down the Blue Devils last season at Madison Square Garden, but this will be the return game of the home and home series and played at Cameron.

St John’s returns much of their starters from last season, but the biggest question is will Shamorie Ponds return? Ponds scored 33 in the win over Duke and averaged 21.6 last season. The feeling around the program is that Ponds will return to the Red Storm but no official decision has been made.

Also released just a few months ago, the Blue Devils will be taking on Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden. The Red Raiders are coming off of a season where they reached they lost to the eventual national champion, Villanova.

Those are all the non-conference opponents that Duke has set for next season and now as we begin our wants and hopes for next season, remember this just a list that we are making up, there is no substance behind any of these.

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